I recently stayed here with our 2 year old daughter and I would like to share my experience. Please note the following:
- upon checking in we realised the flat reeked of tobacco. We informed the owner. There was an apology and a confirmation that this was a non smoking place. We left windows open for some time. It got a bit better but let me tell you after 3 days we could still smell it in some parts of the flat
- we noticed three security cameras, two in each balcony and one in the staircase outside of the flat's door. No mentioning of this in the health & safety listing of the flat, violating thus airbnb s rules to this effect. The owner said that the one in the balcony is not active, we noted however that during the evening the camera was flashing red. So we can't be certain
- one table was broken and i realised another chair was broken when i sat on it and almost fell on the ground. Again owner welcomed our report and photos.
- on the third day my daughter sat on the piano stool and fell off. We saw that there were loose screws - it is a matter of time before it breaks completely. Fortunately, our daughter was not hurt by the fall
Because of the latter incident, we had enough and we decided to leave the apartment the following day, as soon as our work activities would allow us. The owner took note of what we said and said that they were not aware of the breaks as they were fully booked the entire month and couldn't have known. Our point was that it s their responsibility to ensure the accuracy of their listing and the safety of their flat. Notably, we had asked the host before booking if the flat was suitable and safe for a 2 year old (their reply was that the apartment is how we see it and it s fine). The host never offered any refund, even if we left 1.5 days earlier due to these serious problems. We had to turn to airbnb and they indeed refunded us the appropriate amount; they also said that the owner has been warned as well, and if this happens another time they would be banned from airbnb.
In addition to the above problems, i would like to note the following, which although not dealbreakers per se for most, I believe it could be helpful to keep in mind as they could be important for some travellers:
- one pot in the kitchen was unusable since it was very dirty (rice was still stuck on it) as well as the oven gloves. There were remains of a razor machine on top of the shower cabin
- host doesn t offer any detergent for the dishwasher. Not even one tablet for a first wash as they do in other places
- host offers only one toilet paper roll and one garbage bag per bin. The rest you have to buy yourself
- no salt and pepper
- the flat is not as big as it looks in the photos and certainly with much lower ceiling than the impression it gives
- balcony in the back with acropolis view is super narrow. Not easy to stay there for long
- blinds from one side are of cheap plastic quality with problems to roll up and down. One is not going down at all
- no blinds at all from the side of the big balconies
- TV is actually a small older technology screen. Where it is placed and the size, it s not the most enjoyable experience
- we found the telescope disassembled from the tripod and given all the problems we didnt want to try our luck further. So not possible to have a look
- bed squeaks a lot, it s a metallic structure of some sort
- pillows of bad quality. One pillow came from one of the sofa pillows
- one pillowcase actually comes from a hospital.... the name of the Athenian clinic (for kidneys...) was printed on the pillowcase. Found this particularly intetesting as i have never seen thia before
- location: i like the location i know it very well. The area offers a great alternative to the historical centre. Albeit close to the very centre, it s not the very centre. It s also not next to a taxi stop, which could have made it perhaps better. So for those of you considering it, i can say that there are alternatives in a more central location for the same or even cheaper prices and of better quality. Even with the furniture intact, it s not as fabulous as the pictures show it to be.
All in all, unfortunately a bad experience for us and we definitely would not recommend it. Host left much to be desired in terms of professionalism and pricing policy (it s simply too pricey for what it offers).
We hope this helps.