Not what it seems
Savi is nothing more than a hyped up house share with a pool. Behind the relentless advertising through posts on social media (which I’m now convinced are AI generated) talking about intentional living, shared meals, long conversations and love of dogs is one man who in reality seems incapable of in-person conversations and who’s only focus seems to be on filling those rooms in a property with a somewhat run-down feel.
Despite booking the largest room available and getting charged for such, I’ve been allocated the smallest one. When I brought this up, I was met with silence. The room was so spartan, there was barely any furniture apart from a small, single bed; most definitely not what was pictured on the website. In place of a bathroom door was a plastic curtain and so the stench from the shower drain permeated the tiny space all day and night; this also was ignored when I raised it shortly after arrival. Shower was broken. The supposedly beloved three dogs that live on the property use the area immediately outside the garden rooms as their toilet, so leaving or returning to the room was always a bit of a gamble as far as not stepping into faeces goes.
General vibe is not as friendly as the owner would like everyone to believe - people go about their own business and despite there having been some friendships, I expect these take some time to form, and the socialising factor is extremely hyped up on the socials.
Worst of all, the owner told me only after I arrived that my dog is not allowed in the main house and must stay outside whenever I would go in to prepare or eat a meal or socialise with others over a cup of tea or a meal. There was no indication of this prior to booking, despite my being charged extra €200 for my dog to stay. Apparently there is a policy that the owner ‘forgot’ to send me. He didn’t, in fact, send any T&Cs or booking documents relating to cancellation/deposit return at all. I had no choice but to make a decision to leave the day after I arrived, as both my dog and I were finding the situation very stressful. Despite this being the owner - Steve’s - mistake that came at a very high cost to me (I drove through a number of countries to get there), he was adamant he wouldn’t refund my booking in full and only relented when I raised that I would report him to a local tourism agency for mis-selling the stay as dog friendly. I also caught him yanking my elderly golden retriever by the neck roughly on the first morning there. Some dog lover. I’d advise extreme caution, especially if booking with your dog.