Apartment 5 - Overlooking Isola Comacina. Spacious living ideal for families of up to 10

Fair
Traveller Type:
  : The view of Lake Como
  : Parking was extremely difficult to access. Lake and road was extremely difficult to access. Walking along road was impossible. Zero local restaurants and cafs but a local cafe that was less than average. Bedding was uncomfortable and I felt like we were staying in dormitories. Ant infested kitchen. Disgusting old washing cloths. Electric kettle was a safety hazard as wouldnt automatically switch off. We immediately asked for a replacement and apparently cleaners delivered to another apartment. So an expensive 7 night stay. Apparently 4 bathrooms. Only two full bathrooms. One was a storage room with vanity and toilet and the other bathtub with handheld shower. Couldnt see an outdoor pool anywhere on the property

Good
Traveller Type: Family with Young Children
  : Large terrace with great views, barbeque, seating area and big dining table. Spent hours there enjoying the great views of the lake. Spacious indoor living area with lot's of room for our party of nine. Bedrooms were spacious, beds were comfortable. Matteo was very helpful - organized, friendly and knowledgeable. He communicated clearly with us and was flexible in arranging to meet to let us into the apartment. He quickly responded to all our questions.
  : In the five months between booking and staying at the apartment, I sent five messages to the property, each asking them to respond to the previous one. No one responded. Finally, after three months, I contacted booking.com directly. They contacted the host, who then responded to a couple of my questions. I followed up asking them to respond to outstanding questions, but again, got no response. Downstairs bedrooms did not seem to have air conditioning. Many amenities were lacking or broken, especially since apartment advertised for 10 people - outdoor sofa was falling apart - we had to prop up cushions to avoid sinking into back of it. Some kitchen supplies broken - both handles on the old serving tray provided were broken; cutlery tray in dishwasher broken so utensils kept falling through. Only one, dull chef knife. Strangely, only one wine glass was provided - we had to drink wine from drinking glasses and plastic children's cups. Just two dish sponges provided - one new and one used. Just two dish towels and no oven mitts. No trash bags. Thin towels, some pillows were old and lumpy. We were nine adults, including 5 women. There was only one hairdryer. Most four-star properties we've stayed at provide ample supplies of toilet paper and hand soap in bathrooms. We were given just enough for one or two days. Had to ration dishwasher and laundry detergent to make them last through the week. We were provided with a charcoal barbeque and half bag of briquettes but no lighter fluid. After struggling to keep it lit the evening we arrived, we finally were able to borrow lighter fluid and additional briquettes from a neighbor. Expected better based on my experience with Booking.com four-star properties. Overall, we felt that the owners were prioritizing minimizing the amount they spent on the apartment versus thinking about the comfort and enjoyment of their guests.