6/10 Okay
Keith R.
1 Mar 2024
Liked: Cleanliness
February in Vale da Telha
We had stayed in this neighborhood in February 2023, and were excited to return. The house itself is lovely, comfortable, fairly well equipped, and with an open view in the back. Sadly, aside from cleanliness and easy access, the house was not well prepared for visitors. It was extremely damp and musty smelling, as if no one had been living there for some time (probably the case.) It took a couple of days for the house to dry out and lose most of the musty smell.
Also unfortunate was the fact there was no working heater. I attempted to fix the portable propane heater with a new battery I purchased and installed for the igniter, but no go. This did make the house uncomfortable for a February stay on several days. the agent, M., suggested buying wood for the fireplace. We eventually did rig some bricks borrowed from the outdoor grill to be able to burn wood inside. However, it was extremely windy/stormy, and though the flue was working, too much smoke remained in the house; we had to open doors/windows to get rid of the smell. so that was only attempted one evening.
The agent was not local - I would highly recommend having a local agent who can deal with the occasional failings of an older home. She in fact suggested I either drive a distance to take the heater to a repair place, or purchase a new one, with reimbursement, somewhere. This I found totally inappropriate to ask of renters! And as I was not comfortable to do this (very limited Portuguese), nothing ever happened.
Keith R.
Stayed 14 nights in Feb 2024