Casa Vacanze L'Orizzonte

The staff were kind, but they weren't helpful when we needed assistance. We waited three hours to check in because the house wasn't fully clean, and it was still filthy when we got inside. There was hair on the sheets, sink and toilet, and we had to scrub the toilet twice with bleach. The tablecloth had dried-on food and insect legs. The place has plenty of problems, including old window frames that let in drafts and bugs. Future guests should bring gloves and be ready to clean the kitchen. The owner says there's a surcharge if it's left dirty. Also, a friend who visits you has to pay €30.

The house itself is impressive, with spacious rooms, and the owners were lovely and welcoming. They gave us duplicate keys for every room, plus water and toiletries. The neighborhood is quiet, almost right by the sea, with a lovely view and a kiosk nearby. WiFi is free, though it doesn't reach reliably everywhere, and every bedroom has a ceiling fan and a portable one. There were some frustrating details. The rooms were only barely clean: we found a handkerchief under a bed and lots of dust beneath the beds and on top of the ceiling fans. The water had an unusual taste, unlike anywhere I've stayed. In rooms with windows, the fixed mosquito screens made the outside shutters impossible to reach, and the French doors didn't latch well. On our last night, strong wind gusts over 40 km/h made the shutters bang all night and broke a fixed screen on one window. The mattresses were much too hard for my taste and got so hot that I kept waking up drenched in sweat, even with the portable fans on full blast. It's a shame about these details, because the place could be improved. Three stars feels fair.

The whole house had a terrible smell, and we found it very dirty. The bathroom was in awful shape, with stained, dusty sheets and a tablecloth covered in stuck-on food. The owners were helpful at times, but often rude.

The owners were really courteous and kind. This is a lovely, well-equipped property, very close to the sea and tucked away on a quiet dead-end street.