Calipto Apartments

Our family of four, with children aged 15 and 9, stayed a week at Calipto Apartments in Albufeira after booking through Booking. The apartment we got didn’t match the website photos or description. It was dirty when we arrived, the extra bed was broken and unusable, the window glass was cracked, and the shutters were broken. An electrical socket was exposed, a serious electrocution risk to our 9-year-old. When we asked customer service why we hadn’t received the apartment we booked, we sent photos. The property blamed “previous guests” and said the apartment was “more suitable for partygoers,” though the listing had never said that. They then canceled our booking directly on Booking, likely to stop me leaving a review there. The case is still open with Booking. I strongly recommend checking reviews on platforms other than Booking.com before booking. Action is needed so other families or responsible guests don’t fall into the same trap. We stayed for a week at Calipto Apartments in Albufeira as a family, having booked through Booking.com. On arrival, it was clear the apartment wasn’t as shown in the photos or described on the website. It was dirty, the extra bed couldn’t be used because it was broken, the window pane was cracked, the shutters were broken, and the exposed electrical outlet posed an electrocution risk to our 9-year-old. We sent customer service photos to show why we hadn’t got the apartment we reserved. The property said it was “the fault of the previous tenants” and that the apartment was “more suited to partygoers,” something never mentioned when we booked. They canceled our reservation directly on Booking.com, probably to stop me leaving a review on that platform. The dispute with Booking.com is still open. I strongly recommend travelers check reviews beyond Booking.com before booking here. Urgent action is needed so other families or serious guests don’t have the same bad experience.

The noise was constant, inside and out, and it didn’t seem like anyone was looking after the facilities. We were there for a week with mostly young foreign guests who acted like they owned the place, throwing wild parties around the communal pool and leaving glass bottles everywhere, many broken both in and out of the water. It was dangerous. Sun loungers and chairs were broken in the pool too, and a lamppost they broke stayed out for several days. We complained to SUNNY DELUXE, but they ignored us and gave the impression that paying for a stay meant you could do whatever you wanted. This has been one of the worst vacation experiences we’ve had. It’s now been more than three months since we arrived, and THEY HAVEN'T RETURNED OUR DEPOSIT!!! We left the apartment in better condition than we found it and have been asking for the deposit ever since. We’ve contacted Booking.com and the OCU (Spanish Consumer Organization) so they can take the appropriate measures. This place is NOT RECOMMENDED.

The photos and views were accurate, but the apartment was short on kitchen utensils. For a week with four people, they left just one roll of toilet paper, and despite saying towels would be provided, there were no towel changes. The beds were incredibly uncomfortable and noisy. We knew Albufeira was a party town, but didn’t expect the noise and partying to happen inside the building too. There was no rest. When we arrived, the manager spoke to us in a very unpleasant way: “One Spaniard makes more noise than ten Portuguese people combined,” despite knowing we’re Portuguese living in Spain. A terrible experience. Never again.

I complained about other guests banging doors at night, and the person responsible tried to deal with it that same day by putting a notice on the door. That deserves praise!