Villa Margaux

I was amazed by the pictures on TripAdvisor. Upon arrival, the contrast between these pictures and the reality couldn’t be bigger. The pool was littered with toys of the owners children and unkept, a full ashtray next to it. Our room was small, dark, damp and hidden behind a tree. I was informed that the place has two rooms, of which only the large one is featured on the pictures. If you book, make sure you actually get the big room, otherwise you’ll get quite a surprise…

This room is about the double room, and not the suite. Upon arrival on 7 Jul, it was warm outside, but not unbearable. In contrast, the double room I was shown to was completely unbearable and uninhabitable: - It was easily 10-12C degrees hotter in the room than outside, with no air flow whatsoever. It was an absolute oven - I arrived in the evening, and it was cooling down outside, but you can't leave the door open to get any fresh air in; as Stephen pointed out, there are Asian wasps and mosquitos at the door - I was disappointed that there had been no effort at all to try to open the room and cool it down, as it's not airconditioned. But I was in Europe for a month, and every other place was fine with the windows open at night and a fan. - The bathroom was even hotter than the bedroom, if that is even possible. Impossible to sleep or even be alive in this room, let alone shower and refresh to get ready to go out to a wedding - I was visibly distressed. Stephen shrugged his shoulders and said ‘it’s a heat wave.’ 30C is warm, but is not a heatwave (une canicule in French). I was perfectly fine in every other accommodation in France with a fan and the windows open - There was a 'refresher' - it's not really a fan; rather a clunky, low standing chunky machine where a standard cooler block is inserted at the back and the air is meant to be cooled by an internal fan that forces air thru a 10cm sq vent at the front. It does not oscillate and is at knee height. I sat in front of it; it just blew hot air - but only to the body part that was positioned directly in front of it. I asked how long it would take to cool off, and how long the brick would last. Stephen said he didn't know. So I left for an hour hoping it would cool the room, but when I returned, the temp in the room had not budged at all, even though the temperature outside was quite pleasant. Other unpleasant things about the room - The mattress on the bed, which I sat on, was thin, squeaky, mushy and unsupportive. It would have made for a miserable night's sleep, if it were even possible to sleep. - The bathroom is old and tired. Needs a good clean. There is very very poor water pressure. The bathroom sink gurgles very loudly when a toilet is flushed in another part of the house to which this room is attached. - Room is too small to open a suitcase other than on top of the bed - There was a small fridge, but no water in room. Stephen did go fetch a warm bottle of water :-/ I explained to Stephen I would not be able to stay, and why, and found other arrangements. I was polite and apologetic. I circled back the following day and asked for a refund for the 2 nights I paid for but did not stay. I have asked Stephen a number of times for a refund. I was there for a wedding, just a few kms away. It would have been far easier to stay, and the room was already paid for. He has steadfastly refused to refund my money for a room that truly was uninhabitable. First time I've ever felt so duped.