Celia - oceanfront villa in Costa Blanca

Wonderful
Traveller Type:

Pleasant
Traveller Type:
  : Location and view wise is fantastic. Lovely sea view and within easy reach to a variety of shops, bars and restaurants. The outside grounds and private pool are fantastic.
  : Initially we were unable to enter the property/front gate due to a very stiff/rusted outside gate and lock, Informed Turisol and they stated they will get the locks changed to make this easier. Encountered a similar issue with the side gate as well. The interior of the property is very tired and could do with a review. It would greatly benefit from a modernise including furniture in all rooms and the kitchen needs attention as well. The backdoor uses 2 x screw in bolts to lock them. Despite these you can still pull them apart slightly. The upstairs toilet was leaking from around the base. The shower was leaking from one of the corners. It seems as if you pay for the view and locality over the Villa itself. This is the third time we have stayed at Celia in 10 years and very little has changed to the interior over this time.

Very Good
Traveller Type:
  : the gardens at the front and back are beautiful. Well maintained with flowers, cacti and two blooming lime trees. The pool is well kept (not heated so refreshingly cool) and is fully fenced off which is good if you have kids. There is an outdoor shower (the least well maintained part of the garden but not bad but a lot of leaves etc in it!) and an outbuilding with the washing machine (which was new and very clean!) and then a drying rack for clothes with pegs, and some storage for table tennis bats and balls and the umbrella etc. There is a nice outdoor bbq with some tools. There are 8 nice sun beds in the garden. There is a gate that opens directly onto the path down one way to the rocky coast which is good to enter for snorkelling (not great for small kids that way) and the other way to a lovely sandy beach where Mandala is and is perfect for kids to. The water is crystal clear and vivid green/blue and the whole coast around there (and for miles based on our visit) is the same; perfect for snorkelling, swimming, paddle boarding etc.The villa itself - the outside of the building is plain, quite square but perfectly nice and white. Inside, previous reviews made me slightly concerned that it would not be nice. However, we were pleasantly surprised. The lounge has definitely been upgraded since the booking.com photos ie. Red sofa now gone and replaced with a nice new one. The cleaning team were still there when we arrived and everywhere was lovely and clean for us. The fridge, oven etc inside are nice and clean. The decor is quite traditional which I guess some people would class as old but we really liked it. The grout in the bathroom tiles and kitchen tiles is a bit grubby and could improve a lot from replacing. Generally though we had no complaints about the inside. The kitchen is very well stocked with dishes, pans, utensils, espresso and filter coffee maker etc. The beds are firm and comfortable with one large memory foam pillow per bed. These are comfy.
  : I wish we had been informed in advance that we could collect the keys from a lock box and were asked to visit the office. After waiting an hour for a taxi I called the office who said I could pay the final balance remotely and then collect the keys from a lockbox. I wish this was given as an option from the beginning to save us waiting. However, the overall process was then fine. Things to improve: -Only a small hand towel and small body towel provided per person. We therefore had to wash these during week. -Only 2 toilet rolls provided. -No bath mat provided so had to use a hand-towel to stop floor getting wet when leaving the shower. -No bin bags etc provided so after the small bin was full, we had to buy bin bags to dispose of rubbish. -The bin situation is not clear. They ask you take your rubbish out of the house daily to avoid bugs and say to put in green wheelybins on the road. We struggled to find these and eventually found one 200-300m down the road, not just outside the house which is a bit unusual. Overall, I think they should supply some basic cleaning supplies for dishes, more towels but especially a bathmat for floor of bathroom, make rubbish situation clearer ie. Perhaps a photo of where the large bin on the road can be found and also provide bin bags. These are small things though and generally this villa is very good value and has absolutely stunning views. The inside is fine and clean and the outdoor is stunning. An excellent summer villa for family and or friends in a quiet, relaxed but very good location.