Due to a host of problems that could've been easily fixed, this Airbnb made our week-long trip to Paris a bit less enjoyable than it should've been, and I don't know if I can recommend this Airbnb for the price. I'll summarize the bad and the good since it's a lot:
The Bad
- The apartment wasn't cleaned properly when we checked-in, we found half full glasses of water laying around, and jars/bottles of opened food around the kitchen sink. The host said this was a mistake because he called a new person to clean the place as the person he normally calls was on vacation, however he said cleaned the towels himself as he was staying there before us. (Could he have not cleaned the rest of the place himself then?)
- After having the apartment cleaned a second time (he said he was going to call a friend to do it instead of a professional, this was during COVID), there was still A LOT of dirt and grime in the corners and under furniture, as if they never cleaned the nooks and crannies of the apartment since owning it. There was heaps of trash and dust swept underneath kitchen sink. The host said he uses the Airbnb himself so I imagine he's probably fine with a little bit of dust and grime, but he's renting it out to other people and not everyone else is fine with that.
- Grime (I suppose from smoking) caked onto the wall and light switch next to the front door, above which was also the only place where you were able to hang your bath towels, it turned black from touching the grime on the wall
- There was no hand soap, body soap, or shampoo provided despite the listing saying it was, instead the only thing provided was gross used bars of soap with hairs in them and caked with old soap sitting on the shower caddy.
- Someone's toothbrush and half used mouthwash was sitting on the bathroom sink
- The shower didn't drain and we had to buy drain cleaner to fix it
- Shower had some shower scum and mold caked into the door frame
- A grueling 6 flights of stairs every time you want to go back to the Airbnb, it's not the owner's fault but it's something to consider, and would've been nice if he had mentioned it in the listing.
- I didn't see an iMac in front of the bed but I didn't really care that much about having it, just an example of another thing the listing says it had and didn't
The Good
- Mauricio was quick to respond
- Offered us a refund for 2 nights after we told him the place hadn't been cleaned when we checked in
- Was able to check in and check out very early because our flights were very early
- The place was homey with a lived-in vibe, and the skylight window was nice
- Mauricio is probably a nice guy (we didn't meet him in person) but unfortunately he doesn't seem to know the basic requirement of operating an Airbnb in that you must have it cleaned well every time, including the nooks and crannies even if he's fine living with it