Gabizz Apartments

We liked the apartment and the owners were exceptionally kind, responding quickly whenever we raised something. It’s also very close to Reyna beach. Still, the number of little problems kept this from being a five-star stay, and we had a basement unit, so other apartments may be different. There was no air conditioning, only two large fans, one in the bedroom and one in the living room. The washer was dirty and visibly rusty, the fridge had rusty patches, and the hallway light began failing on day five. On day two, the shower’s pressure and temperature were off, though the owner fixed that quickly. There were only two bedroom outlets, probably intended for bedside lamps, but the room layout meant one lamp couldn’t be used. The washer did work, though it dripped a little. The kitchen had a stove, microwave, coffee filter, toaster, fridge, pots, a large pan, cutlery, and enough to make basic meals. There were lots of small glasses and cups, but no larger ones. Also, be careful with anything plugged into an outlet. I think the sockets aren’t grounded, since we got a few little shocks 😅. The owners were so nice that I almost felt bad bringing up each inconvenience.

Two minutes on foot to the beach and two minutes to a shop. The apartment was spotless and had what we needed, including a toaster and AC. The host was incredibly friendly and ready to help with anything. We’ll definitely come back 😄

The apartment was large, with a roomy bathroom, plenty of closets and shelves, and a kitchen stocked with plates, pots, a coffee machine and more. Having an iron and ironing board was useful, and the beach was an eight-minute walk away. The parking area and street were very narrow, and we found a dent at the back of our car in the parking lot. Our room’s bedside lamp had no bulb. The extra bed turned out to be an inflatable mattress, though I expected a folding bed like in other apartments or hotels. We were two adults and three children, and had agreed by phone that extra bedding would be provided. We had to ask twice. When I requested two pillows and two blankets, they brought one pillow and sheets. I explained I needed blankets, and they brought a bed cover instead, saying they didn’t know where the blanket was. The next day I asked again for pillows and a blanket. They said the bedroom already had four pillows and they’d check if anything else was available. In the end, they brought one pillow and another bed cover. I felt too embarrassed to ask yet again for an actual blanket, but we shouldn’t have had to chase this after agreeing on it. A group of five or six teenagers staying next door were loud all night. One night, at 2 a.m., someone hit our door very hard, like a punch. Daily cleaning matters to me. I asked for it once, then asked again later. The host seemed angry, since my message got no answer and they simply sent a maid. I stopped asking after that. If requests for services you offer upset you, you shouldn’t offer them. We’d planned to stay 11 days but cut it to eight. I could feel the host was angry both about the shorter stay and our requests for pillows, blankets and cleaning. After we left, the host called and spoke rudely, saying we’d trashed the apartment. I was confused whether I was talking to a business owner or a cleaning woman. They said one sheet was full of sand and another had food stains, and that they had to throw out the expensive sheets. I’ve never heard of sheets being thrown away just because guests slept on them, instead of washing and bleaching them. An owner should check whether anything was stolen or broken after guests leave. Nothing was missing or broken in our case. Cleaning and tidying up are the staff’s job. I’ve explored the Black Sea for six years and stayed in more than 12 apartments, hotels and resorts. I’ve also stayed in over 40 hotels and apartments around Romania, and never had an owner call us crying over sheets. Sand can be shaken off a sheet. The host also didn’t give us a receipt, so they benefited from all the money we paid without paying tax. They should be very happy about that. My advice: talk and act like a business owner, not like a housemaid.

A lovely place, with welcoming hosts and easy access to the main tourist attractions.