“Having booked with solmar many times before. We asked today to move the destination of my upcoming family holiday to Cyprus to a safer location (having been the target of military missiles today) which has been refused so I will lose over £2000 and I will therefore never use them again. Whilst we ve always been happy with the villas in the past, it’s not until you need assistance from customer services that you find out how poor a company they really are.”
“Appalling experience. Be warned.
Our experience in dealing with Solmar has been terrible, I would not recommend this company at all.
We booked and paid for a villa in Zante for my son and some of his friends at a cost of £3.2k through Solmar. Once confirmed we then booked flights (non refundable).
Solmar initially enquired about the ages of the travellers (seven 18 year olds and one 17 year old), when we responded they requested an additional £800 "security deposit". When I enquired what this deposit would cover (we had already paid a damage waiver) Solmar cancelled the booking without warning. When I asked why they had done this they stated that they had done this as all travellers on the booking were the "same sex".
I attempted to speak to the Customer relations team about this justification as it appears to be discriminatory, not only from an age perspective but also against "same sex" couples. I was advised that the Customer Relations team do not have phone lines and don't "speak" to customers.
Solmar did not offer to help us find a solution (an alternative Villa for example), they just cancelled the booking and left us without accommodation.
Three weeks have since passed since Solmar cancelled our booking, we still have not received a refund so continue to be £3.2k out of pocket.
The way Solmar treat their customers is appalling. I would recommend people avoid using their services as a consequence”
“Serious Safety Hazard Ignored by Management - I stayed at Villa Rigani in Palaiokhóri and had a very disappointing and unsafe experience.
The villa’s pool leaks water directly onto electrical wiring, creating a clear electrocution hazard. I am a civil engineer and one of my colleagues is an architect – we immediately recognized this as a serious safety issue.
I reported it to the property and through Booking.com, but instead of resolving the problem with a professional inspection, the manager dismissed it as “normal overflow.” This is unacceptable. We could not use the pool at all, even though it was one of the main reasons for booking this villa.
On top of that, the villa was poorly managed from the start (we didn’t even have hand soap in the bathrooms on arrival). I initially overlooked small details, but ignoring serious safety hazards shows a total lack of responsibility.
If you value your safety and a well-managed property, I strongly advise avoiding this villa and this company.”
“Villa,Casa de la Abuela.NERJA.SOLMAR booking ref,83712. Date of arrival 13/06/2025
THIS REVIEW IS BASED ON THE VILLA ,NOT SOLMAR WHO HAVED SERVED US WELL OVER THE YEARS,
We have used solmar villas,over the years with many good villas.ths last one was so out of Nerja.and so far up tracks more than roads,I was in 1st gear getting up the last bit and.our parking was hit and miss as it was used by the company next door ,which was naughty.
Then the little area to turn around was none existent, as there is only one over villa as well as ours,in this very very tight area.they also don't show pictures of the front of the villa for that reason and just the rear which is lovely.as is inside the villa.but dangerous around the pool for kids as my wife broke her wrist on the 2nd day in on the steps you have to go up from patio area to pool.so in A&E for the day.
In the area we were ,there was 2 bars.which if not eating were not very inviting.thats if you could manage the walk,as I'm not jocking its was more than steep.car advised is a joke.without a car your stuck at villa.
yes solmar sell as up a hill and rugged road and alot more,but you still don't expect what we got in reality,in in places up to the villa another car cannot pass coming the other way.”
“Booked a Solmar villa (it turns out) but understood it to be a Jet2 package holiday. Villa is as described re layout but is VERY isolated and not very well-equipped. Absolutely nothing in villa to help with self-catering (I thought there’d at least be salt and pepper) and there are health and safety issues. NO phone signal whatsoever so couldn’t contact emergency services/doctor if needed, NO file of useful information, sole access to property is via a big electric gate operated by a temperamental key fob. If key was lost, there is literally no other way to get in or out of the property. Used Jet2 rep to contact Solmar today about a further issue which Solmar has totally failed to resolve. Disappointed, and would not recommend booking Solmar.”
