Overall, we had a very unpleasant experience at this apartment. When we arrived there was just a general uncleanliness to apartment, and we did not have an early check in. There were piles of half-washed dishes that had been recently washed but were still dirty still in the drying rack on the counter, the dish towels were dirty and stained, there was a bunch of half consumed food and beverages in the fridge (and a broken freezer door), hair still in the bath, and all of the bath towels were still damp. To finish cleaning the dishes we had to go buy sponges since the only one available was literally falling apart in your hand. This was also necessary because almost every dish we pulled out still had food stuck to it or was in some way unclean. We had to wash each dish before we used it. All of this left an unpleasant first impression but we could have gotten past that.
It wasn’t until we went to go to bed and discovered that the dark blue bed sheets were covered in dark and white stains that we contacted the owners to complain. We couldn’t sleep in the bed the first night because the sheets were that dirty. They made a host of excuses at first insinuating that we didn’t understand how airbnb’s work and they had a new cleaning person. They then agreed to send someone to clean the next day and refund the cleaning charge on the apartment. What we had asked for was to get a refund on the rest of our stay except for one night and try to find somewhere else to stay. For the first night we didn’t have a bed to sleep in and we spent a good portion of the next day going back and forth with them debating next steps and then the logistics of getting a cleaning person and making sure we were out of the apartment when they came to clean. I really wanted to just leave but since we were staying there 4 nights that was a lot of money to take a risk on getting refunded and booking another place without that refund.
This was our 5th time staying at an Airbnb in Paris and many more times in other places. We know what the Airbnb market is in Paris and we understand what to expect depending on what we pay for an Airbnb. This place was unacceptable. For what they are charging for the apartment it is not professionally run. If they want to run it like that they should adjust their rates accordingly and certainly shouldn’t be charging a cleaning fee. Also, it is very clear that this is someone that still lives in this apartment and occasionally rents it out. There was still dirty laundry including underwear in the washer. There was no space for our things in the drawers and every nook and cranny had something stuffed in it, including plastic grocery bags and gift bags shoved behind furniture. We’ve stayed at places before when someone is out of town without any issues, but in this situation the price should really reflect that.
The positive side was the location was good and the apartment was a true one bedroom in Paris which is really rare. However, the entire thing gave off the vibe of guys dorm room/college apartment. It could be nice but everything was broken and dirty and generally just makes you feel like you don’t want to spend significant time there.