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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Holiday Pool Dilemma: Please help me get a grip.

178 replies

RoadToRivendell · 05/08/2018 17:14

We're on holiday at a veeery nice villa in Italy.

Some days after I booked it in May, when I will still within my cancellation terms, I noticed that it said 'shared' pool in the description. I emailed the agent, expressed concern, and asked for clarification. They said I would be sharing it with two people, so fine. We proceeded.

This week, we were completely dismayed to find a family of four join at the pool - two adults, two smallish children - which we could have coped with, but 1. it's a pretty small pool, like what you'd have in the garden of a very nice house; and 2. THE FATHER DID NOT RETURN OUR HELLOS, so we sat in awkward silence.

A subtle tug of war ensues, and we gather they've left as they bring their luggage to the pool yesterday (WTF) and get changed in the bushes for what we presume is a trip to the airport.

This morning, we turn up at the pool at around 11am to find that all six sunloungers have towels on them. Overnight, a second family has arrived, and the original family is still inexplicably here! (I saw the children, who are lovely, in two of the 'reserved' sunloungers this morning!).

I sent my kids down to fold the towels and get stuck in at around noon (still, no one in sight - and all 6 chairs are reserved). Family number 2 turned up some time later, and they are lovely and exchanged hellos as you might expect so I can cope with this setup - we were actually all trying to very politely ensure the other had sufficient sunloungers at various points through the afternoon.

Would I be unreasonable to demand a good chunk of change back from this rental place?

OP posts:
Original poster
RoadToRivendell · 05/08/2018 18:01

OK, thanks everyone. Really appreciate it.

OP posts:
WipsGlitter · 05/08/2018 18:01

Seriously? Your stomach is churning because someone won't say hello? Get a grip woman.

Teacherlikemisstrunchball · 05/08/2018 18:03

*Honestly, it's just the stomach-churning from dealing with this incredibly weird family that is so antagonistic and territorial. I am completely beside myself and it's ruining my holiday.

How am I supposed to enjoy myself at the pool with this weirdo who has repeatedly refused to say hello to us? We were babes in the woods, just saying a cheerful 'Ciao' on the first day and he totally blanked us, as has his wife, and now his children are on the programme.*

How have they been antagonistic if they’ve not even spoken to you? You have to just ignore them and not let them ruin your holiday. You said further up that the kids were nice, so let your kids play with theirs and grown ups just do their own thing.

Arcadia · 05/08/2018 18:05

Maybe that family are pissed off like you are?

petrolpump28 · 05/08/2018 18:05

if the weird family are still around I would have a quiet word with them.

I know its not the same but we have neighbours very very close by , who studiously blank us. I just speak anyway.

Howhot · 05/08/2018 18:06

Oh that is awkward op, I'd be disappointed too. You did the right thing raising it with them. Let us know how you get on.

JacquesHammer · 05/08/2018 18:06

a lot of people would give anything for a shared pool

That doesn't really have any bearing - the OP isn't receiving what she paid for, therefore she is fully entitled to complain.

CharltonLido73 · 05/08/2018 18:06

Seriously? Your stomach is churning because someone won't say hello? Get a grip woman.

Can you not see how that would make someone feel very uncomfortable? It's not like they're sitting around a pool at a hotel, and can be anonymous. They're actually involved in a fairly intimate set up, and the other party being so deliberately rude must create a fairly uncomfortable and unpleasant atmosphere.

No-one's saying they've got to become best buddies, but a civil "hello" would be the norm.

ivykaty44 · 05/08/2018 18:08

Perhaps the agent only had two other people booked in but the owners have booked other families in and not told the agents....

Darkstar4855 · 05/08/2018 18:10

If three families are sharing the pool and there’s six sunloungers then that’s two sunloungers per family. It’s not a hotel so they have no right to be “reserving” them all!

Thesearepearls · 05/08/2018 18:12

Oh this happened to me once OP. It is a normal arrangement in Italy for the house to be divided into two and then you share the pool. I was lucky in that I spotted it within the cancellation period and swiftly asked for another property without a shared pool.

I do think that sharing with two people (as the agency told you) is not the same as the arrangement you have ended up with. I do think that you should ask for a refund on the basis that you have been mis-advised

On these occasions, TripAdvisor is your friend. It will tell you what is going on. More importantly it allows you to tell other travellers how you have been misled.

