I have stayed in 10 plus Airbnbs in different countries and this place was the worst I have experienced. Regrettably, I booked this place for 3 weeks and from the moment I got in everything was wrong, and it only got worse as the days went by. The host Maria was unhelpful, unresponsive and had the worst attitude in terms of customer service and problem resolution.
Before booking, I suggest you consider the below points carefully, especially if like me you are thinking of staying for longer than a few days:
1. The property doesn’t get ANY mobile signal so you are solely reliant on wifi. The wifi details in the guest information provided was incorrect and given the property doesn’t get wifi, I had to leave the apartment to go outside to get mobile signal so that I could contact the host Maria, and I had to wait outside for her response which was slow and all over the place. She eventually provided me with the correct wifi details, but then when I logged on the wifi was slow and unreliable. On the occasions when it would work, it would only work in a particular section of the living room. So poor wifi and no mobile signal for someone who had to do quite a few work calls was just a disaster. I mentioned the lack of mobile signal/wifi in the property and Maria acknowledged it had been a problem flagged by previous long stay guests - in which case I think she should include that in the listing as fair warning so people can make an informed decisions about whether this is acceptable for them.
2. The apartment was missing key furnitures pictured so very misleading listing. It was missing the centre table and the rug in the living room and the property including the terrace was a lot smaller than pictures (seems it was photoshopped to look larger). When I asked about the rug and the centre table, I was told the table had broken and was being replaced and that rug was being cleaned and would be delivered the next day to the apartment. I did not get it the rug during the whole 3 weeks despite repeated requests. At home, I usually sit on the floor and put my laptop on the centre table - so for me it was a big deal. I would not have booked the place if i had known these items would be missing as it wouldnt meet my functional needs/requirements. So deceitful listing.
3. As another reviewer mentioned, the terrace is not one that can be enjoyed as the property is below a restaurant so the smell of fumes just takes over the outside space, and there are holes in the restaurants vent that leaks horrible smelling fumes. To cover the smell, they put overpowering scents all around the property which having asthma made it difficult for me to breath.
4. The other issue with being right above the restaurant is cockroaches! Over the 3 week period, I killed 5 huge cockroaches. There was only one other review about cockroaches so I figured it was a one off but I was wrong and should have paid more attention to the reviewer as I can’t stand cockroaches.
5. 186 steps to get from the road to the property. And once you get to the actual property, there is no lift so be prepared to carry your heavy suitcase up a narrow stairwell.
6. During my last week, a large group moved into the property above. They had loud parties until 4am in the morning and because the floorboards in the holding are so thin, you can hear every single step people above make. I couldn’t sleep, and complained but ofcourse nothing was done. So frustrating.
7. Maria has a host was the worst part of this experience. Things don’t always go perfectly with Airbnb stays but how a host handles the situation when things go wrong is EVERYTHING and she just didn’t know how to step up in this situation and became downright rude and aggressive, which was a quick turnaround from the welcome email she sent me when I booked. So if you complain about something, you become the enemy!
I really wish I could have left this place, and requested this to Maria on the day of arrival but she said she would only authorise a 50% refund meaning I wouldn’t be able to get another property but she would be able book somebody else in. Anyway, as I said, my advice is find somewhere else unless you are happy to deal with all the above issues I mentioned.