Stayed at Luis' for 3 nights during my two weeks in Portugal (61st country to visit) and this is probably one of the top 3 worst stays after 50 stays on Airbnb.
First of all, I want to make it clear that Luis isn't a bad person. On the contrary, he's very responsive in communication and helpful. I left my ATM card in the US and Luis helped in getting cash to me when I PayPal him. I appreciate his gesture from the bottom of my heart!
I traveled from Coimbra to Porto where Luis said he would be running 15-30 minutes late due to a meeting. (Check-in time was 4 pm but it was no big deal w/the delay.) As soon as I entered his home, there was a strong synthetic smell like excessive air freshener for covering up odors. (I have sensitive skin and am allergic to cigarette smoke!) There were several scent burners in the kitchen and one right at the entrance of my bedroom. These burners were to mask the cigarettes smell as Luis smokes inside his home. He spent over an hour explaining all the amenities which is an overkill. I was tired from the traveling and could really use a shower and rest. I was then given a binder about local tips. He also showed me the nearby supermarket.
Smoking is allowed in terrace per the listing and it was naive of me to think that the host only smokes there, but I was wrong. The combination of synthetic scent and cigarette smoke left me with headaches, watery eyes, stuffy nose and wheezing. This isn't a hotel and I can't tell the host to not smoke inside his own flat so I left my room's window open for fresh air. I took some throat lozenges and Sudafed PE to help with my condition.
I met Mitzu, the 3 year old male cat (mentioned on the listing) who demanded affection and attention. He came to sniff my shoes and luggage once I entered the apt. I'm not allergic to cats but prefer dogs. I've told Luis that I preferred to keep my distance as I was concerned that I may get scratched. Mitzu actually scratched Luis twice in my presence where he bled on his arm and finger. Luis immediately applied alcohol and cleaned his wounds. He showed the nail clippers but said he didn't have time to clip its claws. I found that irresponsible because Mitzu could potentially injure guests and why won't Luis take Mitzu for trimming nails or secure him in a different room? Again, I'm respectful of the host and especially a superhost like Luis. I know my place and won't be telling him how to handle his pet.
I tried to avoid Mitzu but it was very difficult. He jumped to the tiny kitchen table when I was trying to have breakfast on day 2. I saw a few cat's hair in my cup of tea so I had to toss it away. I tried to shush him away but ended up being scratched on my right forearm. I immediately cleaned with alcohol pad and applied neosporin. I didn't tell Luis about this incident because he was upset that I closed the kitchen door where Mitzu can't access the terrace. I felt terrible after this accident and actually looked for a different place to stay. I couldn't find anything nearby last minute and stayed for the 3rd night mostly locking myself inside the room.
On the day of departure, Luis said he needed to go through the check-out process and brought out the vacuum for cleaning my room. I was quite offended as no host has ever asked me to clean. I certainly kept his place clean but I complied with using the broom to sweep the bedroom and bathroom floor. I wanted to get out of his place ASAP, but he kept asking about things I liked and disliked about the stay. I politely pointed out the strong air fresheners' scent, cigarette odor and Mitzu's long claws as negatives. He didn't take my constructive criticism well and responded by sharing a story about an older Korean man who gave him a poor review. I thought the story was irrelevant and his response was defensive. He also stressed the importance of leaving him a review.
To be fair, his room is spacious and equipped with a comfy bed. There's iron, hair dryer, fan, heater, night light, etc. Too many amenities that won't allow Luis to include on the listing. Wifi was spotty in the bedroom although he reset it a couple of times. Kitchen has everything one needs to make a simple meal. Note that Luis has eggs allergy and he reminded me to wash the dishes/cutting board/pots thoroughly.
My lessons learned is to avoid listings that say smoking allowed as I can't control where hosts smoke. In addition, I'll also avoid listings that have cats as this one deemed to be too 'playful'.