Great host — nice, accommodating, and communicative but unfortunately the apartment itself was not comfortable at all. Honestly, I hate leaving poor reviews on AirBnB. I lived a block away from this location for a year, so I am used to the general nightlife noise and living standards of Exarcheia, but this place unfortunately was not reflective of those standards or the previous reviews. It was impossible to get any real rest — it would have been very much appreciated for the host to disclose that construction noise would begin promptly at 8:00am everyday of the stay. For the price, we would have been much happier staying at a hotel. The beds were so uncomfortable that my friend and I took turns sleeping on the couch instead of using the bedrooms. The sleeping mat that I use for camping outdoors is more comfortable than the best mattress in the apartment.
The toilet tank leaks constantly — the host has a bucket placed to catch the water, but it leaks directly onto you as you’re using it. Each bathroom has an unpleasant smell in general.
The main bathroom does not have an actual shower, just a rusty tub with moldy pipes and an unfixed hose. Hot water lasts about 15 minutes. The previous reviews about exposed wiring adjacent to the shower and water heater are correct. (We booked with the benefit of a doubt, I live in Athens six months of the year and know standards vary between locals and tourists.)
The apartment was clean for the most part, besides the mold in the bathroom, directly next to the tub that you have to sit in because of the lack of shower fixture. Weird black material comes up directly from the drain when you run the kitchen sink so we didn’t end up using the kitchen itself.
Generally, it was a high maintenance stay, having to turn on and off the water heaters for showers and laundry and needing to reconfigure electronics so that no fuses blew.
We ended up booking a hotel for one more night and two massages in Athens just to recover for the total lack of comfort and sleep at this apartment. With some soundproofing and refurbishing, it would be a great place. But as it is now, it’s mostly suitable for something like a party house where guests don’t need any real rest.
While we were disappointed in the apartment itself, I do want to say again that the host is a very nice and accommodating person. With some minor renovation and more attention to detail this could be a much more valuable apartment.