Never before have I written a poor review. I usually let minor issues slide and I always publically praise hosts where it is warranted. Please feel free to read them so you understand that I am not a malicious guest. However, this apartment and its contents are appalling and I paid more for this property than I have for all the others in Malta (this is my fourth visit) and I feel completely ripped off. I write this review so that others contemplating the property can make an informed decision. I would hate others to experience what we did. In fact, I got very close to raising a formal complaint with Airbnb but couldn't face the prospect of communicating with a host over issues which are clearly very long standing and are not going to be resolved during the course of my stay. I had, fortunately, organised a trip to Gozo which I extended to avoid coming back.
Through out the flat, the furniture is cheap but it is worse in the living room. There are fleas in the sofa. I watched them land on my own body and my husband's. The decor is tacky with sexualised 'art' on the walls and empty wine racks.
The kitchen is okay actually but the floors are dirty especially by the fridge. The fridge is yellow inside. The washing machine has a spanner as a door handle.
The entire property smelt of mould which is so bad that the second bedroom is unusable as a result. The smell permeates throughout the flat but it was especially bad by the single bed and storage areas in the hallway. When you came in after leaving the property locked up, it would stink and I had to rush around opening doors and switching the fans on.
I have never seen such large cockroaches. I understand that the insects are different in hotter climates but I have never seen so many and such large ones. They scuttled around the bathroom.
The air conditioning system consists of one poorly controlled unit in the bedroom. Every else had ceiling fans and standing fans.
The location is pretty poor. The pictures on Airbnb do not show the concrete car oark at the front of the flats. Nor would you wish to use the patio area because it feels dark, dirty and creepy. The stairwell is grimy and the lights switch off before you reach the door
The surrounding area is dirty and run down and although I appreciate that this is not something that the host can control, it should be reflected in the price. I did not want to swim nearby because I was worried about the quality of the water.
The location is slightly improved by the fact that it is set back from the dangerous, loud, choked and polluted main arterial road. There are bus stops nearby which is good.
The welcome pack is a bottle of water and milk. I'm guessing the sugar, tea and coffee was provided by the previous guests.