All the best and please do try to enjoy what is left of your holiday

Mummyoflittledragon · 05/08/2018 18:13

I’d definitely be taking the towels off. It’s a private villa. No one owns anything and the way the system works is if no one abuses it. Besides there should be one lounger for every guest. That’s a minimum.

Was it excessively cheap or something?

Original poster
RoadToRivendell · 05/08/2018 18:14

I do realise I need to get a grip. I'm just not great with awkward situations, I start second-guessing everything that I've done. It's horrible.

OP posts:
Original poster
RoadToRivendell · 05/08/2018 18:15

It was £5K for one week.

Mind you, our villa is meant to accommodate 9 people.

OP posts:
Original poster
RoadToRivendell · 05/08/2018 18:16

thank you Charlton.

OP posts:
Gorrillagirlfanclub · 05/08/2018 18:18

If they meant two other properties they should have said that!

I think that you were told it would be your family and a couple using the pool that I very different to 2 more families. You would have cancelled if you knew this. Ask for some money back.

BuggerOffAndGoodDayToYou · 05/08/2018 18:19

You are in a villa for 9 people? Then even if the pool was for your villas sole use I would expect 9 loungers!

There should be sufficient poolside seating for all users surely...

PUGaLUGS · 05/08/2018 18:22

5k for one week?

Bloody hell I would want exclusive use of the pool for that.

I would certainly expect the other guests to at least be polite and return your greetings.

On all the holidays we have been on, we have said hello to the people nearest our beds and they to us.

ilovecherries · 05/08/2018 18:22

We did return to our holiday villa after a day out last year to find a family in our pool while their dinner cooked on our BBQ! We thought for a moment that we had somehow got lost and ended up in the wrong villa. After a bit of hand waving and each of us trying to communicate in French, (we were in Spain, they were German) it seemed that they were in a smaller rental a small distance away and had been told they could use our pool and garden between noon and 8pm. A swift and irate phone call to the agents, and they were asked to leave. Apparently the owner allowed people in the small property to use our pool when not in use. We argued that meant when our villa wasn’t rented, NOT that they could pop in anytime we’d nipped out and it didn’t happen again. A shared ‘private’ pool is my idea of hell. A pool in a complex, fine, but being stuck with another family round a small pool every time we stepped out the door makes me shudder, before you know it you have them wanting in your villa to use the loo, or you feel mean opening a bottle of wine without offering them a drink. Plus part of my reasoning for hiring a villa is NOT to have forced socialising (unsocial git, me).

Floralnomad · 05/08/2018 18:25

No communication issues then , in that case I’d be looking for some kind of refund and I’d definitely move the towels and sit on the loungers .

Original poster
RoadToRivendell · 05/08/2018 18:26

The villa is epically grand. I get the sense that the owners are minor aristos who have reluctantly turned to the holiday business to keep things going.

They are not going to understand the problem here, they do not speak English and are about 80. They are going to be furious and feel slighted. I feel pretty confident that they have some smaller lettings that this agent just doesn't know about.

The agent just emailed back and said it had gone to the escalation team.

OP posts:
Original poster
RoadToRivendell · 05/08/2018 18:28

We're definitely moving the towels, and the second family is really lovely so no major problems outside of the first family (who left their towels and ran today - no sight of them since I saw the kiddos at about 10am).

I will never share a pool again.

OP posts:
mineisarossini · 05/08/2018 18:29

I would get in touch now and I would expect a solution or a refund. You have it in writing that only two people are supposed to be sharing the pool with you and given the number of sun loungers they are clearly not expecting more guests. Maybe some of the guests are there without permission, or more than the agreed number in the other property.

Leave it with the owner/agent to sort out and try and enjoy your holiday. Wine and lots of it!

violets17 · 05/08/2018 18:29

OP - you poor thing. Your holiday is being spent fretting and feeling self conscious about the uncommunicative other family, I would feel dreadful.

I increasingly feel that holiday lets are a mixed bag, some good, some bad and some just dishonest. Try to brazen out the situation and use the pool, you've certainly paid plenty for it. Take lots of evidential photographs - also of how you leave the place, if you complain they might say you left the place filthy.

Mummyoflittledragon · 05/08/2018 18:31

Wow I’m not surprised you’re very unhappy. 5k for a week! You should have exclusive use for that much and they rent the smaller places out without pools. And of course to repeat there should be enough loungers for people.

Can you see what else is rentable on the agents site and online in general so you know what exactly you are dealing with? Ie other apartments etc.

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