This was my first time renting through Airbnb and I was a little nervous. Allesadra was very good at answering my questions about location and the surrounding area. The decision to rent her apartment was based on location and our need for two bedrooms. I overlooked a few things but that's completely my fault. Like I said, first time renting and learned from this experience.
Allesandra is super nice & helpful. She arranged airport pick up for us at a little extra cost. The driver was very nice and brought us to the flat where Allesandra was waiting to welcome us. She took us the apartment which is on the first floor and helped us with our luggage. The apartment is small but charming. Our host had stocked it with essentials we needed. Shampoo, soap, hairdryer, laundry detergent, tea & coffee etc. She welcomed us with a bottle of wine which was a very sweet gesture. Maps, and restaurant cards were on a table & we appreciated it very much. The rooms were a good size. The twin beds perfect for our two kids. The apartment is next to the metro and many restaurants and within walking distance to many major sights.
Here's what I had overlooked when I booked the flat.
There is no living room so if we wanted to relax, there was only the bedroom to go to or the kitchen table.
The bathroom is gorgeous but has a high step in tub/shower.
The street is noisy. Buses rumbling down it seemed all night long. Being a light sleeper I had major issues with this. There is also a street light right outside the main bedroom and one window shutters can be closed to block it, the other can't be due to the air conditioning vent so even with the drapes drawn, light poured in.
Lastly, we started noticing a stench which got worse over the days coming from behind the apartment and permeating into the kitchen area & bathroom. It drive us nuts. I did let Allesandra know and she looked into it. Don't know if it was sewage pipe issue or what, and if it's permanent or a temporary one while we were there,but something needs to be done about it. It was the most unpleasant part of staying in the flat.
Hope this issue is resolved. Allesandra was quick to take care of the master bedroom bed that broke on our second day! Apparently the previous renter had broken the frame and she didn't have time to replace it before we came & had taped it together. Well, it came apart but she & Luca quickly replaced it with a better one ( the old one had the frame jutting out and my husband hit his knee on the sharp edge every time he walked around it- ouch!)
Overall it was a pleasant experience renting through Airbnb and we lucked out by getting a wonderful host and a flat with a great location.