Villa Moderna

The terrace door was the biggest concern: its top was coming loose, which felt dangerous. Jelena didn’t warn us or explain how to open it safely, though thankfully we noticed before anyone got hurt. We also had an uncomfortable time getting our €300 deposit back. I had to ask twice, and then €20 was missing. Jelena had kept it separately in her folder and made excuses, saying I hadn’t taken all the money. I’m not sure what was going on, but I hope nobody else gets treated this way. Please be careful if you book, check that things aren’t broken, and count your money twice. Villa Moderna is an apartment, not a villa, with a tiny kitchen and living area and two bedrooms. The Booking.com photos look much better than the place did in person. There was dust under the beds and in the corners, the kitchen table needed cleaning, and there were too many old, useless things around. The living room lamp was broken, and the upstairs steam shower didn’t work and looked like it had been that way for a long time. The downstairs twin room curtains couldn’t be closed because the rail was broken and patched with tape. Thanks to Jelena for fixing that the next day. The beds were uncomfortable, with old, hard mattresses. It was the worst feedback I’ve ever left. Those three days were so stressful, and I’ve never had such a bad stay on a trip. We did like the area, about a 15-minute walk to the beach and a 10-minute drive to shops, though entering Jurmala costs €2 every 24 hours. The upstairs bedroom is a good size, and there’s a nice jacuzzi bath, dishwasher, washing machine, and a large upstairs terrace. Even so, I wouldn’t recommend it to friends or family after the stress it caused during our family holiday.