Holiday cottage - Meschers-sur-Gironde

😢: Upon arrival, we immediately found the apartment unclean and poorly maintained. The floors were visibly dirty, covered in dust, hair, and plant debris — it was clear that they hadn’t even been swept, let alone mopped. The kitchen was full of ants, crawling across all surfaces. The toilet was dirty, and the bathroom trash bin hadn’t been emptied. The bathtub was unclean, and the shower floor was covered in hair and grime. We contacted the company managing the house right away. They first gave us one email to send photos and video evidence. Then they redirected us to a second email. After a third follow-up, someone finally responded — but dismissed all of our concerns, saying that “ants happen in private houses” and completely ignored the issue of the apartment not being cleaned. According to them, this is apparently acceptable. It is not. Especially considering that we were charged €130 for cleaning, which was clearly never done. You’re also asked to pay for your booking through external third-party links outside of Booking.com, where the fee for cleaning is separated but already included in the Booking total. You end up making three separate payments, including €130 for a service that doesn’t exist. There were no towels provided, no dishwasher capsules, and no basic kitchen essentials (not even salt). You are expected to bring your own bed linens, and nothing is done to make your stay comfortable. We booked for five adults for three nights and were left with half a roll of toilet paper and four sugar cubes — covered in ants. I have a lot of experience booking accommodations through Booking.com and have never encountered anything like this. In every other stay, hosts were helpful, responsive, and made sure their guests felt welcome — unlike this situation..