Our (read mine and my elder daughter's) preferences are quite simple; we need a pool with a good pool; husband needs a parking space (if we are driving) and an inclusive breakfast (so that we don't have to go food hunting in the morning). The booking sites have never deceived us so far in our lives, except for this time. We booked Cinnamon cottages, keeping in mind the gorgeous pool in the centre of all the cottages, as shown on the internet. However when we reached there, there was no pool. The staff said that it had been filled up to make more space for meals. We were in total dismay and felt cheated.

Don't get me wrong, the property itself was great. It was done in Balinese style, with canopy beds and a beautiful bathroom but the fact it completely lied on the website was too much to handle. We had booked for 3 nights, it was Christmas season and nothing else could be done. Husband didn't have anything to do with the pool, although he felt duped. While me and my daughter were totally disheartened.

There were individual cottages and the canopy bed was really huge. I really love bathrooms that have so much traditional elements in them, like carved mirrors, ladders and knick knacks. There were pet animals and a big aquarium outside, which kept all the kids engaged. 

The best part? It was literally a stones's throw away from the Agonda Beach. Exactly a two minute walk and you could see the sea. When you have God's swimming pool in your backyard, who needs an artificial one? There were convenience stores nearby and the street outside were lined with restaurants, which served local Konkan food as well as continental.

The breakfast was good. It wasn't a buffet, you could choose. Husband opted for puri chole while kiddo had the crepes. I chose English breakfast, which meant sausages and grilled tomatoes et al. It was delicious and the place where we sat and ate was the designated area of the pool. Sigh.

Before writing this post, I checked the various websites and it is still showing as a property with a pool. We visited a couple of years back but does that guarantee that the pool is back? How can we trust now? 

Has this ever happened to you? And how can we really tell how a property is, especially if there are no recent customer reviews or active social media participation?

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