This was a disappointing experience. I arrived at 8 pm on a Sunday night. The apartment smelled like an ash tray when I entered. I tried to air the place out yet the smell was in the curtains and upholstery. Like someone smoked in the apartment or smoked on the balcony yet kept the doors open and the smoke came in. I had a headache from being in the apartment for just 25 minutes. I couldn't stay here -- and had to start remote work the next morning.
I called the hosts who confirmed they hadn't verified the unit's cleanliness, only relied on the housekeeper. They were quick to respond and gave me a quick, full refund and were very apologetic. Yet now I was stuck in a foreign country late on a Sunday night with no reservation and had a meeting in the morning. I had to book and walk to a nearby hotel -- a huge inconvenience.
I was bummed because the unit had great ratings, would have been prefect for a week of remote work, and Erik's communication had been very friendly. I think this was one of those occasions when you have a SuperHost who lets someone else be manage property -- in this case their housekeeper -- and the result was awful.
** one more thing I'd note. The washing machine is shared with another unit in the hallway -- not inside the unit one is renting. -- which I did not recall in the listing (perhaps this was my mistake).