AlmeriaSuite Villa Las Golondrinas

This is our third visit to the property, the location and the villa have kept us coming back... sadly this maybe the last time as there has been a marked decline. Hopefully all these small issues can be resolved and if a little time is given to bring the villa back to the standard previously offered. After all, it's the little touches that make a place special and keep people returning! However, I would like to state the management team do respond to whatsaps and try to resolve issues when reported.

We arrived at the property at 10pm, unfortunately the key fob for the electric gates was not working, battery dead, so unbale to gain access with the car. We had to walk up the long drive with cases in the dark, not a good start. We later found out that this issues had been reported by a previous guest and left unresolved. Next morning we went to garage and replaced the battery, gate worked for 24 hours then stopped working again, remained broken for the entire holiday. A chap did come out to look at it but was unable to fix during our stay. On entering the property sadly we didn't get the same wow we had on previous visits, unfortunately some of the little touches that make the place special have not been kept up to: - Main feature lamp in the lounge area missing, so no soft lighting and it absence as a decorative feature is really noticeable. - Main light switch in ground floor bedroom broken, not working. - lamp in upper bedroom broken. - Towels - 2 small grey bath towels placed on bed together with 2 small microfibre towels had been left for hand towels that on previous visits had actually been the kitchen cloths!! On all previous visits there had been numerous large bath sheets to use, this time the airing cupboard was empty! My partner is 6'7" and the small towel not enough to get dry with. We reported this on the Wednesday morning and eventually after chasing, a man turned up late on the Friday with 3 blue hand towels and a grey bath matt, we gave up at that point. Sun room - for some reason all the dining chairs had been left stacked in the corner, not set up for guests. No longer any decorative cushions on the furniture or ornaments on the tables. Cushions starting to look worn and tired. TV remote - broken, however a new replacement had been left but unfortunately this was not actually the right remote for the TV so was never going to work. We went out and purchased the correct remote for the TV so hopefully should be ok for next visitor!

This is a lovely, comfortable villa in a stunning location. The view from the terrace would be very difficult to beat anywhere in Europe and it had everything that we (two couples) needed for a great stay. Both the bedrooms and bathrooms are well equipped, comfortable and lovely. The garden room has glass panels that all slide to create an almost totally open but roofed space that is glorious in the evenings. It is incredibly secluded yet its possible to walk into town (up a steep hill) in around 15 minutes or less.

Just as with the previous reviewer, the gate could not be opened as the fob didn't work. This was reported immediately and we had to leave the car outside, assuming it would all be put right, next day at the latest. We weren't told of a second entry gate and only found out about it when the pool guy turned up the following day. We also found the the kettle tripped the fuse system so we had to boil water for drinks in a pan. Again, this was reported immediately, along with the fact that the TV remote didn't work so the TV was simply an ornament. On about our third night, when the dishwasher was emptying itself, the plumbing under the sink became detached and flooded the kitchen. Again, this was immediately reported. Finally, the AC unit in one of the bedrooms started leaking water when it was switched on so it became unusable. Reported again. As we had little joy in getting these issues resolved we contacted booking.com and they immediately gave us a refund of some funds. I can't praise them enough for the way they handled it but, clearly, the issue here is that the managing agents just aren't up to the job. Problems aren't being rectified and, if I were the actual owner of the villa I would change them because this place deserves 10 out of 10 every time.

De ligging

Niet echt proper , alles voelde plakkerig en vuil aan. Het was duidelijk bij het digitaal contact dat de host de toestand van het huisje niet kent. Geen aansturing en controle van het kuisteam.

The location and views from Las Golondrinas were spectacular. A peaceful location to spend a week. A 2 min drive or 15min walk into to Mojacar which is such a beautiful hilltop town with plenty of shops and places to eat, steeped in history.

A few minor things regarding access - the directions bring you to a gate with the lockbox for the keys to the property and to open the electric gate. However the gate fob was flat so we had to work out a different access route via an unlocked gate to get to the property. There is no signage for the property as stated in the directions. A minor stress at the end of a long day. The kettle tripped the fuse box so was unusable. Fortunately the fuse box is accessible so we were able to reset very quickly. Both minor things reported at the start of the stay (but not rectified).