It's apparent Ola Living is a short-term rental property management firm. But that doesn't mean they don't deliver a solid product. Our stay was very comfortable, the apartment clean and exactly as described, and the location simply can't be beat if you're looking to be in the heart of the tourist areas. As with anything, there were both pluses and minuses. I'll start with the minuses then wrap up with the pluses.
Minuses:
- As others have mentioned, key collection and passport copying is done at a central office that was about a 15-minute bus ride form the property. We'd read this prior to our trip so it wasn't a surprise, but it DOES mean you'll have to make a stop first. If you're coming from far away, that's the last thing you want to do after a long plane ride. Again, though, we knew what we were getting into, so it wasn't a big deal.
- We were in the apartment on the 3rd floor, which can be a bit of a climb if you're not prepared for it, or are not accustomed to climbing stairs. There *is* an elevator, but it only goes to the first floor (not the ground floor) so you'll be climbing stairs regardless. The stairwell, like most in Europe's older buildings, isn't very wide and some of the steps are of varying heights. This is not an apartment for anyone with mobility issues.
- The apartment was exactly as described, but I'm not sure I'd expect more than 2 people to stay there reasonably. There is one double and two single/twin beds in two bedrooms, but with only one, very small bathroom, there's no way more than two (maybe three) adults will be able to enjoy the apartment without frequently having to use the bathroom at the same time or constantly waiting for someone to be done showering.
- The furniture is showing some wear-and-tear. The beds in the all the rooms made a lot of noise just from sitting on them or getting up, let alone anything else you might want to do. The living/dining room furniture is fine, but will likely need to be replaced soon.
- The water from the shower leaks out through under the shower door. This was remedied by using the handheld shower wand instead of the showerhead, and everything was fine.
- There were absolutely no bathroom amenities insomuch as shampoo, extra toilet paper, or anything other than handsoap. Make sure to swing by a SPAR or other convenience store to pick up the essentials.
Pluses:
- The place is exactly as shown in the pictures. There were no unpleasant surprises.
- The decoration is very touristy, but in a fun, kitschy way. We enjoyed it, and I think others will too.
- All the applianced in the home worked perfectly. We used everything but the oven, and had no problems. There's even a washer/dryer, which made it much easier to pack for a 7-day trip with weather that might be all over the place. As with most European washers/dryers, read the instructions and make sure you're aware that a load might take 3 hours, and your clothes will still be wrinkled. That's in no way the fault of Ola Living, just something that's true in general.
- Whoever cleans the apartments did a great job. The place was immaculate and we couldn't have asked for a cleaner apartment.
- The apartment was very warm and inviting, and made for a very pleasant work/personal trip.
As I said before, we overall really enjoyed our stay and would absolutely stay again.