Communication with Carmen was difficult. Although I specified on the Airbnb website that I wanted an English-speaking host, she doesn’t speak English. Communication prior to our stay seemed clear enough; however, check-in was a bit stressful. She had very specific things to tell me and had to keep calling a friend who speaks English to translate for me. Not fun.

We had agreed by email to meet in front of a supermercado on a particular street. I waited for almost 15 minutes, I sent her an SMS; nothing. I walked around the corner to tell my husband (who was waiting in the car because we could not find parking) that she wasn’t there, and there she was waiting. She was not in front of the supermercado, she was not even on the same street. Language barrier?

Carmen showed us the parking garage, which is a 12-minute walk from the apartment, much longer when you are loaded down with luggage. (We are in Spain for three months, and have quite a few things with us.) Only when we were in the apartment, after we brought the first load of luggage, did her English-speaking friend tell me that when we check out we can drive up to the apartment to load the luggage. What??? Why then couldn’t we do the same to unload the luggage? Because Carmen had told me it is impossible to drive to the apartment because it is in the historic district. Not true. You can drive there for just a few minutes to load and unload.

It is possible to drive to the apartment, but very difficult to find the right streets as there is much construction for the new metro system. Many of the roads are one-way, some have changed direction from what Google Maps knows, and some are closed altogether. Do not drive in the city! Drop your luggage at the apartment, drive to the garage, and leave the car during your stay. You don’t need it in Málaga. Everything is within walking distance of the apartment.

Even though the apartment is just outside the historic center, the neighborhood is very quiet. The bed is very comfortable, the air conditioner works well, and there is plenty of hot water. The internet also works very well, something we have not experienced everywhere in our travels through Spain.

The apartment is small, which is okay for a short stay or if you don’t plan to cook or spend much time in the apartment. It’s cute, nicely decorated, but not always very practical. For example, the stools at the dining table are cute but not comfortable; you wouldn’t want to stay at the table after eating. I recommend this apartment as long as you are aware of the limitations. And I hope you speak Spanish!