I have held off from posting this review to give the host time to respond properly. I want to be balanced about this. This is a lovely large and spacious flat in a great location. The problem we had was that it wasn't clean enough at all.
We booked for a friend to sleep on the sofabed, which the host knew in advance, and we paid extra for her to stay. When we arrived, the sofa was filthy and absolutely covered in old, fowl looking stains. We didn't feel comfortable sitting on it, let alone sleeping on it. When we looked for the bedding, she had been left a blood-stained pillow and there was dirt and a dirty tissue in the space that the linen had been put in. It was totally unacceptable and our friend felt unable to stay in the property and booked herself into a hotel.
When we looked at our bed, there was a massive urine stain on the mattress, which is absolutely disgusting by anyone's standards. Covering the mattress with a sheet is absolutely unacceptable.
The fridge smelt. The flat smelt. The floors were sticky. There were spilt drink marks from the previous guests on the surfaces in the dining room. There was pubic hair on the bedroom floor. All the cushions were filthy and I ended up washing them all myself. The windows and curtains are absolutely filthy.
We took photos and reported it to our host straight away, and he was responsive and did take action and complained to the cleaning firm. There was some back-and-forth with the cleaners saying it was fine and us reiterating what was wrong, and they did return and cleaned out the fridge, wiped down the kitchen cupboard doors and the surfaces in the dining area and covered the sofa in bedsheets. They did not vacuum or wash the floors.
I had a call with the host today and he was apologetic, though he did tell me that the cleaners said this was me, which I find utterly offensive, particularly as I sent photos as soon as I arrived at the property. It's a patent lie, and I feel that should not have been shared that with me.
Alex has promised to get a new cleaning firm, a new sofa and a new mattress. If he does this, and the new cleaners clean the place thoroughly, you'll have a great stay. The flat is lovely, and the location is great. Alex seems like a nice guy, and he was responsive. We should have had a wonderful stay, but we didn't. Can you imagine what it was like sleeping on that mattress knowing what was underneath the sheets? Gross.