A long way out and no one to call ,,,,,
Review Submitted: October 21, 2008
Date of Stay: September 2008
Vendor couldn't have been more helpful when booking but heard nothing on return?! Sadly the description saying 10 mins from beach and centre etc meant in a fast car. The apartment is in a new development, un-signposted, a rough 30 minute yomp including steep uphills along unfinished, unlit roads from a supermarket or any shops, taxis, buses. I say rough 30 minutes as we got it down to 25 one night, but then we are both very fit. This would not suit anyone without a car at all. Taxis can we taken from the resort to the apartment but not vice versa as they do dont stop for hailers in Portugal, or answer the telephone for bookings and there are no ranks to collect one from in this area. The main strip and old town are around an hour's walk away and the marina nearer two. The garden faces on to a very busy main road, so patio unusable, for quiet meals or relaxing loungers, unless quite late in the evening. There was a contact from thw property company to call on arrival and for assistance. After the first night spent in pitch darkness, as the air con units had blown the trip switches, however, we stopped using this number as no action was taken. By the torches in the kitchen I would assume this was not a one off. So in the dark, with no walkable aid, not a great first night. Over the week, other issues arose such as the shutters breaking, stuck open and worrying us further after our contact had advised us " please use the shutters, its not as such a high crime area but we dont want to encourage it to be". Hmm for two women travelling alone not the best welcome !
Owner's Response: I'm quite surprised and disappointed with this clients response. Apart from the fact that her review is unfair, it's not accurate or complete. I assume you will be posting a response to the comment so I would not mind if my comments are used to explain the true facts.As the property manager for this apartment and having received various clients personally, I must state that this is the very first complaint I have received regarding the accommodation. We have however been told that people enjoyed their stay.Regarding the situation with taxi's, we gave the guests the telephone number of the 24 hour taxi service from Albufeira, as we do with all clients. This has been the practice with all clients in the past and this is the very first report ever that the phone does not get answered.
There is a coffee shop/bar no more than a 5 minute leisurely walk from the front door of the apartment and a snack-bar (Daniel's) no more than 8 to 10 minutes away. The shortest route to the centre of Albufeira is via a normal road with street lamps and side-walks. We responded to both calls we got from them and the two problems they reported were reacted to.The air con was checked and then again tested before the entry. It turned out that the solution was temporary and the problem re-occurred after their arrival. This is unfortunate, but I am surprised at the comment - "first night spent in darkness". They gave me a call when the electricity went off and after 2 minutes on the phone they had the power back up and all in order? No more calls on this matter so I assumed they had no more problems with this. The outdoor AC unit was inspected again in the days following and we were informed that the unit needed repairs on factory level and could not be seen to immediately. The clients were told this in a subsequent telephone conversation. Unfortunate, but unavoidable.
The shutters developed a problem that was reported to us shortly before the guests departure. They stated that the could not get the shutter down, but on inspection our cleaners reported that they could not get the shutter up. On closer inspection our maintenance staff found that the shutters in the kitchen as well as the bedroom were closed but had the raising straps yanked out of the wall fittings. Thousands of people every year deal with this type of shutter all over the Algarve and they don't prove too complicated to use.I hope this serves to clarify the matters discussed and I urge all concerned to contact me
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Helpful votes: 14/15
