6/10
Not all is as it seems or you might expect at Apartmentos Babalu. Air conditioning is not included. Fans are not included. Umbrellas on the patio are not included. The 'pool bar' advertised has been derelict for 3 years. The 'shop' advertised has been derelict for 3 years.
You have to pay extra to rent a portable air conditioning unit, or otherwise pay extra to rent a fan. You have to pay extra to rent an umbrella for the balcony of your apartment.
I booked through Expedia and the information about the hotel still states 'Bar' and 'Grocery/convenience store'. This is false. I've included some screenshots of the advert, as it still is today. Checking with other online booking operators, I do notice the information has been updated there, so I will be worried about booking through Expedia in future, if information is not up to date on their site.
The staff explained that the pool bar has been closed because of and since 'because of covid'. The area has an incredible amount of other hotels, I dare say all with pool bars, despite covid.
The apartments have no air conditioning. A portable unit can be hired for EUR 15 per day. That's an incredible amount of money for something which is really needed in such a hot place. We had to hire a fan, and this cost around ÂŁ40 for 2 weeks! I realised after that I could have purchased the same fan for about ÂŁ20, in one of the nearby shops, and could have just left it in the apartment after my stay, while still being in pocket.
