Ok, the good stuff first:
The location is great. The space itself is a good, generous size. It really has a lot going for it.
There are 2 TVs and at least one had Netflix, although we did not use it. The wifi also worked well during our stay.
A baby cot was provided for our 15 month old, although €10 per night was originally requested for this until I pointed out that this was a highly unusual request in our experience.
Unfortunately we can only write a review on the experience we had, and overall it was a little below par.
Issues that were pretty big draw backs included:
- Check in was outsourced to Antonio and was not very smooth to be honest. We were given another address to collect the keys from not long before our arrival. We could not find this address. It was raining when we arrived so this was not an ideal situation, especial with a 15 month old baby.
- There were some cleanliness issues. Hair from prior guest in bathroom, we found a large shard of glass under couch and the dishes were not stacked away in cupboard upon arrival.
- There were obvious maintenance issues. The hot water failed for 2 days in a row, and when Antonio came to fix it (armed with 'how to' videos on his phone) he still could not fix it. In fact, I ended up doing what the video said even though I speak zero Italian. However, being mechanically minded I had my doubts that the issue had been fixed... and I was right because the next morning there was a substantial water leak on kitchen bench and floor where the hot water system is located. We had to use our towels to soak up the water. The issue was later fixed but 2 days without hot water for showers etc. is not great. I appreciate that Guilia did her best from a distance but this doesn't change things.
-The air conditioners also seemed to labor and the one in the lounge room stopped working at least once.
- 3 of the lights in the kitchen are also failing and often created a strobe effect when turned on, so it was more comfortable to just leave them off.
Over the last 4 years we've stayed in numerous Airbnb's for both business and leisure, across 6 countries, and I generally don't like to give critical feedback but I also think it's important to be honest about our experience as this is all we have to go off. Everything I've written above has been communicated to the host. These are issues that can be dealt with pretty swiftly in my opinion.
Other things to note:
- It did not appear to have a dryer. The washing machine did not appear to be a 2 in 1 either - I cross checked it with Google translate.
- It does not have a microwave or oven which limits the functionality of the kitchen.
- The unit complex does have a lift but it is very small and only starts from the 1st floor which renders it pretty useless for this unit. I would definitely not recommend it for people with mobility issues or those with lots/large amounts of luggage, unless you are sufficiently fit to lug it up/down.
In our experience a good Airbnb has 3 main things - A great host who is 100% involved, a fully functional space and a great location.
I honestly think that if the issues are rectified and the host took more control, it'd tick all these boxes.