XAVILLA 5

Excellent location, just a few minutes walk from a choice of good value supermarkets (for all your self-catering needs) and food vendors, and 15/20 minutes walk to the beach ⛱️ An easy 15 min walk to the old town, and also just opposite the first stop for the hop-on hop-off tourist train 👍 Fantastic to have access to on-site pool and cafe/bar....for cooling off and relaxing on sun loungers under palm trees, especially when needing to escape the midday heat! Apartment and whole site very clean and tidy. Apartment very comfortable, comfy mattresses and sofa, water perfect and a great powerful shower! Kitchen and all utensils excellent! Fantastic veranda of a large size with great views over sports courts and over to the sea in the distance 🌊 Lovely green walls! Property owner David very friendly, helpful, and efficient! Prompt communication from first confirming booking - with very helpful instructions for arrival. Also very accommodating and flexible regarding checking in and out times - which really helped us with when our flights were. He was also very prompt in supporting and helping us when experiencing a couple of electrical issues in the apartment. A fab self-catering studio apartment and a lovely stay thankyou, would definitely stay again and highly recommend to anyone!

Due to electrical issues, we had to be careful how many appliances we used at once in the kitchen - as the electricity would cut out if too many on at the same time. However David the owner was very quick to help and support us with this. A larger/more powerful fan may have been helpful on the hotter days and nights, but no other issues or problems at all.

Well appointed, comfortable and clean

Main thing was lack of information. If not for the taxi driver supplied by booking.com we would not have got into the apartment, we couldn't even find it! The owner uses a different name for the apartment than the official name. Arriving late as scheduled with the owner, we had no information as to obtaining the keys to the apartment. I was eventually sent key codes and access details, but only after the taxi driver had rung the owner, much too late. While the room was well appointed, the cooker would not work without tripping the electricity. On arrival there was no soap, shampoo or shower gel and only half a toilet roll, a lot of basics that should be there, just weren't. I would not stay here again or recommend it.

Price

Ease of access. Peaceful by pool. Access to bar. Quiet. Great location

No complaints

It was very clean and in a good location for exploring albufeira, 15 mins old town 15 mins strip., plenty of restaurants and cafes nearby

I think I'd have preferred building a2 or a3 for a better view, I wouldn't like to share with 4 people bur two is fine

The self check in process was very easy, the key is in a small safe on the door frame. The room was very clean, with one exception - the washing machine. More on that later. The kitchen is very well equipped, and you can make virtually anything on the electric stove or in the oven. I could get a good night sleep due to the comfortable bed, and there are two additional single beds for any guests you might have over. I really enjoyed the bathroom, which was very clean and spacious. I got two sets of clean towels. There was plenty of parking space outside. There is a pool, but I can't review it since I didn't go (there is an ocean nearby).

The biggest gripe I have is that the washing machine was very moldy and smelly. When I first checked in, I opened the detergent drawer and it was full of black mold. I contacted the host and they arrived the same evening to clean it. This had a good aesthetic effect, but when I ran my clothes through a cycle, they came out with a nasty smell of mold. So, the washing machine was unusable. This caused a few problems: 1. The entire kitchen smelled of mold, and I had to get used to it every time I walked in. 2. I had no washing machine, which I was counting on when I reserved my stay. 3. I bought a box of detergent and it was a waste of money. 4. I had to drive to a laundromat, which is another waste of money and my precious vacation time. In the hosts' defense, they did try cleaning the machine, but it requires a deeper clean - probably a few vinegar cycles. And I didn't want to waste any more time on this, so I didn't contact them a second time to complain. There is plenty of public parking outside, but no reserved spots for the apartment. I didn't have a problem finding a spot every time, but I can see this being more problematic during the summer season. The bath tub was large and clean, but there was no plug, so I could only take a shower and not a bath. Outside of the balcony there is a tennis pitch, a football court and a volleyball court. This is nice entertainment, but people are playing from morning and until late at night (around midnight), and it can be noisy. Also the balcony light is very dim.

economical and clean and tidy

nothing