“Ongoing dispute:
I booked a villa in Kefalonia on Airbnb. Immediately after booking, I went onto Google to find things to do in the area and came across two independent reviews from the last 3 weeks, of squatters living underneath the swimming pool, with needles and other paraphernalia scattered around the entrance. Seemingly the people acted aggressively and Solmar denied it until there were photographs provided.
Within 20minutes of making the booking, I requested to cancel for obvious reasons.
They took a long time to reply, have tired to reassure me by denying there’s an issue and they won’t cancel the booking. When there are a reports of drugs and illegal squatters, I can’t understand why they wouldn’t respect my request to cancel?? It’s totally unethical and arguably fraudulent.”
“Think twice before booking, as we have had to cancel due to unforeseen circumstances and even though the booking was nearly a year away, been hit with a £400 bill for cancelling!”
“We stayed in protaras in October 2023 a party of 5 . Villa was brilliant we had a few issues like batteries flat in the safe but we rang Solmar and someone came out within the hour . I have to say the Villa rep Suzanne Conway was fabulous and answered any questions and gave advise. This was such a lovely touch being visited by the rep x2 to see everything was ok we really appreciated it . In 6 years of renting villas this is the first time we had had a rep visit. Due to the personal touch we are looking to book again with Solmar this year. .”
“Terrible communication from this company. We booked a villa and then the place we booked disappear from the website, when I called k was reassured it was still all good and still available. We arrived and were sent the wrong address, luckily just next door!! Then it turns out solmar villas don’t own this villa anymore and the new company that owns it had no details of our booking!! So we were stuck outside for hours trying to sort out something that solmar should do sorted!! I got hung up on twice when I tried to phone them and deal with this. The company that owned the villa had to save the day!! Communication is awful from this place!! And I wouldn’t trust them or book with them ever again! AVOID if you want a stress free holiday experience!!”
“Booked a villa in Portugal, Villa Simoes building works is happening next door and Dean Robinson Solmar Villas rep is saying there is no alternative accommodation dispite there showing 13 available online.
He has sent a WhatsApp saying there is nothing he can do. DO NOT BOOK WITH THIS COMPANY .....AVOID AT ALL COSTS.”
“Had 2 weeks in August 2023 with the family at villa altamira in calpe the villa was perfect we rang solmar a couple of times with minor issues and they were rectified within an hour we wouldn't hesitate to stay again.”
“Cockroaches in the villa. The air conditioning in the living room didn't work. The bracket in the main bedroom shower was broken. The main bathroom shower had a comedically short shower curtain so water flooded the bathroom, and the hose would gradually fall towards pointing the hose out towards the floor. The protective blinds poolside were covered in green moss when you lowered them. They had clearly not been cleaned in months. When we arrived at the villa, delayed and late on a Saturday night at around 11pm after a long drive, we found no drinking water in the fridge. The light on the swimming pool was broken, it was full of leaves. At no point was the pool cleaned. We had to do it ourselves. The handyman came almost daily, fixing the shower bracket, bringing a fan for the living room and some cockroach poison which we had to spread around the house. None of the really major issues like the lack of aircon, despite it being advertised with aircon in the living room, were resolved. Even really simple things like the front door and main bedroom door didn't open properly, so previous occupiers have smashed the front door handle into the wall. The main door into the property has a dodgy lock. One night I had to scale the 8 feet fence to get in where it jammed. Everything here is broken. The pictures are quite ingenius as the villa is semi-detached at the back and completely overlooked on the side. It is more like being in an apartment block. The information pack gives the wrong Wifi address, no clue as to where the washing machine and dryer is (hidden away on the 1st floor balcony!!!) This place cost us £4k for 7 days. It was an absolute rip off. I could go on and on as to how bad this place truly was. It is worth £1500 absolute tops and its so filthy nobody would want to stay in it.”
