Casa Panorâmica Aurora

The location is amazing and the pool was nice, but sadly I can't recommend this property. Its condition fell short of the description, and some issues seemed potentially dangerous and unsanitary. It needs thorough maintenance, a deep clean, and an independent electrical safety inspection before it is listed again. We were warned on arrival day about power and lighting problems. There was no TV or WiFi either. In our first hour, the power failed twice. None of the breakers had tripped, so the panel gave no clue where the fault was. Turning the main breaker off and back on restored power. From a safety perspective, a breaker should not show as live when there is no power, since it could just as easily be live when shown as switched off. There were five air conditioning units, but using more than one caused the power to fail. One unit was so noisy that sleeping in that room was impossible. The owner told us only one unit could be used at a time, a restriction that wasn't in the listing when we booked, though it is now. We wouldn't have booked had we known. Temperatures rarely fell below 30 degrees C, and two children in our group couldn't sleep in the heat. We had to share a bedroom so we could have one cool enough to sleep in. An electrician came the next day, after which we could run two units on their lowest setting. Even then, the lights dimmed or flickered whenever they were on, so the underlying issue seemed unresolved. Using the kitchen oven with one unit caused another power failure. We spent much of our time away because the heat in the house was unbearable. The owner accepted there were problems with the power and air conditioning and said they planned to replace the units at the end of the season, which didn't help us during our stay. The TV and WiFi were fixed by an engineer the following afternoon. Then we lost water pressure and couldn't use the washing machine, dishwasher, or shower. Someone came after another call and fixed the water. Power failures continued frequently. On our last night, both the water pressure and power failed, leaving us stuck in the dark. The water tank and filtration room had thousands of dead insects and droppings on the tanks, windowsills, and floor. Other problems included doors that couldn't be securely shut and could be pushed open from outside; loose laminate on the upper landing that slid underfoot and was a trip hazard; large cracks in the shower tiling and around the pipe openings; downstairs bathroom fixtures hanging crookedly out of the wall and needing to be refixed; several ceiling bulbs that didn't work; and dirt and grime on walls and fixtures, especially in the shower rooms. The air conditioning unit in one room was also too noisy to sleep with. I contacted Booking.com to ask to be moved elsewhere, but they said that wasn't possible. We couldn't find another place, and changing our flights home to return early would have cost hundreds of pounds and meant losing our holiday, so we had no option but to stay. Once home, I asked for a refund or compensation, but neither Booking.com nor the property owner was willing to provide it.