So, I’m a little mixed on our stay at Iason’s apartment. We stayed for 6 nights. There are many pluses and several detractions. The location was perfect. Within walking distance to pretty much everything. Great restaurants especially if you walk up the hill a little. Iason has written an excellent guide with recommendations and insights. The neighborhood is quiet at night and we never had any problems with safety. As another reviewer wrote it is something like the East Village of the 1980’s, but with more graffiti! The apartment itself is very charming, the decor reminds me of a cross between a visit to the Benaki Museum and Monastiraki flea market. The two bathrooms have been exquisitely renovated and having the option of the stand up shower was nice. Iason was also very kind in borrowing a crib for our son to sleep in.
There were a few issues with the condition of the apartment that detracted from our stay. There was a moth infestation in the kitchen, which Iason was aware of. The kitchen was also not tidy. When we arrived Iason was cleaning it, but it was still left in a state, a big pile of shopping bags on the floor including some with food. As well as open containers of foods and spices. I informed Iason that this has something to do with the moths. The biggest issue though was a strong and persistent mothball smell in the room where our son was to sleep. Iason removed the mothballs and some of the items in that closet and we aired out the room, but the smell persisted our entire stay. Thomas who checked us out was aware of the issue, so hopefully they’ve cleaned the closet to rectify the issue. FYI, mothballs are toxic and carcinogenic. They should only be used in closed plastic containers to kill moths. Clothing should be washed or dry cleaned to remove moth larvae and any residues or scents that attract moths. There are also natural herb sachets that are helpful in deterring moths. The other two things that were detractors were not having blinds or drapes to block the light in the morning. The rolldown shutters did not block the light enough to sleep past 6. This might not be an issue for many people, but I’m someone who likes to sleep in a little when I’m on vacation. The bed was comfortable, but was a little lacking in bedding, two sheets and a throw blanket. The other thing was we felt rushed to check out. They asked if we could leave at 10, so they could clean for the next guest who was arriving early. We compromised and agreed to leave at 10:30 as our flight home was at 14:15. I think with a little TLC the apartment would be a great place to stay.