The location of the apartment was ideal, however check in and communication with the company was horrific. Since our train was coming in late, we opted to pick up the keys for self check in at a storage place about 20 minutes away. Collecting the keys wasn’t an issue. However, when we checked in at 23:00 at night, we couldn’t find the correct door. In Catalan, the address literally means “top floor” but none of us spoke Catalan and we were not given any instruction by the hosts on where to find our apartment. We reached out to the company on WhatsApp but didn’t receive an answer for about an hour. We then attempted to contact the emergency phone number we were given, but this number needs to be updated as the man who picked up had no idea who we were, wasn’t aware of any affiliation with Airbnb, and promptly hung up on us twice. Luckily we used trial and error to find the right door and get in but the late response from the company on WhatsApp and the lack of help from the emergency line made it difficult to receive any support.
Once in, we went outside to check out the balcony. When you are outside, do NOT close the door, or else you will get locked out. This is not information we were notified about until after we were locked on the balcony and prompted the company with our texts first through WhatsApp. The lovely neighbor who helped us get back in the apartment said this had happened numerous times before and begged us to communicate to the Airbnb hosts that this is a continuous problem that requires clearer communication. We were only able to get back in through a series of lucky events, such has having the keys on my person, having left the front door to the apartment unlocked, being able to communicate to the neighbor in Spanish, and having the neighbor be so lovely as to help us. I am not sure what we would have done otherwise.
Additionally, the apartment lacked some necessities that we had to supply on our own, most importantly toilet paper and paper towels. We had no idea we would need to buy these items as most, if not all, airbnbs would supply these basic amenities.
The apartment itself was clean (aside from a few ants around, but nothing crazy), spacious, and in a good location. The balcony was a nice touch when you aren’t locked out. The place itself has potential to be an enjoyable stay, but the communication with the hosts and company need drastic improvement in order to be worth the value of the listing.