Let me start with the positives, Luis’s place is in a superb location, in one of the best parts of the city and the building itself is iconic and full of charm and character. Communication/recommendations and ease of checking in were all wonderful and the doorman was also a reassuring presence for extra security.
The apartment itself is clean and bright and airy but some issues made our stay less than adequate when you take into account it being a “plus“ listing. The biggest of which, we found the beds/mattresses extremely uncomfortable and small (doubles). Considering they are in large enough rooms to accommodate a queen or king it makes little sense. The wooden floors are charming but are also creaky and unfortunately, we never got one good night’s sleep during our visit.
The apartment is situated on the third floor (having no elevator didn’t bother us) and is located at the back of the building which helps with noise levels (outside noise was not a problem during our stay), but the downside is that there are no views and most of the windows face the brick wall of the adjacent building.
There is no air-conditioning which we were aware of us from the listing, but two fans are provided (one of which is extremely loud and rattles). This was fine during our stay in November but I could imagine a stay over the summer might be less than ideal.
The kitchen is bare bones, with no proper oven (just a toaster oven), no dishwasher, blunt knives, old pots and pans, and little in the way of tools provided to cook with. We ate out mostly and the neighborhood is filled with amazing food options but it’s nice to eat in at least once during a trip, not least to cook with the fantastic produce available at the markets nearby.
Other reviews mention the terrible smell from the bathroom and this was an issue for us too despite there being a cover over the shower drain. The soap dispenser in the shower was also clogged up and we were unable to use the conditioner, not a huge deal but again as a “plus” listing, we expected better.
To sum up, it seems as if the apartment is listed as an Airbnb plus solely for the location and character of the building. If this was advertised as a regular listing and the price reflected that, all the above (except the bed situation) could be overlooked.