The Pros: Rosa accommodated our request for an early check-in, her friend Alex who met us in the apartment to give us the keys and information about the place and area was very helpful and informative, Rosa promptly responded when we messaged her, the place was spacious, clean, and it was quiet.
The Cons: The biggest con was a very foul odor like something was rotting that went throughout the apartment. At first we thought maybe the guest before us cooked something with garlic, or maybe no one had stayed in the apartment recently and it just needed to air out. But we opened windows for hours and it didn't help. We reached out to Rosa and she said she was aware of the smell and that it was from the pipes, that when it has not rained for a long time they smell and that because the place isn't used daily the pipes get dry. She admitted that she needs to find a solution for the unpleasant odor. She suggested we flush water down the drains and used a deodorizer under the sink. We flushed all the drains and it helped at first, but when we left the apartment for the day with the windows closed and AC turned off as requested when not in the apartment, the smell built back up again and we came home to sleep to it. This went on for two days of our three night stay. Finally on the third day it began to fade a little, but ultimately always came back again when we left for the day- all the way up until check out.
We were disappointed that she was aware of the problem but rented it out to us anyway. It was foul enough that we had no desire to cook in the kitchen where it was the strongest. It was not just a sewer gas smell, it was more rotten smelling. It would have been nice if she would have even tried to compensate us in some way for the trouble of living with the odor or for having to go throughout the apartment during our vacation flushing out drains. Even if she had offered to cover the tax that you are charged once you arrive and are asked to pay in cash, it may have been something. But to admit there is a known problem and to just say sorry, hope it was comfortable enough anyway, didn't feel fair. So although there were many other positives and she seems like a kind person, we cannot recommend staying there util she finds a solution to the problem.
Also wanted to note the WIFI connection was weak in many rooms of the apartment. One of us had to do a Zoom call for example and got a message that the connection was poor. So it may not be good if you have to do any video conferencing.