I would have given this villa more than 3 stars, but it has two major drawbacks that the owners seem to be reluctant to improve. Firstly, the house is hot – the idea that stone houses are cool in summer is a myth - 500 cm of stone has the same insulating effect as 1.5cm of rockwool. The solution is air conditioning. In response to comments by previous guests, the four bedrooms now have fans (1 broken), but they remain hot, while the beds are provided with sheets and no blankets. Secondly, the area has a lot of mosquitoes. During our stay, everyone was bitten many times – so it would be a good idea if the owners (or their agent) provided fly spray for each of the bedrooms. A better solution would be to provide electric UV insect zappers, which are not expensive. The pool, which is only 1.5 meters deep, has several loungers. In view of the hot sunny weather, it would be a good idea to provide parasols.
The nearest shop is in Motovun is a good 10 minutes’ drive away on winding mountain roads. In practice, this means that by car it takes at least 30 minutes each way to reach the nearest supermarkets. The local shop in Motovun is fine for food and most things.
Visitors would feel more welcome if the owners arranged for certain basic items to be provided for newly arrived guests – toilet paper, fly spray, matches (for the BBQ), salt, sugar, tea/coffee, dishwasher tablets, washing machine powder – things often left by the previous guests, but not worth taking with them.
Finally, Caroline, the agent was punctual and efficient when sending e-mails for payment, but it took 5 days before she sent us the code for the box that held the house key. After no response to e-mails, sms, or the telephone, we finally got the key code less than 24 hours before we were due to arrive at the house