Mountain Residence Merk — Hotel in Salten-Schlern - Salto-Sciliar

Our family decided to rent a 2 bedroom apartment for one week in mid July. Unfortunately our experience with Residence Merk was so disappointing that we were forced to change accommodation after only three nights, without being refunded for the remainder. I must emphasise that the owners/managers of Residence Merk are not representative of the local people in Selva as we were treated well by everyone else in the area. ||These are the facts to be aware of:||1) The owner refuses to refund any deposits no matter how far in advance of the stay. In our case we were denied our request for a refund within just five days of making the booking and five months before our intended stay. The owner referred us to the small print etc etc but is there really a moral justification to withhold a large deposit when you have only held the booking for five days and have five months to let the apartment to someone else in high season?||2) Residence Merk is right next to a steep noisy road which vehicles accelerate up to reach the mountains. We were woken every morning between 4 and 5 AM by noisy trucks and motorcyles revving right outside our closed bedroom window. The owner dismissed our concerns and attributed the noise to the roadworks – but the noise was bad even when the roadworks weren’t active.||3) The owners of Residence Merk expect to be paid despite failing to provide basic necessities such as warm water to shower. We did not have warm water to shower on the last two days of our stay. I accept that this could have been an unforeseen circumstance but we found the owner’s lack of concern or urgency to address the problem quite surprising. I informed the owner of the problem at around 2pm on the Friday afternoon and was repeatedly fobbed off with assurances that she would reset the system and we would have warm water within 45 minutes. The water remained ice cold and we went to bed without showering. When we still did not have any warm water (or any feedback from the owner) the next morning our patience had run out. I located the owner again to let her know that we were not at all happy and intended to leave. I offered to pay for the nights we had stayed and asked for a refund for the remaining nights but she became extremely hostile and told me I didn’t have a right to any refunds. We were not given any apology or explanation for the lack of warm water. We were also not assisted in any way to call a taxi or find alternate accommodation.||4) Residence Merk does not have a lift (you get no help with your luggage), pool or even a decent sized garden. Other accommodation in Selva provides this and more for similar costs. There is a small sauna which needs to be prebooked in advance with the owner. The rooms are generally clean. The small communal areas were usually occupied by the owner and her family. The views are really not the best in the valley and it really is better to be more central in town where you will have a view of the majestic Dolomites.||5) Residence Merk is NOT within easy walking distance of the town centre as they would have you believe. The path to town is very steep and slippery with loose stones – it will take a relatively fit person about 30 minutes to reach any shops and considerably longer to climb uphill back. Given the lack of amenities at Residence Merk this is quite a problem if you don’t have your own car. The buses are very crowded during the day and do not stop near the residence in the evenings.||6) The owners of Residence Merk are friendly as long as you fit in with their family routine and do not raise any issues. We were told we are “always complaining” because I pointed out the noise, lack of WIFI and broken TV remote. Whenever I raised an issue the owner responded in a surprised, unapologetic manner. I was also told that any problem which affects us (the guests) also affects them (the owners) so I should have more understanding. When I informed the owner we were leaving she told us that we should leave her house immediately and questioned why we had not already done so. I admit that I have not had formal training as a hotelier but somehow I don’t think this is the best way to handle dissatisfied guests. At a very fundamental level I do think the owner has forgotten who the client is and who is...

We arrived at 12 of April (out of season), around 5 pm and the village was empty including residence merk. We were the only clients and no-one was at the reception for the check in. After 20 minutes of knocking doors etc a lady who didn't speak English came to us. Although while booking the place it was written that we will have the whole apartment (room with kitchen), the one that they gave us didn't have even mini fridge. We were trying to explain to her that we need the kitchen and the fridge because every restaurant was closed but she couldn't understand so she called the owner. He came ready for fight and before we were even able to explain to him what we want and try to figure out some solution he started to insult us. Words like: "I know what kind of clients you are" "here is Val Gardena, not the Greek Islands that you are begging the tourists to rent your room" and many more unspeakable rude words assisted with sarcastic laughs. We asked him to cancel the booking but he said that even if we cancel he wouldn't give our money back. He started yelling at the lady because before she told us that we can cancel with full refund. So to finish the story we asked him how much more he wants for the room with kitchen and he said 30€ per night for which we never got an invoice or something. Of course when I asked for the Sauna (which was included in the price) they started to laugh and talking between themselves in Italian. One night even they locked us out at minus degrees and we were ringing the bells 10 minutes to let us in. By far the worst experience and the worst person that we...

We stayed at Residence Merk from 11-18 March 2017, in the Gardena apartment and had a great time. The residence is located at the outskirts of Selva, with roomy apartments, good beds (although one of us measuring 203cm had some trouble keeping his feet covered at night ;-) The kitchen has all the amenities for basic good holiday cooking (which we like to do). There was an electric cooker with 4 heating points and a separate oven. Of course there is a fridge and washing machine. In town there are good bakeries, butchers and there is a good Spar supermarket, all with very friendly people. ||Don't forget to reserve a SAUNA time in the morning. The sauna, located in a separate log house next to the main building is something else. Small, cosy, private and very well laid out, it has a wood fired heater which adds to the atmosphere.||Oswald and his family are always ready to help if needed and are amongst the relaxed and friendliest people you will meet in Selva. The residence is linked to a down town ski rental shop, a ski school and (important) to the Saltos bar. Oswald is a great ski guide and teacher, and in summer time changes his ski's for his moutainbike, with which he also goes out on tours with guests.||At first we were a bit worried about the location on the outskirts of Selva, but the daily shuttle service is wonderful and works flawlessly. Just set your desired time and presto, the shuttle is always on time for the 3 minute ride. From Selva back to the apartment? Same drill, just find Oswald or his brother at the bar and within minutes your shuttle is...