My husband and I are seasoned travelers and have stayed around the world frequently in VRBO rentals and are just starting to use AIrBnB. We travel in Mexico a lot, as we live in Southern Cal and it's an easy jaunt. This was our first time in CDMX, were we spent the weekend (Friday through Sunday) away from our teen (HEAVEN!) and with a group of friends, one of whom was celebrating a 50th bday. Others in our group stayed in Condesa and Roma, respectively, so we saw other CDMX AirBnBs and how the hosts prepared their spaces for their guests, which was quite different from what our host did (and from all other vacation rentals we've stayed in throughout the years). In other words: This is not our first rodeo. Just wanted to set the scene.
THE GOOD: The space itself is magical and romantic. Lying in bed and looking out to the patio is life giving. Opening the doors to the patio and having the outdoor-in feeling is everything. Coffee at the table in the morning is lovely, even in the winter when it's cold. All you need is a jacket and a blanket. We moved around from table to lounger to hammock and felt the stress of daily life melt away. It is vacation personified. It is not quiet, but that is part of the magic. We loved hearing all the school kids and teachers arriving to class on Friday morning. We loved hearing the singing rising into the air from the church on Sunday. We loved the the greenery and the sounds and lights of the city and the birds and the traffic all around us but not on top of us. This is a special place for a special kind of traveler (we are that traveler). With that said, there were some shortcomings that ultimately mean—while we'd recommend it to certain friends (with an asterisk)—we wouldn't stay here again.
THE NOT SO GOOD: When we arrived from the airport at 1 a.m. on Friday...
1) The security guard let us in. He was...not personable. He literally didn't say anything (I'm assuming he didn't speak English and we only speak a little bit of Spanish). He just walked us to the elevator, took us up in silence and handed us the key to the door once at the top of the stairs. Then he left. We let our selves in and...
2)...everything was dark. There wasn't a single light on anywhere, so we had to navigate the maize of the deck using the flashlights on our phones. We'd let the host know in advance that we'd be coming in late, so it would have been nice to have the outdoor lights on. We arrived at the kitchen door which we fumbled a bit to unlock.
3) The kitchen, btw, is separate from the bedroom/closet/bathroom space. This doesn't matter much in good weather. But on the day it rained, it was very inconvenient. It would have been nice to know it was a separate space. Additionally...
4) The kitchen smelled like mildew and smoke. The latter is likely because there is a large grill in the corner. Nevertheless, it didn't smell clean and there was food debris of some kind in the sink. The large windows which overlook the city were filthy. The kitchen has a small mini-fridge only, which should be noted in the post. On top of the counter was a jug with a spigot (like the kind you might use for punch at a party); it was filled with water and had a dish towel draped over the top. Was this water bottled? We did not know but without any note, we weren't going to take a chance. We've taken chances like that in Mexico before and the outcome was one we wanted to avoid. So, this space and our entry was not what we expected or hoped for. Speaking of lack of a note about the water...
5) There was no welcome note, no instruction book about the space, about house rules, about what to do in an emergency. There as no information about the neighborhood (nothing about restaurants, grocery, pharmacy, services, parks, areas to explore, etc.). We happened to find the wifi password (hand written on a piece of paper that was tucked at the back of a shelf) while we were unpacking. The listing on this site says the apartment is "[t]wo blocks from the metro and metro bus. Near restaurants and all kinds of services." But our experience of the neighborhood was that is isn't near much of these things, isn't particularly walkable and we therefore spent time elsewhere. If there is stuff to see and do in Condesa—and we're sure there is—we would have loved a little guidance on that from the host.
6) As for basic stuff: There was also no radio or speaker to which we could connect our devices to play music. Small thing, but a nice thing. We were given two bath towels and one hand towel for four nights/three days. The hot and cold water are separate in the bathroom and the hot water in the shower only lasts for about three minutes. Cold showers are par for the course here. Also, the listing says this property is accessible to the handicapped, but that is absolutely not true. If you are in a wheelchair or use any assitance for walking/climbing stairs, this place is not for you. How do I know this? Well, keep reading...
7) When at our friend's AIrBnB in Roma Saturday night, I tripped on a step and broke my foot (four fractures and a ligament tear). By the time we were able to deal with that and get back to the Oasis, it was 3:00 a.m. on Sunday morning. When the Uber let us off, all the lights were out inside the building, including at the security desk, and it turns out our key did not work on the front