The “Pretty House”, Ravello, is situated in a delightful spot, and is, potentially, a fantastic holiday home. But….
My wife and I, who are in our late 60’s, requested from Key2 Holidays, a two bedroom property in Ravello for the mid two weeks of September, 2006, and as we booked rather late, there was little available, however, we booked the “Pretty House” as recommended by Key2.
The double bed in the main bedroom is very hard, on a wooden slatted base with an extremely hard mattress, and, according to Altrocostiera, the agents, is an orthopaedic bed, which, quote “everyone wants these days”. Not these tourists!
The beds in the second bedroom and the lounge are of very poor quality, with a pull out second bed under the sofa bed. The mattresses are budget quality on a thinly sprung base. I found the only way to get a half decent night’s sleep was to sleep on the sofa mattress on the floor. The sofa in the lounge is identical to that in the second bedroom, the only difference being that it’s main mattress is misshapen due to being used as a sofa, which in any case is most uncomfortable to sit on. Besides the sofa, there was only one other chair in the living area suitable for relaxing on.
The terrace has a fantastic sea view, although this is rapidly becoming obscured by a tree growing in front of it (see photos). Also it is overlooked from behind and the side by other properties, and therefore has effectively no privacy, particularly as the owner likes to come to tend the attached vegetable garden nearly every day. The garden is untidy with a rubbish area adjacent to the terrace. On our second day, we were relaxing on the terrace and found a lady on the terrace a few feet behind us looking at the view, presumably the owner’s wife, as a key is required for access through the garden gate.
Sun loungers were eventually provided by Altrocostiera after much nagging, despite having been promised by Key2 on booking.
Unfortunately, the property’s potential was greatly reduced by the poor quality of its furniture, and indeed the casual attitude of the agency, Altrocostiera, who manage it, who never returned a phone call, despite promising to do so several times, and frequently those answering a call were completely unaware of any matters previously reported which required action.
The” Pretty House” could be superb, with better furniture, especially beds, some screening to provide privacy, and removal of the tree top in front of the terrace. At present it is uncomfortable for two people, let alone four or six.
In conclusion, Ravello is the most delightful place to stay, with many good restaurants, and sufficient shops for a self-catering holiday, and we were quite happy with our walk up the steps to the main square, and indeed always enjoyed our walks around this delightful village. However I cannot recommend staying at the “Pretty House” unless you are a back packer, with your own bed, and I would not choose any holiday home managed by Altrocostiera.