Am I being ungrateful?

[Fianceechickie]

Back in May, my MIL mentioned that her sister had a villa in Spain and they might go. We haven't much money this year so asked if she'd mind if we used it as well (another week obviously) and how much she'd charge. She said yes and would just charge us a bit for electricity and the cleaner etc. Fantastic! Got our flights booked. She sent us a couple of pics, looked okay, MIL said was nice and, given she usually has pretty high standards, we thought it sounded fine! Two days before we travelled though, DH's auntie contacted us to say she was charging €200 for villa. A bit more than electric costs we thought but still cheap for a week on the Costa Blanca in August. We also found out from MIL who had just stayed here that there was no air con and we started to worry a bit! Anyway, arrived on Tuesday night to find that, not only was there no air con but ceiling fans barely work, it was in an awful cramped, built up area, the bathroom stank, all the dirty washing was piled up from MIL's stay, couple of dead cockroaches, furniture on its last legs, beds awful, hubbie has bed bug bites (it's also terrible for midges around here). It's even smaller than we thought and the fridge won't stay cold as the seal has gone ages ago and it's not been defrosted in forever, tv doesn't work (not that we'd use it much anyway). It's obviously not serviced (I think she may have an agreement with an ex pay up the road cos he did let us in when we arrived but not seen him since. We have to give him the €200. ) The only saving grace is that it has its own pool which seems fine! We're making the best of it but DH suffering in the heat especially and isn't well with it, the kids are stoical but I can't help feeling annoyed that it was made out to be nice and in fact it's not at all and we've brought the children here! We would never have come had we known. She couldn't rent it out to fee paying holidaymakers. Thank god we have a car so can get to beach (which is 20 mins away!)

I feel for you - just got back from Cabo Roig in south west Spain and it's very hot - thankfully we had a lovely breezy place but no air con either .... we kept the windows and doors open all night but thankfully lockable gates - it was approx £1k for two weeks rental by the way

I don't know where everyone has got the impression from that OP asked to stay in the house for free. She specifically says that she asked MIL how much.
If the place isn't up to standard the homeowner should have said something at the very least. 200 euros doesn't sound bad for a week abroad, a 20 min drive to the beach isn't so bad, and you do have access to a pool. As others have suggested, I would spend a good half a day cleaning, purchase some fans and enjoy your holiday but she could have atleast said something to you and given you the choice.
I don't think you can deduct the cost of the fans because MIL did tell you BEFORE you went away. If it was a problem I think it should have been discussed at that point, and flights booked should have been mentioned then too.
I do however think that I would mention the bed bugs, cockroaches and dirty dishes and ask that those things be rectified before anyone else stays.
Unfortunately OP it is family, so I think your hands are somewhat tied and you chalk it up to experience.

Sounds really grim. Are you sure they're bed bugs though? If the place has been like that a long time, I would have thought the infestation would be big and you'd all be getting bitten. If you are sure, you will have to take massive steps to prevent infestation of your house and car.

To be honest €200 = £185 approx. To my mine this is probably about right to cover costs for a cleaner, pool maintenance, the key handover and utilities. Obviously the issues here seems to be that no cleaning took place, if the place was clean and tidy wiuld you feel that the £185 was about right. I think I would definately let your DHs auntie know that the place was not 'serviced' and no washing done as she may well be paying for that.

On the cupboard. Go and buy some hairgrips. Pick the lock. Seriously

Yeah, break into someone's private cupboard and use their private things

Most villas I've stayed in have had a locked cupboard with the owners things in. What would give anyone the right to break into it?!

200 euros doesn't sound bad for a week abroad

For 5 people in August? By not bad i presume you mean "absolute buttons and a tiny fraction of what anywhere else would have cost you"?

I don't think ungrateful is the right word.

You've assumed that the place would be an all singing, all dancing modern villa with air con and lovely furnishings and are disappointed that it's not. Did you not see photos???? I would never, ever book any accommodation for a holiday without seeing photos or at least doing a bit of reading about the area.

Just because a flat is a bit run down and has no aircon doesn't make it illegal - although obviously you'd not be able to charge much for it.

@metalmum15 Be very careful you don't bring the bed bugs back with you in clothes, suitcases etc. They're extremely difficult to get rid of if you get an infestation

I read a useful tip about this - you take your cases and put them straight in a bathtub, and open them from there, so nothing can get into soft furnishings. Put everything directly in washing machine. It didn't say what to do with the cases, but I guess you could take them outside and hoover them? (not really sure how you clean away bedbugs!)

patterns loads of them on his ankles and feet

Doesn't sound like bed bug bites - they don't discriminate! Bed bug bites are FAR more likely to be on the shoulders or back than on the ankles and feet - that sounds to me like grass/sand insects of some description which have bitten your DH at the beach or walking around. If there were bedbugs, you'd all be bitten. Especially OP, assuming they're sharing a bed.

