I thought long and hard about how to write this review, and where to start, as there were several issues with this Airbnb stay (and host). I fully expect that said host will slander this review (and likely me, as well), but I’m okay with that so long as I can make others aware before they choose to stay here.
In my decade+ of using Airbnb (and as a guest with a stellar track record), I have never written a one-star review and hoped I would never have to, but my month-long stay at Casa Lis did not meet the expectations of what I'm accustomed to with Airbnb. At the most basic level, that is a decent host who cares about - and prioritizes - the comfort of their guests. I’ve been both a tenant and a landlord, and I can say that I’ve always made it my business to be kind and courteous in both scenarios.
In hindsight, there were red flags from the beginning (including a lack of responsiveness to basic questions, one-word answers when a response was given, and a couple of not-so-nice reviews including one on the host’s personal page that did not paint him in a very positive light, and that I highly recommend others to read to get an idea). We ignored these red flags in exchange for location, location, location. I wish we hadn't, especially when I connected with many other lovely hosts and property managers but opted for this due to location and size.
It was clear, early on, that Airbnb is 100% a side hustle for this host and nothing more. He represents nothing of the original ethos of Airbnb, and while he was happy to take our money, he had no interest in making our stay a pleasant one. As long as you require nothing (and I really do mean NOTHING), you might enjoy Casa Lis (as an aside, I found it odd that he kept referring to the apartment by name, almost as a term of endearment, when he seems to care about it so little and certainly not about his guests’ comfort or making it feel like a home away from home). If you're concerned that you might require an iota of support during your stay, I would highly recommend looking elsewhere. It's not pleasant worrying that the host will threaten you with cancelation (which he did).
I felt intimidated by the host (and his constant threats and lack of support) and wanted to interact with him and his property manager (who had, as others have mentioned, no authority to do anything [no matter how miniscule] without the host’s approval, and was also not very pleasant) as little as possible.
Because we were staying "long-term" (28 days), it felt daunting to have to start looking for alternative accommodation, in a city we weren't familiar with, and flying "under the radar" seemed like the best course of action to avoid having to deal with these two individuals. It certainly was not a nice feeling, however, to be walking on eggshells.
I kept notes during our stay, which I’ve highlighted below, and I’ll start with the pros (because there were a few), but please read on for the cons (of which there were many):
PROS
- The apartment itself has an old-world charm that is endearing;
- The space is ample with high ceilings and lots of light coming in at the front;
- The apartment is ground level and street-facing so you hear everything (music playing, people chatting); of course, this could be a positive or a negative depending on your preference and tolerance for street noise; and
- The location is rather superb; in close proximity to everything one might enjoy, while still being pleasantly far enough from the centre of the action.
CONS
- Amenities including "luggage drop-off" and a "designated workspace" are mentioned in the listing but are not available. When we inquired about an "early luggage drop-off" (by merely one hour), I was met with a hard "NO" (I was told it was because they needed time to clean, but the place was quite filthy when we arrived - dirty floors [the soles of our feet were black] and surfaces, for example, which I took photos/videos of). I saw in at least one other review that they were denied the option of leaving their luggage, so it sounds like this might be a trend; the "workspace" is actually just the dining room table (with very uncomfortable chairs), and it was the only table available for eating. It is absolutely NOT a proper workspace. I did another read-through of the “amenities”, and there are others included in the listing that are not present at the property;
- When we arrived, we discovered a broken picture frame, with shattered glass, left in the bottom drawer of one of the nightstands. When we inquired as to why it was left there, the property manager simply grinned (like it was funny) and shrugged;
- I had communicated with the host (this required me to follow up with him since responding to his guests doesn’t appear to be a priority), in advance, that we would need more hangers during our stay. He replied “yes”. When we arrived (on a weekend), there were no additional hangers. When I inquired with the property manager (who apparently doesn’t work on weekends), we were told that the host had never mentioned this to him. This lack of communication began to feel thematic over the course of our stay;
- Empty alcohol bottles were left in the kitchen, in an area that could have been used as additional storage for guests, and we were made to feel like we were being a nuisance for asking to have them removed;
- In the bathroom, the ceiling light was broken, and the shower drain was not set in place so there was a big (potentially dangerous) hole in the shower floor (I took photos of this, as