Camarque 11

We stayed in Camarque apartment 112, which was beautifully decorated and had an amazing ocean view. The beach is right outside, and the complex pool is just a few steps from the front door. It sleeps eight. Two bedrooms have en-suite bathrooms, while another has only a jacuzzi bath in the room. Not every room has air conditioning, so summer heat could be an issue. Check that the lift is working, or you may get plenty of exercise on the stairs with your luggage, as we did. Shops are two minutes away by car or about a 15 minute walk.

Getting ready for check-in was far more complicated than it needed to be. After a long trip, we arrived to find the slow, shaky lift broken, so we had to carry our luggage up more than 200 stairs. Inside, the apartment had only been given a quick clean. There was mould in several places and a musty smell. The kitchen was a mess: some utensils were filthy and clearly hadn’t been cleaned after the previous guests. Food was stuck to them, and we saw and killed many cockroaches, which turned out to be spread throughout the apartment. Some plumbing didn’t work properly, including a bathroom basin tap that barely ran. The electrical setup was striking, with cables and extension leads throughout, installed in an unworkmanlike way. The pool shower was out of order, and the lack of upkeep was apparent across the complex. Everything looked generally unkempt. We were so disappointed by what we found that we asked the owner to move us to another complex. He refused. He did agree, in a condescending way, to send a cleaner the next morning to deal with the cleanliness, and that took the entire day.

We stayed in apartment 131, which had three bedrooms, two bathrooms, air conditioning and a large balcony with a great view. The place is lovely, especially if you choose one with a balcony. There are a lot of steps, though, and the lift doesn’t always work, so it may not suit elderly guests. I’d still happily come back.

No. 28 is a bachelor flat with a beautiful view. The air conditioning was broken, and we had trouble with monkeys. Apart from that, it was a nice week.