Lilian was very prompt in replying to my queries and clarifying my questions before we selected to stay here, and we were even pre-booked, which took some of the pressure off in choosing a place to stay. Lilian and her husband met us at the airport, gave us the keys, and helped us with directions, even as to have us follow them to the main thoroughfare to get to Gozo.

When we arrived, we found a bottle of wine, some fruits, bread, and sandwich contents such as ham and cheese, waiting for us in the fridge. This gesture was very much appreciated.

The house itself is quite charming and well furnished. However, there were two major negative points that stuck with us. The first and the biggest issue are the beds. Both beds are also very old and the mattresses are hard and one can feel the stiff springs underneath. The pillows, although not as old, and leave much to be desired. After the first uncomfortable night, we found some folding cots with foam mattresses, and put them on top of the bed, which helped. But we still slept restlessly and woke up with stiff necks and backs.

The second point is the cleanliness. Understanding that this is an old house, some basic item such as the utensils and dishes (not referring to the decorative old items, but the actual kitchenware for use) need a good thorough cleaning. We washed the plates and utensils we needed before using them (only the ones we used). Lilian was nice enough to leave a picnic cooler for us, with a set of plasticware for a beach picnic. Unfortunately, this clearly had not even been rinsed since the last use as the container was full of beach sand, including the plasticware. Overall, the house could use a good vacuum cleaning, mopping, dusting, and deep cleaning of the appliances, there was dust on the furniture and there were cobwebs.

As with older houses, there is a switch for the hot water that must be turned on at least 20 minutes before you shower. It took one cold shower morning before we figured that out. Also, the gas for the stove was not turned on, so when we wanted to cook, we spent some time trying to light the oven, and then went looking for the gas source, before I figured out that the main cylinder hookup was off. I completely understand keeping the gas and hot water off when there are no occupants, but these little details would have been useful to know in advance. The last day we did not have electricity with no warning.

Final note, the listing mentions a pool. but it is a jacuzzi and not a swimming pool.