Mintaro Hideaway

The property was described as very comfortable accommodation with a spa, factually incorrect. When we arrived the place was dirty, littered with dead leaves, overgrown jungle. There was no hot water, the kitchen-net sink blocked with stale rice. The so-called spa was dangerously set for senior citizens, having to climb up a slippery step for a shower. It did not have a water stopper, so no way the tub could be filled with water!! Curtains, carpets unclean. In fact while trying to draw the curtain the whole thing gave way & collapsed. On the positive side, the property has good potential if properly fitted out and cleaned. I believe the owner lives in San Fresco, US, so obviously long distance upkeep docent work! Would not recommend this accommodation, until things improve.

We were there for 2 nights in the Carpenter spa cottage. The first problem was that the key box was very difficult to open. I broke a couple of fingernails on it then my bloke had a crack at it, while I tried to ring Sue and then the local handyman whose number she had given us. Calls not answered - out of range or switched off! Eventually we got in after about 20 minutes. We were going to be out both nights so I had asked about heating other than the wood stove. Sue mentioned the wall-mounted reverse-cycle appliance. It did not work. There was fan but no heat. The remote control sat in a rickety bracket loosely tacked to the wall and was filthy, as was the cord running to the appliance. It was revolting to touch but I rubbed both of them clean with a cloth and detergent. There was only a small bar fridge, and the freezer shelf was almost completely blocked by ice. It had obviously not been defrosted for months. There were cobwebs in one of the bedrooms. We built a fire in the wood stove which was okay for one night. Next day was cold and wet and I tried to ring both Sue and Dave again to say we are running out of wood and the heater doesn't work. Again, no answers. Eventually, after dark on the second day, there was a text from Dave saying he wasn't around, had we checked the fuse box (yes we had) and that if we needed more wood we could buy more from Clare. We had just driven back from Clare through the darkness and cold rain and didn't fancy going out again, not to mention the unlikelihood of a wood vendor being open on a Saturday night. With no other source of heating, we should have been provided with enough wood. Also, the wood fire didn't burn very well because it was full of ashes from previous fires but there were no tools - brush or pan - to clean it out with. We knew there would be no food provision, but were chagrined to hear that friends who stayed the weekend in a nearby cottage of similar size at about the same price were provided with fresh milk, bread, butter and jam. We had nothing but a carton of UHT milk. I raised these complaints in response to Stayz asking for feedback. No response from Sue. The worst thing was being unable to contact either Sue or Dave. What is the point of providing contact numbers if they are unreachable when you need them?!