We are a family of five. We stayed for six nights in il cardinalle (room 24). It was the worst experience of our one-month trip in Spain and Italy. It was a hot week for sure and the mosquitoes were probably more abundant than usual. But taking that out of the equation the place is not good. Very expensive for very little.
We paid almost 1800 euros (300 euros a night) for a place with bed bugs, hot as an oven, and very little light. No cleaning at all. They only clean when people leave. And the bathrooms were dirty when we got there. They don't even give you soap or trash bags to last your entire stay. Six days requires more than one trash bag. Forget about changing sheets and towels. Nothing.
The restaurant is expensive but in a nice setting. There are few tables around the property but they are always occupied. So you can't even sit out at night.
I cooked light breaksfast and dinners on most days. I had to use my iphone light and a small flashlight from my home because the kitchen area is very dark. I asked the office four times to replace the bulbs that were broken in the few light fixtures around the place. They told me they would take care of it but I gave up after the 4th request.
The tiny refrigerator did not work properly. I didn't even ask to have it fixed. There was no hope it would.
I took pictures of the bed bug bites we all got for evidence. Really bad. We suffered. We actually saw them crawling on our bed. We do recognize bed bugs. You can try yourself doing a bed bug lineup - see https://www.nytimes.com/topic/subject/bedbugs
We are sure some of the bites we all have are from bed bugs. This means all the beds have bed bugs.
The idea that one would stay in a "castle" is cool. It also has a pool. It sounded good. That notion though comes with the realization that things would be rustic, not a hotel-type thing. You have to adjust. We expected that. But this place is beyond rustic and VERY expensive for what you get. There are basic things such a lighting, clean mattresses, clean bathroom, working appliances, etc. that are expected at a relatively decent place. This place does not meet basic comfort for what they charge. Better stay at a hostel.
The staff was nice. It is the fault of the oweners and management that this place is of lower standard.
The staff tried hard to listen and they did give us an extra fan when we told them one was not working in one of the rooms. That helped. But not enough to get a better rating.
The area is cute and the grounds are probably beautiful during other times of the year. Visiting without staying is probably the best bet unless the owners/management makes major changes.
[counter comments from the owners] We offer apartments, not hotel rooms and therefore during the stay our guests have to provide for cleaning and cleaning items themselves. Extra cleaning can be organized against supplement payment though. Sheets and towels are changed once a week. In case our guests need more towels or sheets it's possible to get them against supplement payment.
Regarding the tables and seats around the property, we will try to improve !
Regarding the light in the apartment, we will definitely take a look at that and fix. No other guests before or after you have complained about the fridge so may be the temperature had been turned down or up in the wrong way. We will of course check.
We are truely sorry but no other guest has ever complained about bed bugs in our property.
In general, we try not to distort the style of the castle by making too significant changes, but we will try to fulfill our shortcomings.
When you booked you knew that there was no air conditioning in the apartment, this summer was exceptionally hot and we could not do anything but provide fans.
Surely outside of the top season, the stay at the Castle is better because of the lower temperatures and because there are less people around. We do thank you however for your valauble comments.