Patacona Resort Apartments

Sea view apartment is somewhat a misnomer, as we get to see a partial view of the Mediterranean from our little balcony, But it remains a pleasant apartment, for 2 or 3 people. It is hard to imagine a group of 6 living in this limited space, that has just the one bathroom, 2 bedrooms and a pull-out sofa in the living-room. The sofa can seat 3 people at most, and it is unfortunately quite uncomfortable for that purpose. There are 4 dining-room chairs plus 4 patio chairs. Our host is a courteous young man who has responded quickly and positively to our requests, for such things as ice cube trays, a rubber mat for the walk-in shower floor, extra hangers. Given this is low season, he even got us complimentary underground parking for the duration of our stay (3 weeks) which was an attractive bonus. The apartment is located within a complex of 3 large buildings that surround a very broad courtyard with a big swimming pool, children’s playgrounds and 2 paddle tennis courts. We are on the third floor and our view is of the building facing us on the other side of the courtyard. For all intents and purposes, the tennis courts are in constant use, from 10 am to 10 pm. Most times, there are 4 players on each court and the noise from their rackets becomes unnerving after a while. This is a lively community unto itself, with people speaking loudly, children screaming, babies crying, dogs barking. Several other ‘surprises’ awaited us unfortunately, and I feel we need to be transparent about what to expect if you stay here. First off, the apartment is better suited for short-term rentals, and preferably Spaniards, given, for instance, that TV is totally in Spanish with not a single channel in any other language. Lucky that Netflix is provided, but we were stunned to realize that, even though there are 3 TV sets in the apartment, they must all be watching the same Netflix show at the same time. Owners have not provided for multiple Netflix accounts. The kitchenette is too small for 2 people to work in it, and has very little storage space for food. It offers all of the large appliances one needs, but otherwise, it is poorly equipped, with few pots and cooking utensils. There isn’t even a vegetable peeler. All large utensils are rigid metal whereas the pans are teflon coated. If you plan to do actual cooking, you will need to bring your own paraphernalia or demand that the owner purchase them for the apartment. We barely managed and made do with what was available. There are a clothes washer and dryer however, which are a real asset. And you’ll likely be provided with basics such as toilet paper, paper towels, salt (but no other spices), oil, coffee pods, assorted cleaning products, dishwasher and liquid dish soaps. A cleaning lady comes once a week and does a cursory job, changing the linens and cleaning as much as she can within the hour allotted to her. We were a bit taken aback by the fact that the tap water wasn’t potable, to the extent that we didn’