The only good thing about this Airbnb is it’s location.
Most of the necessary basics - warm/hot water, decent check-in, and drinking water, were unfortunate absences of our stay.
Our stay started with the keys not having been left at the cafe where we were told to retrieve them. This resulted in us waiting on the street at midnight after a day of international travel for the keys to be dropped off by co-host Maricarmen. While retrieving the keys, we were told that construction was happening on the building from 9am-5pm everyday—however, the construction continued until 2am our first night and prevented us from sleeping, especially as it started again at 7am and was inside the building. This resulted in incessant drilling, and a long line of workers moving up and down the stairs. We were also asked to install a lightbulb when given the keys, meaning we walked through construction into a dark apartment after midnight and had to perform maintenance upon arrival.
Thoughtful touches such as drinking water and a warm shower might’ve helped us relax upon arrival. Instead, there was a putrid, damp smell that lingered throughout.
We wrote to host Tavo to let him know of these obstacles. Tavo answered quickly saying he would sort out our issues, but his 14 hour time difference lead to a lapse in communication with those in Mexico City, and we ultimately were tied into a triangle of miscommunication. Essentially, we spent our first two days telling Tavo about things we felt were unsafe and then repeating the same things to co-host Maricarmen because Tavo didn’t relay this information to her.
Tavo did say he would ask Maricarmen to request the construction end earlier in the evening—the jackhammering was then replaced by nightclub music until 4am directly below the apartment that vibrates through each bedroom.
Tavo offered two additional nights of stay for our inconveniences, which you can see from the reviews are not as “uncommon” as Tavo will have guests believe. But, why would we want to stay longer in a place that felt so unsafe and unwelcoming?
The location, again, is fantastic. If you plan on mostly being out, you might not mind the absence of natural light or drinking water or warm showers. You might find that the sparse outlets are okay, and retrieving keys at a cafe after midnight because they weren’t left for your stay is something you’re comfortable with. But, for us, we will certainly be staying elsewhere on our next visit.