I want to preface my review by saying that we booked this apartment for 3 months. It was a mistake. We checked out early because of the numerous problems and found a different (and much better) accommodation.
If there was an award for the worst “property manager” in the Airbnb universe, it would go to Joana, the Grand Poobah of the Cleaners (the title is by me since Emine told me that she is “the head of a cleaning service" and "not my house manager.")
I will start with the positives. The location is amazing. The apartment is located in Alfama, a historic Lisbon neighborhood. It's steps away from Praca do Comercio, a short walk to Baixa-Chiado, Avenida Liberdade, and a metro station. I highly recommend the Koa Bar downstairs for its amazing service, atmosphere, and beverage options. It's a destination in itself.
The apartment is very well stocked with kitchen items. They have everything from baby plates to pots, pans, and endless amounts of silverware.
Having said that, we had numerous problems during our stay. I can attribute a lot of them to Joana. Joana only "rents a room" according to one of the messages she sent me. So, if you have an issue, don't expect a resolution.
And the issues started to come up as soon as we checked in. One of the bathroom lights was out, and it never got fixed during our 3 - months stay. I brought up to Joana that the heating unit (A/C) in the living room did not work. Crickets. We did not need the device during our stay, but it may not work in the summer.
We had huge issues with Joana’s cleaners and her professionalism in general. Emine required us to use Joana’s cleaners for weekly cleanings because they “know the apartment best.”
Imagine our surprise when the cleaners showed up wearing their outdoor shoes while cleaning the apartment. My husband asked them to remove their shoes, and they just left their cleaning supplies and bags of laundry in the middle of the living room and left to never return. I actually have pictures of the dirty footprints they left in the bathroom while “cleaning.”
Since we had weekly cleaning scheduled with them, they asked us to rearrange our schedule around their cleanings and leave the apartment during that time. Only they barely ever showed up on time. If we agreed to 10 am on a Friday, they would come in at 12 pm or never come in. These random appearances were not discussed beforehand. Only after I texted Joana, I was informed about changes in the schedule. Imagine trying to schedule your life around random events like this.
By the middle of April, we saw termites and some bugs in the bathroom. The “cleaners” one day also pushed a bathroom sink plug so deep that nobody could get it out, even them. We could not use one of the bathroom sinks for 3 weeks. We told the host and Joana but never actually had a plumber come and fix the issue.
I would not be surprised if the next guests have a non-working A/C unit, a back bathroom full of termites, a non-functioning sink in one of the bathrooms, and rude cleaners to deal with.
Emine told me she only “shared her apartment with me” so, apparently, I should not expect hotel-style amenities. The "amenities" not to expect, apparently, include a working bathroom light, a plumber, or the cleaners not calling my husband "crazy" for asking to remove their outdoor shoes before cleaning.
I have a different point of view. Renting your apartment on Airbnb is a business, especially if you are not present in the country. Guests, when they pay the prices requested through the platform, expect hosts and property managers to address their concerns. We did not stay at the apartment for free. We paid for every cleaning through Airbnb as well. The level of service provided did not meet even the lowest expectations. I am not comparing Emine's apartment to the Four Seasons, I am merely comparing it to other vacation rentals we stayed at.
And the cherry on top of this “sundae" was an accusation by Joana, the
Grand Poobah of the Cleaners, that we broke a coffee maker. This piece of “evidence”, sent to the host, was accompanied by a picture of some coffee maker that we had never before seen in our lives against the backdrop of an apartment that we never even set our foot in…
Joana’s “professionalism” shined through every moment of our stay.
My conclusion is that if you are staying for a week, you may be fine. Any longer, and you may want to find accommodations with a better host and cleaners, as we did.