Fleas. EAsy to treat, but a nuisance. Are there carpets or tiles?

Tiles. Relieved it may not be bed bugs! I did say we hadn't asked for a freebie didn't I? DH asked his mum to approach her sis and ask how much it would be and was it free. She said we'd have it free but just pay for costs cleaner and electric that we used. It was clean as MIL had done it but no one else has been near. I agree that it's reasonable to pay 200 if there had been/will be someone else doing the washing but there's not been so far. I will obviously clean myself. I'll at least have to contact her to see if we have to wash our own sheets and towels. If she'd said straight up it was €200 alarm bells might have rung but cos she said it was free we didn't think about what market value may or may not be. We thought it a bit churlish then to ask too much but we did have photos and asked MIL about it and all seemed positive. We're v near Cabo Roig but that's much nicer than here. I have stayed there a few times.

I mean was it free as in vacant.

We weren't expecting great things after seeing photos but it's just that it's considerably worse than we thought. I do know the approximate area just that this bit isn't very nice. Graffiti lots of barking dogs and locals that are quite hostile over parking. None of which we could have known.

Your MIL-who has high standards-said it was nice and was there the week before?! That doesn't really add up?

You get what you pay for I'm afraid op I wouldn't have expect much for $200 for the 5 of you.. we paid well over £2000 for a holiday in August in Spain for me and my DH

I'm really surprised that your MIL didn't warn you about it if it's that bad. Not much you could have done, I suppose, but at least you'd know what to expect.

I'm a bit confused over the sheets though - were the beds freshly made up when you got there, or did you have to do that yourself - I agree it's probably worth checking what to do with these when you leave.

Overall, it just sounds like a mismatch of expectations. You probably expected a modern, well furnished villa with aircon in an upmarket area, you got a small villa with shabby furnishings in a slightly sketchy area. But I still think that €200 is cheap for what you got, and while I know you are disappointed, I'd just try and make the most if it.

No beds weren't made. We made them up when we arrived (at 1am) luckily there was two sets. MIL said it was nice before her most recent visit. Don't think she'd been for a while before that

I wouldn't expect beds to be made up at an apartment or villa. If you want that then surely you pay for a hotel?

OP didn't rent it though. She asked if the mil's sister "would mind if they used it" which means they were angling for it for nothing.

I wouldn't expect beds to be made up at an apartment or villa. If you want that then surely you pay for a hotel?

They've always been made up at every villa/apartment I've stayed at. But then, ive only stayed in places that are advertised to holidaymakers, so I'd expect there to be cleaners in before and after, and for the beds to made up. And I paid a lot more than €200 for a week!

I guess it's fair enough to clean the villa and wash your own sheets if you are staying at a family villa at 'mates rates', especially if it's not usually rented out. But I think it would have been helpful to know this in advance. I think I'd be a bit concerned for your aunt that she thinks she has a cleaner (she mentioned covering cleaning costs?), but that doesn't seem to be the case.

It's horrible to be stuck on holiday somewhere where you aren't enjoying it and it isn't what you expected but I think maybe your expectations were a bit unrealistic. I dislike the heat and wouldn't stay somewhere without it in Spain so I definitely understand that grumpy miserable feeling when it's hot. That being said, I always double check that there will be aircon and wouldn't necessarily expect a privately owned villa, especially one no longer being rented out, to have it. In fact you'll still find hotels that only have ceiling fans. It sounds like the place is just not what you would have chosen usually, the auntie probably think she's done you a favour so I wouldn't complain to her about it. You've only really paid her a token amount even though I realise it was more than you were expecting. Enjoy the pool as much as possible and just never go back.

MIL has now asked we wash her sheets as well! I really don't know what the £200 is for! It's clearly not for cleaner if there's an expectation we sort all our own stuff and clean before we go and then hand this guy up the road the money. Of course I would expect to sort our own stuff if it was free but we were definitely led to believe the money was just for expenses like the cleaner. I think maybe he's meant to have done washing cleaning etc but hasn't. Clearly breakdown of communication and misunderstandings! Lesson learnt! I should have made sure before booking flights about aircon but in any case ceiling fans can be fine if they're decent and work properly. These don't. I honestly wasn't expecting a modern plush villa but at least to have a working fridge and some effective way of making it cool enough to sleep.

I still don't get what your moaning for tbh you've got a holiday in the sun in August for $200. Does it matter to clean up abit after yourself you asked to use the villa it wasn't offered to you on false pretences and described as something glamorous.

I think expecting to have aircon is uneeaonable, most places we've stayed at haven't had this, most didn't even have fans, so I genuinely wouldn't have expected even this. I agree with you about the fridge though!

I still think you got a bargain, even if you had to clean and wash the sheets yourself. Sounds like a breakdown in communication. But you are hardly hard done by.