And elderly couple and myself spent one night here on our way out of Spain after having had a breakneck pace of travel throughout the country. Our plan was to leave the next morning for the airport. We arrived around 4 PM and Chamel was the kind young lady who insured or check in was smooth and free of any problems.
The place is amazingly clean, better than any other that I saw in Spain. It’s also very neatly put together in terms of amenities and documentation related to appliances. The air conditioning worked really well, as did the stove top, and the washer/dryer although we did not use the washer. The Dishwasher was compact and looked easy to run. The beds and towels were nicely laid out, the Wi-Fi worked well, and Hot water was plentiful! Bathrooms were well laid out and easily accessible.
Chamel called me a few minutes after we arrived in the apartment to ask if everything was in order. Nice touch. When we were leaving to run some errands around 4:30 PM she asked if we needed anything for the following day and I told her we would need a cab. After some discussion we agreed that we would most likely need a cab 7:45 AM and she was kind enough to arrange for that offering me a telephone number to call in case we need to make some changes to the timing. All these were extraordinarily thoughtful gestures and I was grateful.
The only challenges we faced were as follows:
1. Around 930/10 PM at night after talking to the airlines and reading some information on the web we discovered that we’d have to leave by 7:15 AM the following morning rather than at 7:45 which we had originally thought. When I called the number on the card that Chamel had given me, it turned out the number was in Madrid and the gentleman said he was not able to make any change to the cab pick up time if in fact it had been ordered for me. He didn’t even know which cab company to call. After literally begging him for several minutes he agreed to try and figure out what he could do. Eventually, it seems he contacted Chamel and determined the cab company and then changed the pick up time to 7:15 AM. While he was kind enough to do so, there should have been an easier way to prevent the anxiety and stress the 3 of us faced not knowing what would happen the next morning. Most Airbnb hosts are accessible to their guests, esp for emergencies. I’m not suggesting that Chamel herself should’ve been available, rather there should be a phone number for such questions/arrangements and/or emergencies. The phone number provided to me was evidently not the one.
2. It would’ve also been helpful if there was some dishwasher detergent available in the apartment so that we could have run a load of dishes in the washer. Unfortunately we had to leave many of the dishes in the dishwasher unwashed and had to wash some cups and plates by hand because there weren’t enough for the three of us for three meals.
With those two issues addressed this would be a place I would recommend and also come back to if I am in BCN again.
Thanks Chamel and Ana for your kindness and hospitality; you made the difference.