La Gandara Vacations from $2,161

Misleading advertisement and management didn’t respond when we complained. I booked a cabin via hotels.com at Finca el Mazo for my family including our two young children. It was advertised as being family friendly with lots of activities including swimming pool, football, games room and basketball. When we arrived, it was apparent there was an organised camp of maybe 100 teenagers including a stage, amplifiers, loud music and cheering etc. While this caused us no distress during the daytime, the groups were using many of the facilities which meant we couldn’t. Particularly the football, basketball and table tennis tables were in use for organise competitions. When it came to bedtime, the noise didn’t stop and in fact got worse. We were kept awake until 2:30am. The noise then started again at 7am. When we raised this as a complaint in the morning, while the staff we spoke to were pleasant and helpful, the management were not on site and contrary to the advert, only Spanish was spoken so as English speakers we found it difficult. I emailed the office email address to complain and nearly a week later I’m yet to have any meaningful response. Hotels.com have given me a small goodwill gesture payment

Apartamento aceptable, pegado a la carretera. Si están llenas las plazas de parking es un poco complicado aparcar. Tiene una cocina con casi todo lo necesario, y para estar unos días esta bien. Tiene lavadora comunitaria, y un pequeño sitio con mesas de terraza. Está a unos ocho minutos de la playa. y cerca están varias localidades que merece la pena visitar.

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this property. I have traveled to more than 80 countries over the past 20 years, and this is the first negative review I have ever felt compelled to leave. The property looks nice in the photos, but the location is very isolated. The nearest store is about 15 minutes away and most restaurants and amenities are 25–30 minutes away. A car is absolutely necessary. There is also no air conditioning, and my first night was extremely uncomfortable. I could barely sleep and had to request a fan, which fortunately was provided. The worst experience happened on my final night. A large group arrived around 4:00 a.m. and was extremely loud, waking me up and making it difficult to get back to sleep. Exhausted, I accidentally overslept about 15 minutes past 10am. I sent a message requesting a slightly late checkout but received no response. At 11:00 a.m., a woman attempted to enter my room while I was getting dressed. Shortly afterward, I was spoken to very rudely and told to get out because she needed to clean and that it was “not her problem.” I understand checkout was at 11:00 and accept responsibility for being slightly late, but there is a respectful way to treat a guest. I stayed four days and paid approximately €1,400. For that price, I expected much better hospitality. After 20 years of traveling, this is my first bad review. I DO NOT recommend this property.