Alena was very prompt in communication and kindly allowed us to not only change our reservation dates with no penalty but also granted us early access to the apartment after a 7 hour train ride. She met us and introduced us to the apartment. Upon entering the apt, my adult daughter and I noticed that the beds were similar to other Eastern European beds we have encountered. They are often very uncomfortable, almost like a box spring without a mattress. There are not sets of American sheets but rather a fitted sheet on the very firm “mattress” and a cover, similar to a thin comforter- no sheet. Additionally, we were provided 4 towels plus one kitchen hand towel. There was what’s appeared to be a bath mat hanging from the drying line inside the shower but we were unsure if it was clean or dirty. There were no face cloths. There is no shampoo or clothes washing soap but there was dish soap and hand soap in the bathroom. We laid on the beds and only found the smallest bed in the front of the apartment to be somewhat comfortable. However the noise from the restaurant downstairs and other apartment dwellers was incessant and made it hard to even take a nap; it sounded like there was a party going on in our own apartment. We looked for additional blankets and pillows in the closet that Alena had pointed out to us and unfortunately found several blankets that were stained, at least one with what appeared to be blood. After having had two previously poor nights of sleep and concerns about the general cleanliness of the property we decided to see if we could get a hotel. We could not get one for a reasonable cost the first night but were able to get a room for our second night with a late morning check out. We were pleased to know that we would be spending less than 24 hours here.
The temperature of the apartment is automatically controlled, meaning we had to open the windows to cool off (it was rather hot despite being quite chilly outside.) The kitchen is equipped with a small fridge, dishwasher, microwave, stove and washing machine. There is no coffee pot but there is an electric pot to heat water, although it was rather dirty and I would not use it. The pots and pans are in poor condition but we were not planning on staying so we didn’t worry too much. There is no clothes dryer (not unexpected) but there is a handy mechanism of drying lines above the front door. We washed two loads of clothes (very small loads as the washer is small) and each dried within 6-7 hours of hanging on the lines. We washed one load at noon and the other at 6:30 pm. When we attempted to wash our faces with warm water about 5 hours later there was none. There is a full sized shower yet again, with no hot water, we never used it. A hair dryer is provided.
The property has a fantastic location - close to the square and near lots of shops and restaurants. Note that the quickest access to the square is the short walk out of the unit and to the right, past the Chocolate Museum. However, we took a tour that ended at 10:30 pm and stopped at Starbucks for some breakfast items afterwards. As we tried to return via the same route, we noticed that the alleyway had been locked off by gates and we had to walk around the block and come up the other, less traveled side of the street. Not too long of a walk but for two women at 11:00 pm it was a little unsettling.
This is the first time I have ever left an Airbnb after fully paying for a stay. We were able to get a room at a very nice hotel for only €20 more, so gladly packed up and moved to a clean room with comfortable beds and full breakfast included. Sorry to say I would not recommend this Airbnb for the rate charged.