My parents raised their children by the old adage, "If you don't have something nice to say about someone, say nothing at all." So I was not going to review this property.
But today I received a WhatsApp from, Patricia, this property's owner that:
1) Accused me of stealing the bag for a hair dryer. Yes. That's not a typo.... A HAIR DRYER BAG! She actually asked me to mail it back to her. This is not a joke.
2) The text went on to accuse me of chipping a "family heirloom fine china plate" which required her to hire an "artisanal mason to repair" for which she wants to charge me $25.00. First, why in the world would someone risk "family heirloom fine china" when they AirBnb their apartment? Second, we didn't cook in the apartment - we used the plate to hold cookies we bought at a nearby bakery.
Also, the accusatory texts arrived a full eight days after our check-out. A bit odd, no?
You will see other reviews from guests that echo the owner's pettiness and accusatory manner.
Imagine being accused of stealing the bag of a hair dryer! (For the record, I towel dry my balding scalp so I never came in conact with the owner's dryer.)
And now the review of the property which I was NOT going to publish until the above scenario unfolded this morning.
1) It's VERY creepy. Are you into staying in an apartment with over 130 - ONE HUNDRED THIRTY!! - family photos on walls and shelves in every room? Do you want to wake up to a high school graduation photo staring you in the face at eye level a half meter away? THEN YOU'VE FOUND YOUR DESTINATION.
I think this level of intimacy is entirely too personal, weird an inappropriate for an AirBnb property.
2) The furniture. The living room sofa upholstery is white linen. Same for the dining room chairs. And all other chairs are covered in light, pastel-covered velvet fabric. Who does that in an AirBnb property? It's a recipe for disaster waiting to happen.
We literally didn't sit ANYWHERE because of the furniture and it greatly contributed to a a bad overall experience.
3) The endless little trinkets that cover EVERY flat surface. When you arrive you will likely be enchanted by the scores of cute little knick-knacks that cover EVERY flat surface in the apartment - little buddhist ions, animal sculptures, glass ornaments and more.
But you quickly realize that EVERY surface has something breakable on it. And - like the light-colored furniture - you soon feel very uncomfortable. Overall, the feeling of dread is what many of us experienced when our grandparents covered their living room furniture in plastic slipcovers.
Is that your vibe? Then you've found your place!
4) Internet. First, the posted internet instructions are incorrect. No biggie - you just need to find the small, hand-written note amongst the scores of knick-knacks for the right credentials.
The real rub? Technically, it's internet service but it's not functional. I ran a speed test: download speeds were less than 1 MBPS and uploads clocked in at ZERO.
Then on my last day I had a slew of web conference calls starting at 8:30 am... and the internet WASN'T AVAILABLE! The reason? The bill wasn't paid! (I actually have a screenshot from the ISP)
So in conclusion, amigos.... this property and its owner is VERY high-manitenance, far from warm and friendly and just a big friggin' headache.