Sea View Apartment Saranda

Disappointing
Traveller Type: Solo Traveler
  : Key collection was very easy from a pharmacy below. Payment by credit card in euros at the pharmacy was a big plus The young man who helped with the luggage was friendly and kind Balcony off the bedroom was pleasant
  : The photos are entirely misleading. The 'sea view' is from the stairs outside, not from inside the apartment. The window in the sitting room is very high and the only view is of the metal stairs outside. There are 53 stairs to get to the apartment, some of which are very steep towards the top. On returning to the apartment after being out for some hours, I found there was no power at all. There were no lights and my laptop had completely shut down due to battery drain and I lost a one-time only view of an important legal document. On complaining to the owner Mr Dhonat Kote around 22.30 by phone, he was unbelievably rude and abusive and told me (1) the power outage was in the whole building (not true - I noticed the apartment downstairs had lights on) (2) I hadn't paid for the apartment (not true - I had a credit card receipt for the full amount in my hand) (3) I had planned some kind of scam to avoid paying and (4) I had to leave the apartment immediately. As it was late at night, this was not a feasible option. After a lengthy argument, we agree that I would leave the next morning and he would refund me the cost of the 2nd night provided I notified Booking.com that I had left a day early. When I went to make the cancellation early the next morning, there was notification saying that I was a no-show and never stayed in the apartment. This was obviously entirely false and done by Mr Kote to avoid paying commission on the first night's stay. To his credit, he did make the refund 2 days later as agreed. Having reviewing over 400 properties for Bookijng,com., I have never experienced such a rude and dishonest owner. The apartment in itself is not so bad, but the owner should be avoided at all costs.