Awful experience in a rundown house near Sorrento
While the agency was very responsive regarding our queries and we enjoyed the help of a nice and competent concierge, our overall experience with this rental was horrendous. The pictures and description of the house did not correspond to reality. The misleading wording said nothing about only two bedrooms of three being airconditioned (imagine trying to sleep in a room with no A/C in the Sorrento region in August). The "villa" is not actually a standalone house but rather then bottom two floors of a very rundown house; despite the very steep 300 meter hill leading down to the house, there is no privacy: you can literally hear the owners on the top floor when they scrape a chair against the floor or chat over morning coffee on the balcony. What's more, the house is wedged among others, so you can also hear and see your neighbors talking on the phone or splashing in their pool. The house and all its finishes literally predated the creation of the standardized European electric outlets. Everything is unfresh and grimy. I had to drag a chair into the shower and descale the showerhead on our first morning there in order to be able to use the shower (otherwise water came out of one or two tiny spouts of a large showerhead). The sparkplug on the stove did not work. The downstairs living room, which happened to also be the only indoor sitting area in the entire tiny house, smelled so awfully of cat litter that even with regular airing out it was impossible to be in that room for longer than 30 minutes. We had to use the gross foldout couch with mattresses stacked on top of it because it was unusably uncomfortable otherwise; however, when I made the mistake of looking under it, I discovered unspeakable amounts of dust, hairs, and god only knows what. As a result, after paying through the nose for what we thought would be a lovely, private five-day getaway with a lot of family time, we basically had to scatter to the two air-conditioned bedrooms or try to spend time outside the house (especially infuriating given the cost of the rental). The full frontal views of Capri touted in the description were very much exaggerated. The sparkplug on the stove did not work. What was grandly termed a swimming pool was basically a tiny soaking tub about 3 feet deep at the deepest part and maybe 10 feet across. While the housekeeper diligently cleaned it every other day, the pool looked just as unappealing as the rest of the house: rusty scratches along the floor, grimy uncomfortable chairs around it. To top it all off, this was probably the LEAST well-stocked rental property where we had ever stayed. No perfunctory samples-sized toiletries, the kitchen wiped completely clean of any spices or condiments whatsoever (we had to buy salt and black pepper). They gave us four towels too small to serve as bath towels plus small towels over the bidet. No hand towels, no paper towels or napkins in the kitchen. THREE (!!) dishwasher pods for a five-night stay. While I appreciated having the option of "porter service" given the steep incline, 5o euros for someone to load suitcases into a small car and drive it to the top of the hill was exorbitant as well. In short, awful experience that I'm afraid has forever turned our entire family off to that entire part of Italy. The concierge was THE ONLY redeeming part of the whole stay.
Reply from ItalianBreaks
Dear Margarit,
Thank you for taking the time to share such detailed feedback. We are very sorry to hear that your experience did not meet your expectations. While we’re pleased that you found our concierge support helpful, we regret that you left disappointed with the villa and your stay in the area, and that your time at the villa left you with such a negative impression. We wish you would have contacted us immediately rather than after your stay ended, but we are grateful for your feedback, which has allowed us to clarify and improve our descriptions and follow-up with the owner.
We’ve carefully reviewed your comments and taken action on several points:
• We have spoken with the cleaning team to ensure the property is always properly cleaned and prepared before guests arrive.
• The villa description has now been updated to clarify that air conditioning is available in the lounge and in two of the three bedrooms (while before we stated “living room and bedroom”). We understand how important this detail is, especially in August.
• While this is a self-catering property and not stocked with essentials, had we been contacted at the time, we would have happily arranged for the cleaners to drop off some supplies for you.
• The photographs on our website accurately reflect the property, and in fact many guests comment that the interiors are even nicer in person.
• We were not previously aware that another unit is now occasionally occupied by a separate owner during August, but we have now made this clear in the property description for full transparency.
• Regarding location, the villa is surrounded by greenery, with cliffs on one side and only one other property nearby, separated by trees. No other properties are attached to Villa Costanza.
• We acknowledge that the exterior walls of the house could benefit from some repainting, but the interiors remain as shown in the photographs.
• We will check and resolve the issue you noted with the stove sparkplug.
• As for the mention of a “cat litter smell,” please note that no cats live at the villa and the house remains empty when not rented. We inspected the house about the smell after your feedback, and could not find an issue, and no other guests, previous or current, have mentioned it.
• The property description does not state there are Capri views.
• The pool is clearly advertised in the description and photos as a smaller pool of 3x5m, with a depth of approximately 1.3m.
• Regarding towels, the villa normally provides a set including bath and bidet towels. We have now asked the owner to add hand towels as standard, and again, had we been contacted during your stay, we would have sent additional towels.
We do understand that you felt the property was expensive. The Sorrento area is indeed one of the costliest in Italy, and this villa is among the more economical options that still offers direct sea access, a private pool, and sea views.
While we regret that this stay did not meet your expectations, we are grateful for your input and remain committed to offering our guests a high standard of service and transparency.
