It’s fair to say, I did not warm to this accommodation. Perhaps I had too high expectations, Alesio is a great communicator, a friendly, decent and trustworthy man. Patrick, the owner, was less communicative; he refused to engage once I left – a week early – and, after an initial apology, refused the request to change the dates on the Airbnb website. Patrick claims to be a Buddhist.
The garden is beautiful, unusual to the British eye, with cactus and other unfamiliar plants. The outside space is spacious, and although the Sun takes a while to travel round into the garden, for the majority of the day, there is bright sunshine; shade is in one part of the garden at any given time. The plants produce a lot of debris, however, which stays lying around the garden – I refused to do the garden as well as the cleaning.
Internally, this place leaves a lot to be desired. It was dirty and tatty. I resented paying a cleaning fee, especially since the first thing I needed to do upon arrival was clean. I do not expect to have to clean under a bed, for example, when I’ve paid for a cleaner, the headboard was thick with dust, as was much of the bungalow. The bed was beautifully comfortable, however. The multi-socket outlets were filthy, thick with dirt, and the sofa bed had not been moved in a while. A good way to describe the numerous knick-knacks around the place is that it all looks as if it’s come out of a jumble sale. Most of it is unusable to a holidaymaker. This was a home that he must have walked away from, leaving the tired Ikea furniture behind. There are two CD players, but no CDs, and the ancient one in the living room was just thick with dust. As is traditional, the floor is tiled. New has been put down in the bathroom, but the rest is old, cracked, chipped, and the same neglected, tired look follows through to the furniture. The tables are a disgrace, chipped, cracked, and dirty. The toaster did not work and had to be replaced. The coffee pot was incompatible with the hob, so I had to use the tiny filter coffee machine. Alesio offered to buy another, but found it difficult to source.
The kitchen is relatively well-equipped, but the saucepans, crockery, cutlery, and utensils have all seen better days, with some pieces showing significant damage, including chipping and cracking. The toilet flush would constantly get stuck, and the water would run continually at times. The place feels like a second home, once loved but is no longer. Holiday guests generally have higher expectations and standards, and so they should. The road gate is broken, so it needs to be locked by hand. The one to the pools is rotten and just about to collapse, so it’s challenging to use; it would be easy for someone to break in. The security doors at the bungalow no longer lock.
The neighbours! Neighbouring houses almost touch; this bungalow is squeezed in between three others – there is no privacy whatsoever. It is like living in a commune, with multiple conversations going on all around, as well as street noise. The Spanish neighbours are noisy and lack consideration for their neighbours. I had to endure DIY, shouting, and then the barbecue, which filled the garden with the smell of smoke, paraffin, and cheap food. I put my music up, but this did not deter the neighbours' nightly noise, so I left eventually. I could not stand it.
The road is busy and noisy throughout the day and night
There’s no dishwasher, as the photographs suggest! Beware! The publicity pictures on Airbnb do not accurately reflect the place.
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TRES beau bungalow jardin tropical, Hosted by Patrick
I have just moved onto the Los Arcos complex, Avenida Los Estados Unidos, Playa del Ingles, and I am horrified by it. It does not help that I have just moved from Santa Barbara’s Bungalows, which are far superior to this one. However, I also had a very stressful experience, and the unhelpful and dismissive behaviour by Pedro at reception did not help. If you are ever in need of help, Pedro is NOT the man for you.
To cut a long story short, I managed to lock myself out of the bungalow, all my belongings – including my phone – were locked inside. I had no way of contacting the bungalow's owner, as it's privately owned, or anyone else, for that matter. I was stranded. I went to reception in an absolute panic. I was locked out and could think of no way of getting back in! Pedro, the receptionist, could not have cared less – he threw his hands into the air and said, “Private Bungalow”, and walked off! Eventually, I discovered there was an office for the complex, and so I went there. The lady there was a delight; she could not have been friendlier, but she spoke no English, and I have no Spanish. Eventually, I suggested finding someone who could translate for us. Another wonderful lady came to my rescue. With perfect English, she put me at ease, reassured me, and promised to send someone who might be able to help after he had finished his break. This happened – and to cut a long story short – this kind and helpful man helped me gain access to my new holiday home. I will be forever grateful. Thank you!
I went back to Pedro and said: I hope you will never be in need and anxious and be dismissed in such a way that you dismissed me today. I was stressed, and you couldn’t care, and you just threw your hands in the air and walked away.” I said, "We are human beings, we help one another, that is what human beings do. Pedro replied: “F@@k You!”
I went to the office to thank the lovely lady who tried to help me. I noticed two gentlemen in a back office and attempted to thank them as well. One came, unaware that I had already gained access to the bungalow, in broken English, dismissed me, as Pedro had done originally, telling me I must speak to the owner of the bungalow. He wasn’t interested that this had been entirely impossible for me to do and that, without the help of my three angels today, the lady in the office, who could not speak English, the lady who could speak English and gentleman who eventually help me gain access to the bungalow, I was thousands of miles from home, with no way of contacting my host and out of options... This manager wasn't interested. He turned his back and walked back to his desk.
My advice to anyone thinking of staying at Los Arcos is, don't! The management and reception don’t care a jot, as they proved today. They would see someone out on the street and walk away, as they did today. I was reminded of the story of the Good Samaritan today. Find somewhere else to spend your holiday, where your hosts will take good care of you.