The location is great especially if you are familiar with Dublin. It is best to stay here without a car if you can. The apartment itself is very cool. However we would not stay here again due to the following issues (apologies for the long review but I think it’s important and the complaints require context). Full disclosure: the host refunded the cleaning fee without us requesting which was not the solution we were looking for but I wanted to include that detail.
Upon entry to the apartment (not the building) there was a strong smell of mildew/mold. The comforter and towels smelled so strongly that I could not use them. I’m admittedly bothered more by the smell of mildew than others. My husband identified the same strong smell but wasn’t bothered by it.
We asked if there were additional candles in the apartment and were told some could be dropped off the next day. We chose to get some that night instead. We used the large dehumidifier (we were told this is only for drying clothes but it was necessary) which filled up in less than 16 hours each day of our stay. There are numerous mold spots on the living room ceiling which we didn’t notice until our last day but are likely the cause of severe sore throat and irritated eyes I had during our stay.
Additionally there were thick layers of dust in easily reachable areas. I never expect an Airbnb to be spotless but I thought initially this was the cause of my allergies. I sent photos to explain and asked the host if there were cleaning supplies I could go ahead and use as I couldn’t find what was needed- note I did not ask for any refund or for anyone else to come clean. I thought it was a good solution for me to just take care of it as it would be quickest. He initially responded suggesting I could check out early rather than letting me know if there were supplies. Note that we never found supplies for dusting.
A lesser issue and more of an annoyance is the lack of a broom/swiffer. We did not wear shoes in the apartment at all but did have to wear socks because there were crumbs and dirt all over the floor. I’m not usually picky on this and wouldn’t usually include this in a review without other issues.
I would usually leave notes about small cleanliness details in a private message to the host only but he did not seem to take our concerns seriously. The host stated the smell was due to retiling in the bathroom. The smell was least noticeable in the bathroom and did not smell at all like chemicals. He also seemed to suggest it was because the building was old. Had we noticed the actual mold on the ceiling earlier, we would have checked out early even though there were no affordable alternatives. Host’s response to mold on the ceiling was that it’s champagne. Champagne would not spray in some areas in a perfect line and not also hit the wall. I hope he has someone out to at least do a mold test.
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Prior to noticing the mold on the ceiling, my review was going to stay if you are not sensitive to odors or don’t have allergies, you may be able to enjoy staying here as it is a cool space. However after our last day, I would say this is not a safe place to stay if you have severe allergies or asthma. Clearly others have greatly enjoyed their stays here and even pointed out how clean it is. It visually does look very clean other than the dust and mold. The host has been notified of all of these issues.