“Watch out if you need to cancel or change your booking. There is a £150 charge for each change to your booking. If you need to cancel this is the response we received from Solmar Villas. "As you departure date is 405 days away, there will be a cancellation fee of 25% of the cost of the booking as per the terms and conditions." Companies with such aggressive penalties and charges need calling out. Make sure to read the terms and conditions before booking.”
“This was the worst experience for us as a family. The villa company were quick to accept our money and charge us for every extra but then had not even erected the pool fence six days into our holiday. Numerous issues occurred within the villa and no one would accept responsibility and we were just passed on to representatives and then suppliers. The company allowed contractors (without our knowledge) to enter the villa and pump sewerage through a bedroom window and when we returned to the scene and called the UK helpline were told to go out and have a coffee. Do you use this company.”
“I booked a villa in Portugal for my family, who live in different countries, to go in June 2020. Unfortunately we were unable to go due to our flights being cancelled but we did receive flight refunds from Ryanair.
However Solmar wouldn't give me a refund, despite me suffering financial difficulty due to the pandemic, although they did offer me £400 odds instead of the £1664 paid. Obviously I would not accept this so Solmar gave me a credit voucher for the £1664.
When I tried to rebook the same villa for 2021 I was disgusted to be told by Esme at Solmar that the price of the villa had increased to between 2 and 3 thousand pounds.
When I queried the vast increases, Esme told me it was the usual 5% yearly increase and some cancellation protection payment.
I told her that I was very unhappy with the price increase and was curtly told by Esme to fill out a complaints form! I am absolutely disgusted with Solmar, who have been holding my money for most of the year, and their customer service is completely unacceptable!!!”
“Cancelled our villa the week prior to arrival with no explanation why. Offered unsuitable downgrade that came with a child warning. Not great when travelling with children! Got a refund for the Villa 3 days prior but this didn't give us time, under current climate, to source suitable accommodation within out budget for I people. Consequently we lost all flight and transfer money. Wouldn't put my trust in them again and would apply caution if anyone else is considering booking with them. Contacted ombudsman and Abta as we had saved hard for a holiday we couldn't go on and whilst we got refund of the villa we couldn't claim for flights or transfers because of such short notice from Solmar Villa.”
“The villa no longer available 1 week prior
We were unfortunately let down by the company and was told a week prior to arrivalin Majorca that our villa was no longer available, despite having paid in full for it. No explanation.
We were offered a downgraded villa which came with a child advisory regarding steep location and this was not a like for like or suitable alternative. They refunded the cost of the villa however no other accommodation was available within our budget at such short notice. Consequently we lost all our flight and transfer money. I wouldn't put my trust in this company again and would advice others to apply caution if booking with this company!”
“I'm assuming that this review will be taken down, just as all the others I have posted have. However I will continue to post on every site I can until people get the message not to give up fighting for their right to a refund!
Solmar argued that as the Villa I had booked was still available. (April 2020) I would not be entitled to a refund. (Despite the entire planet grinding to a halt due to Covid) There was also a Force Majeure written into their contract.
I attempted to claim a chargeback from my credit card company, which was rejected. A further Section 75 was also rejected. It was only when I researched the Unfair Terms Act (which ultimately means neither side can uphold the contract,) and the fact that the Force Majeure made no mention of a pandemic that the Credit Card Company reversed the decision in my favour.
Unfortunately whilst this seems like good news, I am still awaiting payment. I am currently in the process of taking this to the Financial Ombudsman. I count myself lucky that I was not owed thousands of pounds like many others were.
The fact that Solmar Villas have a shiny new, all singing and dancing Website does not tell me they are in Financial Difficulty, they would no doubt have insurances in place for protection too.
There should only ever have been two questions. "Would you like to rebook your holiday?, or would you like a refund" Instead these parasites have kept the money of the Customer going nowhere!”
