Where to begin…
The apartment is listed for max 8 people. Looking at the pictures, and the number of beds listed we thought we would be fine staying in this apartment with a group of 8. Upon our arrival we were shocked to see that in the 8 person configuration the room (because the apartment is indeed only one room) consists of only beds with almost no space to walk. To accommodate 8 people the host has put two hernia-inducing field beds up that would not stand out in a war zone field hospital. With 8 people in the apartment you have literally no way to manoeuvre yourself past all the fold-out couches, field beds, people and luggage. The fact that the apartment only has one (leaking) shower means that 8 people spend 1,5 hours in the morning to get ready. While people are getting ready the others have nowhere to sit, since the dining table is so small and blocked by all the beds that you only option is to lie down on your bed again, waiting for people to get ready. Instead of doing this we basically fled the apartment as soon as we were showered, waiting for people to finish outside on the sidewalk, as this was better than staying inside of the claustrophobic room.
Moreover, asides from being small, the apartment is not safe. There’s only one exit through a narrow hallway. One window has bars on it, the other was not able to open because it had no handle. In case something happens and your main exit is blocked you will have nowhere to go. There’s no fire extinguisher or smoke detector to be found in the room. I could already see myself burning to a crisp while trying to escape through the barred window.
It is a disgrace that this apartment is listed as 8 person apartment. The apartment becomes 4 times as expensive when you visit with 8 compared to renting it on your own, while the value-for money of the apartment drops to zero as soon as more than 4 people cross the doorstep
But perhaps the biggest reason to score this apartment 1 star is the fact that - even starting from the night before our visit - the host started begging for a 5-star review. I have counted, and since we’ve booked the apartment, until time of writing of this review the host has sent me 6 separate messages to ‘remind’ me to give her a 5-star review, both through Airbnb as well as personally through WhatsApp. Since we’ve checked-out the messages have become more annoying, and the host has switched to begging and asking for our sympathy in ‘these difficult times’ since tourism is supposedly bad post-covid. (Please note the apartment is fully booked for the coming 1,5 months, and the apartment next to ours, which is owned by the same host was also booked during our stay)
Asking for a positive review in exchange for giving me 5 stars as well defeats the whole purpose of the Airbnb review system, and I refuse to participate in this.
That being said, the apartment is perfect for a smaller group of visitors (max 4). As long as you are fine with the possibility of horribly dying in a fire. More room per person does not make the apartment less of a death-trap.