ABYSMAL CUSTOMER SERVICE, DISHONEST FEES, UNSAFE PROPERTY
This review is intended for anyone considering booking an apartment with Buena Vista Holidays in Malta — but even more so for property owners thinking of using Buena Vista as a property manager. Avoid them at all costs.
Buena Vista claims to manage a large portfolio of rentals and boasts a team of 50+ people on their website. Based on our experience, they are entirely incapable of managing either properties or staff. Over the span of just a few days, my wife and I communicated with nine different agents — nearly 20% of their entire team — none of whom seemed to know what the others were doing. This is not a business; it’s a disorganized, misleading operation.
We booked an apartment for our one-year anniversary. What should have been a relaxing vacation turned into a nightmare. The listing looked great online but was riddled with serious issues the moment we arrived:
- The elevator jammed partially open upon our arrival. With luggage in hand, we barely squeezed out. If we had mobility issues, we wouldn’t have made it out at all.
- The toilet was broken and leaking, with staff telling us this was a "known quirk."
- The balcony door wouldn’t shut properly, letting in constant street noise.
- Worst of all, the electricity shorted out when using the kettle. The host had plugged high-voltage appliances into improper converters, posing a clear fire risk.
We informed them we were leaving after just one night of our three-night stay. From that point, things only got worse.
Despite clearly vacating the apartment and offering to return the keys, Buena Vista agents harassed us relentlessly. One agent messaged us as early as 6:50 AM asking when they could send a maintenance worker — as if we were responsible for fixing their broken unit. We were then told we needed to return the keys by 11:00 AM, despite being 20 km away and having already coordinated a drop-off at our new hotel. We were told a driver could retrieve the keys for a €20 reduction from our promised refund, which we agreed to.
The key was picked up — confirmed by the front desk staff and CCTV footage — yet Buena Vista either lied or failed to communicate internally, even after five hours had passed. They claimed they never received the key and used that as an excuse to withhold our refund. When we pushed back, they attempted to charge another €20, falsely claiming we hadn’t paid the Eco Tax — even though we had paid the driver at check-in (and have the Airbnb chat to prove it). They also deleted and changed previously quoted prices for services like luggage storage mid-conversation in the Airbnb app — an extremely dishonest practice.
The most disturbing part was how multiple agents gaslighted us, ignored evidence, contradicted one another, and delayed communication in order to avoid issuing the refund they had already promised. Even after confirming the key had been picked up and that a refund would be processed, we received nothing. Only after escalating the issue to Airbnb directly did we receive a partial refund — which in no way compensates for the stress, dishonesty, and harassment we endured.
If you’re a traveler, do not book with Buena Vista Holidays. And if you’re a property owner considering them as your management company — ask yourself if this is the type of operation you want representing your investment. Unprofessional, unethical, and entirely unaccountable.
3 April 2025
Unprompted review