I booked with a private rental a couple of months ago,but i did not have the deposit of £350 as christmas was looming.Any how i finally got the money together and sent them a cheque,but apparently their bank in Spain will not accept it.Has anyone heard of this before?i thought all banks worldwide accepted personal cheques.The couple in question are now telling me they will take my maestro card if i send all my details to them by email,hubby said this all sounds very dodgy and i quite agree.Not sure what to make of it but i know i cannot give all my details through an email.I found them through Holiday Rentals.

Hi Pat ... it may be worth posting in the ExPats & Owners Abroad forum, for the benefit of some advice from those involved in property rental ... please click here.

David

Why would you trust anyone in a foreign land to send them money.I know I would'nt do it here why somewhere else.Last summer when I was in Benidorm .I met a couple who had the same problem only to arrive with no apartment.They could'nt find the people whom they'd sent money to.They then had to go to a local travel agent and book another apartment.Who informed them that any private apartment is illegal and on the black market and don't hold some licence they need to rent out and if the police found out they could be forced out of it.I'd rather pay here to a travel company and know that i've got accommodation when i arrive whenever I've been in Benidorm the company over here which I use all the time Benidorm Direct always has office's to visit if you need it during your stay.Better luck next time

Who informed them that any private apartment is illegal and on the black market and don't hold some licence they need to rent out

I for one didn't realise this

If it is true then thank you for the advise, I shall make sure if we book an apartment in the future, we do it through an agency.

Sue

I have recently noticed that http://www.sun4udirect.com now rent out Gemelos 22 and seem to be very reasonably priced.
I keyed in the fortnight that we are going in May/June and it came up at £358.60 for the entire stay.

The only thing that I didn't really like was that it said that there is enough bedding for the duration of your stay which suggests that there is no maid service at all.

They have a washing machine and a fridge freezer.

Sue

Can someone please help me out with these apartments?, What is the difference between Gemelos II and Gemelos 22? Apart from the price of course I assume that they're on the same complex.

I am looking to book ASAP and just want somewhere clean and tidy I am not really bothered about a washing machine or air con.

Alpharooms looks to be the best price but I can't work out if it's for the correct appartments.

Thanks

Hi Cheesypasty, Great name by the way.

Gemelos II are on Calle Ibiza (I think) which is nowhere near where the Gemelos 22 apartments are.

Gemelos 22 are just up from the indoor market, there are 3 blocks so they all have different addresses Tower I and II at the Avenida L'Ametlla del Mar and Tower III at the Avenida Juan Fuster Zaragoza.

They are supposed to be really nice, probably superior to the others and that is why they are more expensive.

Hope that helps.

Check out INVALID URL they are very competitive and offer a selection of apartments.

Sue

Thanks Sue,

I have just booked my flights after seeing the price jump up another £80 just from last night.

I have just looked at the website you linked me and they do indeed appear to be the cheapest. I have also just rang them and they claim to meet you at the apartment with the keys which is another bonus.

I think I will book with them a bit later after I have had one final search around on prices although is is driving my nuts now. Who would have thought a DIY holiday would be so stressful

Our friends booked with sun4 u direct last year, they stayed at the Playamar Apartments and everything went smooth.

Sue

Sue, There was no maid service when we stayed in Gemelos 22 as they are private apartments. They are cleaned before arrival and then at the end of your stay. We didn't find this a problem as their was a brush etc if we needed, but it never got really untidy or dirty as we were hardly ever in it. We booked through Espis so don't know if it is the same for the other companies. Karen

Just to update that I booked through Sun4U for Gemelos 22, Espis price was £542 and Sun4U online was £523 but when I rang them to book they said they would do it for £488 + four free tickets for Benidorm palace.

I received the confirmation through today which tells me that everything goes through Espis anyway as Sun4U are one of their agents.

It certainly pays to shop around

Great cheesepasty2000 Glad you got sorted, sounds like you got an excellent deal there.

Sue

Can anybody tell me (or am I being stupid) are the Gemelos 22 the same as the Gemelos XX11?

Yes, it's the same place. I have merged your enquiry with this existing thread, which may provide you with more info on the complex.

David

Hi, I'm trying to sort out some accommodation at the Gemelos 22 for some friends. They want a 2 bed apartment for 18 night from 22nd August-9th September.
I've been looking on http://www.benidorm-apartments.co.uk who seem quite competitive.

I am a bit confused though as they have Gemelos 22 x 2 bedrooms listed twice and one of them is not only about £200 more expensive but you also have to pick the keys up 1.5km away as opposed to the other one where they meet you on arrival at the apartments. They both seem to appear to be furnished to the same high standard including washer, dishwasher fridge freezer and a microwave.
As they are privately owned apartments, I was wondering if the price depends on what the owner chooses to charge.
Has anyone used this company recently and did it all go smoothly?
Any info gratefully received.

Many Thanks.
Sue

Oh I forgot to say, what also confused me was that they offer to price match and knock £10.00 off if you find the same accommodation cheaper. So what if someone pointed out that there is a cheaper option on there own website. Would that mean that you would qualify for the discount?

Yeah seems really strange. The cheaper one also seems to be the best of them as well. The dearer one doesn't say it has A/C, it also says coin-operated tv with spanish channels whereas the cheaper ones has A/C and satellite TV. The cheaper one is listed as deluxe whereas the other is only Quality. If you look at the daily rates for each apartment they are different for each apartment and thats how one works out cheaper. They also have different Ref Nos so I think you may be right in thinking that they just advertise for owners etc: I haven't used this company myself, I booked mine through Espis. Karen

Hi Sue, i used Benidorm-spotlight 2 years ago for the Torre Ipanema Apts.

Although i had a 3k round trip in a taxi to pick the keys up we were very happy with this company and would use them again.

I have booked the Gemelos 23 this year and would have booked through B-S but those Apts were not in their listings so booked through Benidorm-apartments.co.uk

Peter

Hi, I have just had this reply back from
Benidorm-apartments.co.uk

You are right. The apartments come from different suppliers and it is they who determine the prices. There is an anomaly in that in peak season the De Luxe apartments are cheaper than the Quality.

Unfortunataly, they aren't available for the whole period that our friends need so it's back to the drawing board.

Sue

Hi,
Now, I am getting really mixed-up on this one. We are told the Apartment Complex (Gemelos 22) is owned by a Dutch Company who will only rent out Saturday to Saturday. Us Brits are aware that we can get much cheaper flights mid-week. Having looked on the net there are a number of Companies, as well as, it seems, private individuals, renting out mid-week to mid-week. The confusion seems to be whether the apartments are in the 'twin' (translated into Spanish 'Gemelos') buildings on the Avenida L'Ametlla del Mar or the third block/tower III on the Avenida Juan Fuster Zaragoza. The institution known as bmibaby is advertising mucho cheapo for Gemelos XXII, but..........how can you compare the facilities offered, even though it seems their apartments are in the 'twin blocks' (given the address)? Then, you have to consider possible additional expenditure such as aircon/heating, rental of a safe, collection/return of keys. Also, are all the apartments furnished to a specific (high) standard even though they are owned independently? We were given a tour of a couple of one and two-beds, and they were a self-catering dream. Guess we just want to know if what we saw is what we get if we go 'mucho cheapo' with bmibaby (or anyone else for that matter). What is the difference between a 'quality', a 'de luxe' or a 'standard' apartment? Would really appreciate comments on this one. (Must say we are going anyway). When you are collecting your Pension, every holiday you get in is a bonus!