BEAUTIFUL APARTMENT FOR 6 - SPACIOUS AND LUMINOUS FACING THE LAGOON - CLOSE NAZARE

Very nice spacious apartment in Foz do Arelho, close to great surfing beaches and cultural visits in Óbidos, Alcobaça, Tomar and Lisboa.

First, we found the ad misleading due to the photos. The first picture is of the pool house, so we thought the apartment is in that building. Imagine our surprise when we found that it’s actually an apartment block with a dozen neighbours, all sharing the space that was supposed to be tranquil and private. The ad also said the apartment has two terraces, which further added to the confusion. It doesn’t, it has two balconies. They call it very silent. It was surrounded by construction sites, the people downstairs were making noise, and the neighbourhood dogs were barking non stop. The ad lists amenities which are either not there or not working. First, they advertise the property as child-friendly, which it isn’t. Carrying a baby and the pram up and down the narrow staircase is hard without a lift, but you cannot let small children take the stairs on their own either, because the railings have big gaps and children might fall all the way down. One of the balconies in the apartment has the same issue so it couldn’t be used. The ad says cupboards have child locks but they don’t. Instead, our toddler soon discovered tools and hazardous chemicals in the bottom drawers in the living room. She was also able to reach the buttons of the gas stove. The ad mentions games for children, but one of the game boxes had a vibrant community of insects in it. Therefore I cannot think of anything at all about this apartment that would be particularly child-friendly. Of other missing things I could mention the extinguisher, the blender and the dishes for children. The grill doesn’t work, and the first-aid kit that was supposed to be there is very limited. The coating on the frying pans is so scratched that it would not be healthy to use them for cooking. There were no hand towels and some of the bath towels were tiny. And this would be funny if it wasn’t so tragic: when we asked the owners where the bikes are, they said we can go rent some! We had booked and paid the apartment for two weeks, and over the course of the days exchanged messages with the owners. We clearly explained that we want a discount because 1. the ad was misleading, 2. there were health and safety concerns and 3. the amenities were missing. First the owners gave evasive replies, just wishing us sunshine and getting stuck on the smallest details. When we repeated our request, they stopped responding. So they took our money and ran away with it.

Large apartment, furnished with everything you need during your holiday. Great landscaping. Parking on the grounds and a nice but small swimming pool. Short walk to town, laguna and beaches. Owners not nearby, so no personal communication or interaction with the owners

We, a family of four (2 adults and 2 teenage boys), spent 2 weeks in this apartment in Foz do Arelho. The apartment appeared well kept and clean upon arrival. We especially enjoyed the pool area surrounded by the well kept and green garden. The spectacular beaches, both the Atlantic Coastline and the lagoon offers great opportunities for swimming. A day was spent in the nearby Surfer School in the shallow waters of the lagoon, great fun and a bit exhausting too. The instructors were very patient with us, being first timers on the boards. We found a number of nice restaurants and cafés in the village and near the beach, which we enjoyed, but most of the time we did our own cooking based on ingredients from the nearby Supermarket (200 m downhill) or from the shopping centres of Caldas de Rainha (10 min. drive). The prices in the supermarkets are very low compared to Northern Europe. Our best days of sightseeing were in Fatima (on the 13th July), Obidos and Buddha Eden. We of course also went to Lisbon for a day, but it appeared too crowded and touristic to us as we prefer the more quiet and scenic areas. The only disturbing element in and around the apartment was the dogs in the neighborhood, which barked from dawn to dusk. I really wonder why people keep dogs if they are never aware of them - or at least only negative attention.