This was an incredibly disappointing and frustrating vacation. The ONLY reason we booked this property was because it was listed with a heated pool. Do not be fooled by this -- you cannot swim in this pool in the winter months, even when the weather is sunny and warm.
According to the hosts, we shouldn’t have expected the pool to warm up because it’s heated by solar panels, which require sunny days to work. A few days before we arrived the weather was cold; however, during our 7-day stay it was sunny and warm. Almost all highs were in the 70’s and the last 3 days it reached the 80’s. In that time the water temperature rose just 13 degrees, reaching 74 degrees on our last day. It wasn’t even safe to swim for the first 5 days and, on our last 2 days, we could safely but not comfortably swim. I was in the pool for only 10 minutes before I was too cold. My 8 y.o. daughter -- whose favorite place is the pool -- swam for longer but I had to tell her to get out because she would start shivering.
Another disappointing aspect to our stay was the host’s lack of concern. We communicated with the owner (via text) almost daily and continued doing so for 5 days. Not once did she (a) offer meaningful solutions or (b) apologize to us for the inconvenience. In fact, it was us who was constantly checking in with her; had we not done that, I doubt that we would have received any follow-up at all. She was not even bothered enough to call and speak to us in person. She simply gave excuses (again via text) about how solar-heated pools only work when it’s sunny and warm (which it was during our stay).
There were some positives. The house looks like it’s been newly renovated and is comfortable. It was also very clean when we first arrived. Except for NYE (which is understandable), the neighborhood was very quiet.
Unfortunately the positives were ruined by the stress of hoping each day would be the one when we could swim (and constantly being disappointed) plus keeping my daughter entertained rather than being able to take that time to relax. Add to that the host’s seeming disregard and this trip turned into an unpleasant, forgettable experience.
Despite listing the pool as heated, the host made it seem like we shouldn't have expected it to warm up because it’s “solar heated”. I’m sorry but it doesn't matter how your pool is heated, if it does not warm the water enough to be able to swim, then do not say it's heated. In my opinion, that is false advertising.