Altavia

We were left hugely disappointed by our stay at Altavia Villas, leading us with little choice but to leave a week early. We believe this was due to the villa’s description being misleading and key information being left out – which taken together made the villas totally inappropriate for our needs. First, we were told that the location was ‘just ten minutes’ away from the nearest town and ‘very close’ to the coast. In reality, this is totally inaccurate. The Villa is 5km up a narrow winding road that is one vehicle wide in places and with a worryingly steep and unprotected drop on the side. It was taking us at least 30 minutes to clear this road before the ten minutes into Dolceacqua but the drive up and down was so traumatic that we hardly bothered – especially at night – so we felt pretty much stranded. Second, nowhere does Altavia say that the Villas are accessed via a very steep man-made walkway, which also doesn’t inspire much confidence in its safety. There’s no one to help to carry luggage etc and it will prove a major challenge to anyone with mobility restrictions – as it did for my wife having arthritis in both knees – leaving us further stranded. The Villas are clean and nicely decorated but what isn’t mentioned is that none of the rooms are interconnected, so if you want a drink in the evening – when it often rains – you need to go outside to move from the bedroom to the kitchen. Or if you need the loo while in the kitchen you have to go outside to go back inside to one of the bedrooms. For anyone with children, the bedrooms can also only be accessed from the outside via some rickety iron steps that don’t feel very safe if wet! The kitchen was described to us as being ‘fully fitted’ but we could only find a microwave and two gas rings, one of which was broken when we arrived- subsequently repaired. There weren’t enough glasses or mugs or crockery for a house that was booked for 6 people. We had to request all of it be provided after we turned up. The irony of it was that there wasn’t even a corkscrew for a villa in a vineyard!! We have been staying in villas in Europe for the last 20 years in Spain, Italy and France. This is first time we have had no information file, or anything of a welcome. There’s also an LCD TV and TV box that no one - including the site manager - could get to work. The wi-fi was non-existent most of the time, plus we were not getting a good phone signal – so isolated once again. Having conveyed our dissatisfaction to the owner, we chose to leave 10 days early and the owner agreed to refund our second week's charge – but no money has been returned, nor have calls and emails. Such a shame, because the views are stunning. The stay could work for some people, without children and who don’t care about the remote location. The whole experience was deeply disappointing and stressful when it should have been a relaxing family holiday. Beyond the financial impact, with all the stress my wife's autoimmune disease has flared up and she is in a lot of pain. Not what you expect from a holiday!

Wine is quite expensive for the taste and roundness. The superior wine was Eur 26 at the winery whereas on the internet site it’s 22.50

This place is highly recommended to all. The road in is a little "treacherous" but the villas themselves and facilities are top notch. The views though are absolutely to die for. The nearby Dolceaqua is beautiful and you're only 40 minutes or so from the beaches, or higher mountains. You won't be disappointed