A villa we booked in Portugal was infested with mould, slugs, and ants... why won't Booking.com refund?

Organising a holiday for 20 people is not for the fainthearted.

Sarah* started the planning for her girls holiday in December 2023, and after a year and a half of waiting she couldn't wait to get away.

The villa in Portugal she booked was the perfect getaway for her and her girlfriends.

But when they arrived, their dream holiday couldn't be further from what they expected.

Sarah had the difficult task of organising the holiday for the large group while in New York, where she currently works.

When she found a villa in Portugal on Booking.com with enough bedrooms, a pool and a jacuzzi, she thought she'd struck gold.

The villa, which cost €2,700 (£2,274) for three nights for 20 people, was perfect for the BBQs, pool days and private chef they had planned.

While there were some mixed reviews, they were 'not a super precious group,' says Sarah.

The villa, while listed on the booking website, was managed by French online property manager Homerez.

Despite their involvement, Sarah had been in direct touch with the host who had arranged an airport transfer for the group for €600, which she paid via bank transfer.

Fast forward to the first bank holiday in May this year, Sarah and her friends met at Lisbon airport to start their holiday.

The group - which included a pregnant woman and a 71-year old - arrived on Friday evening and were met by the host's daughter, aged 17, who Sarah says was 'essentially managing the property', and son, aged 19.

This chaotic arrival was a sign of things to come.

Straight off the bat, Sarah and her friends found the property to be musty and very run down.

There were some other obvious problems with the property when they arrived - including a toilet that didn't flush - which they raised with the host's daughter on arrival.

But it wasn't until they went to sleep that they realised the severity of the issues.

A few members of the group were put up in the outbuilding, which had not been included in the listing.

They had to dry their sheets with a hairdryer before getting into bed, and the host's children revealed someone had recently tried to break in.

Elsewhere, there were ant infestations and slugs in the main building, with rising damp and black mould everywhere, including on a baby's highchair and chopping board.

There were other issues with the rooms, including a hole punched in one bedroom door and covered with a picture frame, as well as dirty beds.

The outside areas were unkept, with a broken patio, shredded pergola fabric, a dirty swimming pool and mouldy bean bags.

One of the fridges, which was left outside, was so filthy that the group had to throw away the food they'd bought for the weekend.

Sarah says that the villa pictured on Booking.com and Homerez was unrecognisable from the one they stayed at.

She says, 'the photos were clearly from 2 or 3 years' and the host, who Sarah thinks lives in Paris for most of the year, 'clearly doesn't know how bad it is.'

By the next morning, the group decided to book another villa, which set them back €2,600 for the remaining two nights.

When they contacted the host to tell her they'd be leaving, she said the group was lying but insisted they check out by 11am. She did not offer a refund.

Despite this, Sarah and her friends refused to let the experience ruin the holiday.

'Everyone had a great time, we made great memories but it was a constant stress the whole weekend,' she says. 'We were constantly planning the next thing, trying too find a restaurant for dinner.'

For the last day of the holiday, the group had paid €1,000 for a private chef, which was not refundable, but their new villa had little space to accommodate. Instead, they were forced to spend an additional €1,200 to hire a bar for the meal.

They also did not receive the return airport transfer they had paid for. Instead, the host said the group had damaged the property, despite being there for just 12 hours.

When Sarah got in touch with Booking.com, they offered her a refund of just over €500, representing just 20 per cent of the value of their three-night stay.

She says that while she understands Booking.com acts as an intermediary, she wants to know why there is no process for vetting accommodation.

'Surely, they have a duty of care to make sure it's all accurate.. At the moment, I have €2,600 on my credit for the new accommodation.

'Once I take into consideration the €500 refund, we have €2,100 that we need to pay off. That's another €100 which doesn't sound much but everyone's got different incomes.'

Read More

The property manager Homerez told Sarah that the group had left the villa in a bad state and offered no refund.

It did not respond to This Is Money's request for comment.

Booking.com told This Is Money: 'We offer a wide range of accommodation options to suit all budgets, supported by a review system that helps guide customers in choosing their stay.

'We can see this property has hosted successful stays, however we are sorry to hear that it did not meet the customer's expectations.

'After reviewing the photographs provided, we have issued a further partial refund.

'If a customer arrives at a property that does not meet their expectations, our customer service team is available 24/7 to assist and resolve any issues promptly.'

It did not respond to questions about its vetting procedure.

Booking.com has since refunded Sarah and her friends another €500, but it still leaves the group out of pocket.

It is also currently unclear whether the money will be refunded as cash or as Booking.com credit - and the whole experience has put the group off from ever using the booking giant again.