Extremely disappointing stay
Extremely disappointing stay — misleading listing, no hot water and poor attitude.
My experience with CS Villas was extremely disappointing, and it started with something as basic as hot water.
The apartment did not have a normal hot-water supply. I discovered that the hot water would last for approximately 10 minutes, after which I had to wait many hours — effectively until the next day — for it to reheat. I tested this repeatedly: after waiting a few hours, I managed to get only around five minutes of hot water back. This made basic things such as washing, brushing my teeth and showering extremely difficult.
When I contacted the agent, Cyril, I was simply told to be patient and wait several hours for the water to reheat. There was very little understanding or sympathy for the fact that I was staying in St Tropez during very hot weather and needed to shower more than once a day. Having to ration ten minutes of hot water and constantly worry about when it would stop is simply not acceptable for holiday accommodation, and this limitation was certainly not made clear in the listing.
Unfortunately, the problems went far beyond the hot water. The apartment appeared to have been renovated very cheaply and to a poor standard, nothing like the glossy description and presentation in the listing. There were serious plumbing issues, a horrible smell in the corridors, and even the main building door did not appear to lock automatically.
The bedding was also extremely disappointing — cheap-feeling polyester/mixed fabric in dark colours. During my stay I developed itching and spots on my face and subsequently had to make a dermatologist appointment and was prescribed cream. I was offered the option of having the linen changed, but at my own expense, which I found particularly disappointing given the circumstances.
There were also several service failures. I specifically requested assistance with my luggage when checking out early in the morning. It was agreed that someone would come at 6am, but nobody turned up. I therefore had to carry my luggage myself down a large number of spiral stairs.
My reservation requests were also not properly handled; I received only one of the things I had asked for. Fortunately, I am independent and know people in St Tropez, so I was able to resolve things myself.
What made the whole experience even worse was the way I was treated after being accused of causing damage to a bathroom sink. I found the accusation unreasonable and the attitude surrounding it extremely unpleasant. I was travelling alone and had simply been using the accommodation normally. Rather than approaching the situation professionally and reasonably, I felt that I was treated with suspicion and very little common sense or consideration.
I booked this property at the last minute, only two days before arrival, and I made the mistake of assuming that the positive reviews I had seen related to this agency. After looking into CS Villas more carefully afterwards, I realised I had confused them with another company with a similar name. Unfortunately, that mistake proved very costly in terms of my holiday experience.
Overall, this was a very disappointing experience from beginning to end. The accommodation did not match its description, the basic facilities were inadequate, and the level of service and hospitality fell far below what I would expect from a professional holiday rental agency. Most disappointing of all was the lack of understanding and the attitude I encountered when problems were raised.
I do not recommend CS Villas and would strongly advise potential guests to look beyond the glossy listing and carefully verify exactly what they are booking before committing. A holiday should not involve rationing hot water, dealing with poor plumbing, carrying your own luggage after agreed assistance fails to appear, and then feeling blamed rather than supported when issues arise.
Unfortunately, this was my experience, and I would not stay with this agency again.