THIS WAS THE WORST AIRBNB EXPERIENCE WE'VE EVER HAD (we have over 160 5-star reviews as guests and hosts in NYC and all over the world). STAY FAR AWAY - YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!
We booked this several months in advance, and we were so excited to stay at such a nice-looking apartment and watch the NYE fireworks from a private balcony during a pandemic. Unfortunately, everything went wrong, and the host couldn't care less. In the middle of Rio's summer, we did not have AC for 4 of our 7 nights. The refrigerator was broken and we lost all of our food, the stove did not work and the microwave did not work. We could not make breakfast as planned. Although these were fixed by the 4th day of our trip, we didn't have a working kitchen for half of our stay. The stove and oven never worked at all, which killed our plans to make dinner on NYE. The wi-fi worked intermittently and had to be re-start several times daily. We spent 5 of the 7 days without fundamental amenities guaranteed in the listing, and the host never said "sorry about this", he treated us like a nuisance and made us manage repairs of all of these issues - including handymen coming and going without masks during a pandemic and a massive spike with Omicron! Additionally, this apartment is in VERY rough shape - bathrooms are covered with black mold, the apartment is not very clean, and is clearly a neglected Airbnb property. I had to fix the window treatments, just so we could sleep past sunrise. Only 1 roll of toilet paper for a week's stay!!! The photos are MUCH nicer than the actual property. When spending nearly $400USD/night, we expected MUCH more than a neglected and poorly managed property!
Also, there is a rule of not having visitors (not talking about overnight guests, but a friend stopping by to say "hi" during the day). This rule was ONLY written in Portuguese - not English, without a translation button. Every other rule, guidance, and interaction was in English, so how was I supposed to know about this? The host even sent a check-in list in English that did not include this "very important" rule. The host only brought it to our attention after we arrived on day 4, when the apartment was already non-refundable. This killed our plans to have a few friends stop by on NYE (not a party - just a few friends to watch the fireworks at midnight, like every other unit in the building), and scolded us like children, and made us scramble last minute on New Year's Eve. Terrible communication, which lead to a terrible experience.
This listing is a scam and completely misleading. Alex was incredibly rude and never apologized for any of the issues. He kept saying "this never happened before". Somehow that was supposed to make everything better. Unfortunately, his apathetic approach ruined our trip.
Anyway, I was hopeful that Airbnb would have our back, especially after being super hosts for many years. We understand the nuances and difficulties this can be, and we also understand that hosts rely on the income, but not when they (hosts) completely neglect their responsibilities and treat guests like crap. But since we didn't report these issues within 24 hours of checking in, there's nothing they can do to help. So, the host just took our money, and never looked back! Such a shame, because this should've been a great experience.
The host Alex is not a bad person, but he really dropped the ball with us. He really let us down, and he really destroyed our annual holiday in our beloved Rio de Janeiro. This experience made us give up on Airbnb forever!
Again, you have been warned! Stay far away from this nightmare!