If you want peace of mind, check into a hotel!! I had an accident at the first apartment with no point of contact, the host was overseas and there was a time difference when communicating. I needed a first aid kit or pharmacy with no idea where and how to find it. The shower door is a ‘roller door’ which rolled off its grid and the door collapsed on me in the shower resulting to cuts on my chest and foot. There was no manual or description of house functionality, roller shower doors are not a common thing! There was no point of contact in an emergency or any direction of nearby stores etc. so you can imagine the panic. I found that there was an expectation of international travellers to know custom and functionality which is an unrealistic expectation especially if there’s a language barrier. I don’t know much about Airbnb checks for hosts, if not there needs to be one!
Although Jorgelina did a good job in arranging a transfer for us to another apartment she owns immediately, it was all a little too late. We were moved to another apartment that also didn’t have any instructions. You are not meant to lock the door but this wasn’t written or explained that the door locks automatically when closed - also not the safest area hence why I locked the door at night only to find we couldn’t open it to leave the flat and explore the city. We spent most of the day locked in the flat until I managed to get on a WhatsApp video call with Jorgelina to get instructions on how to unlock the door.
Airbnb in Australia and UK for example is a different straight forward and transparent experience where the hosts always have printed details of the house functionality , rules and key contacts upon arrival. Airbnb need to enforce safety check lists as mandatory for hosts across the board! Never again will I use Airbnb abroad!