Podere Sant Angelo

What a shame to write this, because the property is charming, beautifully kept outside, and the rooms are distinctively designed and tastefully furnished. The caretaker was a lovely, helpful person who went well beyond his duties. It's impressive that he handles so much of the outdoor upkeep almost on his own. With no phone signal and internet only outside the rooms, it could be a good place to switch off and enjoy family time without constant calls. But the cleanliness of the rooms needs serious attention. Getting to the bed and breakfast means driving along a very narrow mountain road, steep in places, with some paved sections and some dirt. The property itself looks nice and is full of character, among the woods and countryside. When we arrived, the caretaker showed us our room and explained that, because it's surrounded by greenery, we might see different kinds of insects and should tolerate them. A sign in the rooms says they try to use as few chemicals as possible and asks guests to put up with small insects. I couldn't help wondering, why not put mosquito screens on at least the most-used windows, like the bathroom? We were disgusted to find bloodstains on the sheets and mattress cover, plus signs of dead insects between the sheets. There were also false eyelashes, and the sheets had clearly been turned over to hide the blood. We had brought our own sheets just in case, so we used those. The canopy mosquito net over the bed was full of dead insects inside and out. The beds and pillows were so uncomfortable that we managed only a couple of hours' sleep on the first night, and the next day we seriously considered sleeping in the car. We also found a lizard in the shower tray, caught it, and put it back outside in the greenery. The bathroom glass had a dark red mark, and the toilet was dirty, with the previous guest's waste still there. We had to get disinfectant and clean the bathroom ourselves. Even at a quick glance, all the curtains had dead insects on them, and some had little red spots, probably wine, I hope. Breakfast was very poor: there was a kettle, a coffee machine, and a basket with two kinds of coffee pods, tea bags, sugar, and individual jam portions. Another basket had a bag with four homemade biscuits. The coffee machine still had a used capsule in its holder when we arrived, and we don't know how long it had been there. The microwave was dirty too. The property isn't staffed, apart from the caretaker, who let us in, gave us the basic information, and went back to his daily tasks. There was nobody on hand for complaints or emergencies, and no landline to call someone if we needed help with anything else. Phones don't get a signal around or inside the property, and the Wi-Fi only works outside the rooms.