Blackhouse SPA — Hotel in Garkalnes pagasts

I'll start with the positive aspects: the place is indeed beautiful, the pool is warm, and the sauna and jacuzzi are in new condition. They also allowed me to come 30 minutes early to set up balloons by the pool. Unfortunately, that's where the positives end. The cleaner was there until around 14:45, so when guests arrived at 14:00, the house was still a mess.

Worse still, the property is located between other houses, and one neighbor seemed fed up with the constant celebrations. He began by placing a lawn mower on the rocks right next to our rented house, creating a deafening noise that made conversation impossible. When we contacted the homeowners, they said, "Yes, we are not sure why, but he does this for the second time now." We spoke to the neighbor, who agreed to turn off the lawn mower. However, two hours later, he invited several friends over, and they began making monkey noises and weird screams, which scared our group of seven women. They eventually stopped, but at around 23:00, the police arrived. They politely informed us they had received a noise complaint from the neighbor. The police said we were not loud but had to check.

By this point, we were quite disappointed, and only four of us stayed in the house. However, there were no duvets or pillows prepared. We found one pillow and some duvets but no covers. We went to bed, and a strong sewer smell permeated the room. Around 7-8 in the morning, the neighbor turned on the lawn mower again.

While driving out of the property, I accidentally hit a small ground lamp on the sidewalk. I immediately texted the owners, apologizing and offering to pay for it. In the morning, I texted them again, mentioning all the issues. They were polite until I asked for a discount on the ruined lamp. The owner became rude, stating the lamp cost €160 and refused to offer any discount, despite our horrible experience. After one of us left an official review, they falsely claimed we broke other things. Reading the rest of the reviews now, I regret not checking them beforehand. God will make everything right, but I strongly do not...

The place is rather nice and well designed. Although, the sound system and coffee machine were not working. Meaning we were unable to even get hot water. Perhaps a small kettle would have been handy. Unfortunately this was not communicated to us before arrival and we had to call and ask when already there, which is disappointing. Also, very disorganised booking system. We booked this in January for our annual August friend get together. And few days before we are cancelled on and asked to come on Monday instead. Very inconvenient so 2 girls could not make it. And others had to leave the same night due to work or family commitments the next day. They seemed quite dishonest, saying that they had people staying there for several days, where Instagram stories showed that it was not the case. From communication it appears that someone booked in AirBnb and they just didn’t want to be forthcoming and pay the fee of overbooking. Despite us being first ones to book and communicating during the booking and later in months and were continuously reassured that all is well until 4 days before. Which is the most appalling, leaving us unable to find anything else, thus having to change flight bookings in August (as we know, is expensive) and for some, like I said, being unable to come. As apology, they offered to take 2 ppl extra fee off, but what is the point if only 2 could stay there until the next day. And some did not make it at all… But if you are looking for a place to take nice pictures in, by all means, that’s your spot as it is very appealing place. Be mindful that the neighbours cat keeps coming in as well and tries to steal the food. Extremely important if you are allergic like one of my friends but thankfully she had her antihistamine tablets with. And if you are allergic to wasps, there are quite a lot of those too. I know it is out of their control for the most part, so this is just the point for others to be aware of. Overall the organisational aspect is extremely clumsy so would not...

I’d say the accommodation is definitely not worth the amount of money you have to pay. The location, pool area, and house are beautiful, but much smaller than they appear on Instagram or the website.

Unfortunately, the pool and jacuzzi were quite dirty, as was the house overall. Sorry for the details, but leftover tampon waste and a generally unclean environment are simply unacceptable for welcoming guests.

The house also had a very heavy odor, possibly from carpets, sofas, or curtains that haven’t been cleaned in a long time—or perhaps someone had been smoking inside.

Another important detail: the owner’s house is literally 2 meters away from the accommodation, which was not mentioned anywhere. Neither was the presence of 24/7 CCTV cameras throughout the property, with no signage or information provided (which is legally required).

You’re also asked to sign an agreement on arrival (no copy was given to us—it stays with the owners), which lists about 10 different penalties ranging from €50 to €800.

Lastly, no glass bottles or plates are allowed outside, which is unfortunate if you’re planning a nice dinner by the pool or jacuzzi.

On a positive note, the design of the place is beautiful, and the owners allowed our group of 6 to stay, even though it’s officially listed for a maximum of 4 guests.

We stay in various luxury and non-luxury guesthouses on a monthly basis, and have done so over the past 5 years—unfortunately, this one was among the most disappointing...