Апулия, Италия: Хоумстей

Unfortunately this was a stay of two halves, and I wish I'd heeded other people's low reviews about the host's attitude before booking. The place itself was lovely. A cute, clean little room that seemed authentic and had some nice finishing touches. The area around was beautiful and it's a great location. I was excited to see the room description, stating a spa, billiards room and other amenities that would account for the higher cost of this place. I saw the warning that the booking was non-refundable but took a punt.... I was wrong for doing this. Soon after booking, I received the first of many messages stating the jacuzzi in the photo was an extra 209 euros, which was apparently written in very small print, the large fridge in the photos was just for show and alongside this were given a set of house rules including not being allowed to eat in the room! I didn't like the attitude from the messages and I tried to cancel, over 2 weeks before our stay, but was refused. Cut to the day of stay I was sent another set of rules, this time warning us that if we change the temperature of the air conditioner or any other settings then ”the consequences will be on us”, it also told us to re-read the rules carefully and reminded us we couldn't eat or drink in the room. Self-check in was simple, although on the website it states there's a front desk and luggage storage on site... There isn't. It was 39 degrees outside and 27 inside. I messaged saying that in the heat setting, 24 degrees, was too warm and asked if we could lower the temperature, she refused, I asked for a fan, she pretty much accused me of lying, saying it WASN'T too warm, and after a long and draining conversation she ”allowed” us to change it to 18 degrees. After this, I tried to be civil and she responded with some suggestions of places to eat and visit. We ”respected the people who work for you” as she demanded in the messages. The apartment was equipped with basics but for the price, would have expected extras like small toiletries or glasses for water. It all went well until the last day on check out, I suggested some things to make the stay better such as a friendlier manner, trash cans in the room and more toiletries, as this was quite an expensive stay. I suggested she revisit the description of the hotel and that she didn't send ”the rules.” She didn't like this. In all honesty, the woman, I believe, is a narcissist, and can't take responsibility for her mistakes. She wouldn't accept there were areas for improvement and when it came to asking for help that linked to her apartment, she took it as a criticism on her part and went on the attack. She sent a final message which was copied from one previously sent, so this suggests she's had similar issues before. I had to block her because she wouldn't stop messaging me! I have all the messages saved and complained to trip.com who have been extremely helpful. If you want to stay in a nice place, this is lovely, but there are similar ones out there with nicer hosts. Don't give this rude lady business. I never did get to play a game of billiards.

Overall, the hotel left a good impression: recently renovated, clean, and very conveniently located between the central railway station and the Old Town, close to one of the main entrances to the historic center. The mattress, pillows, bed linen and towels were of good quality, and the sleep comfort was excellent. However, there are some significant downsides. First, there is an additional cleaning fee of €53 for two nights (€26.5 per day), which represents around 40% of the accommodation cost. The cleaning was limited to making the bed; the minibar was not refilled and the towels were not changed. This fee was not clearly included in the total price at the time of booking. Second, there is no natural daylight in the room. My room, like most rooms in the hotel, does not have windows facing outside — all windows (a glass door, a large window and a small window) face the internal hall and reception area. As a result, no daylight enters the room and the curtains have to remain closed for privacy. Third, complimentary water is not provided. Although the three bottles of water in the minibar were not charged at check-out, which I appreciated, the absence of free bottled water as a standard amenity was surprising. Check-in is only possible between 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm, and check-out is from 8:00 am to 10:00 am, which is much more limited than standard international practice. The room was also quite cold, and the heating system was not intuitive to operate. Additionally, since the hotel is located in a residential building, noise from upstairs (footsteps, conversations) was clearly audible, even late at night. The hotel is good in terms of quality and location, but the additional charges and organizational aspects significantly affect the overall experience.

Отель очень удобно расположен: всего в 4 минутах ходьбы от центрального вокзала. Онлайн-регистрация и удобная система открывания входной двери и двери номера прямо с мобильного телефона. (Это, конечно, может стать серьезной проблемой, если телефон разрядится или отсутствует доступ к интернету). К чистоте есть вопросы: над душевой лейкой валялись остатки упаковок от шампуня и мыла. Кондиционер в номере 1, где мы остановились, работал, но практически не охлаждал. Даже при установке на 18°C и максимальной скорости вентилятора, в комнате было лишь чуть прохладнее. К счастью, мы останавливались в день, когда на улице было не слишком жарко. Мебель старая и неухоженная. Подойдет тем, кому нужен номер на одну ночь рядом с вокзалом (как в нашем случае). Однако, учитывая общее состояние номера, цена за него явно завышена.

Какой потрясающий опыт остановиться в трулло в этом отеле! Мы с мужем забронировали наше пребывание в середине ноября, что является началом межсезонья в Апулии. Когда мы приехали, консьерж/менеджер Уго любезно переселил нас в лофт/улучшенное жилье. Это было фантастично! Он лично проводил нас в наш очаровательный трулло, который был не только безупречно чистым, но и полностью модернизированным, несмотря на то, что это было историческое, устаревшее строение. Мы приехали в прохладный день и обнаружили, что мраморные полы подогреваются и очень теплые! Двуспальная кровать была удобной, а обновленная ванная комната была огромной, с огромным душем. В маленьком жилище даже была очень хорошо оборудованная современная кухня, если бы кто-то хотел остаться на более длительный срок. Наконец, я оставила свою маленькую шкатулку для драгоценностей в ванной, когда мы выезжали. Мы ехали на такси до вокзала 20 минут, и, по всей видимости, во время поездки Уго пытался связаться с водителем, чтобы сообщить нам, что они нашли коробку. В конечном итоге, когда я обнаружила свою оплошность в следующем отеле и связалась с Уго, он любезно отправил мои драгоценности экспресс-почтой обратно ко мне домой в США. Я не могу достаточно высоко оценить эту собственность или ее управление. Не стесняйтесь останавливаться здесь!

Очень доволен проживанием в резиденции Balconi. Номер очень просторный, с прекрасным видом на улицы Лечче. Было очень тихо, и я провёл приятный вечер. Настоятельно рекомендую.