I don’t enjoy writing negative reviews of a listing but this one stuck out from all of my prior AirBnB experiences.
First, the pros:
LOCATION: excellent, right next to the Arsenal vaparetto stop and just a 10 minute walk to San Marco, the Doge’s Palace area. It is very quiet. It’s also close to via Garibaldi which is full of restaurants and shops.
AMENITIES: There is a combo washer/dryer in the kitchen and the living room is comfortable. The WiFi was strong and reliable.
A/C units in the living room and each bedroom were good.
Two sets of keys given, which is convenient for multiple guests and the locks didn’t require any “tricks”.
The weather was bad during our stay so I cannot comment on the patio.
CONS:
LOCATION: The address in the listing is incorrect and Google Maps will bring you to a totally different location which IS hard to find. Once the correct spelling is entered into Google Maps, etc, it’s not hard to find at all. Use “de la” instead of “della” and you will find it.
CHECK-IN: The host does not live in Venice so has an assistant doing the check-in. In our case, it had been communicated between us that we were arriving via train and that we would be met at the Arsenale stop by Cristina (Palio’s assistant). However, after waiting for 20 minutes in the pouring rain, we called Cristina’s number, left s voicemail and when she called back she said she was unaware that we were even arriving. A message from Paolo said Cristina had confused the arrival times. Better communication between Paolo and Cristina is needed.
AMENITIES: The unit needs a thorough deep cleaning. There is black mold all over the walls of the shower and all over the shower curtain, which is a health hazard and a sign that deep cleaning has not happened in some time. It is also the reason why the bathroom smells like mold. Mold like that does not appear overnight. There was a bleach-based cleaner under the bathroom sink but it was obvious it had not been used to clean the shower stall.
The smaller bedroom has a terribly musty smell. It needs to be aired out and the blankets on the bed need to be washed more frequently.
The morning of our departure, we found a roach-like bug marching across the kitchen table.
Towels and linens need to be fresh and beds need to be made prior to a guests arrival. Guests should not have to make their own beds upon arrival.