Three of us are travelling together. Two of us are former Airbnb hosts. We’ve had wonderful experiences staying at 5 homes throughout Portugal, each different and well run. And most importantly, clean.
When we arrived in Madrid, we were excited. This was our most expensive property of our trip. The layout looked wonderful and the location was great.
Problems:
1.	The electronic locks didn’t work per the instructions. We see in other travellers’ reviews showed had the same problem. After flight delays and a long day of travel, we were standing in 103 degree heat and unable to enter the property for almost an hour. We had to go through the emergency line to get the hosts phone number and she, Ela, was able to let us in.
2.	We arrived to a filthy apartment. It was late. We were tired. The floors were dirty. The table tops, the kitchen counters, the bathrooms were just yuck. We spent a few hours cleaning the apartment, the floors, wiping down everything.
3.	The sheets had not been changed. We are three bald/short haired guys, two Black. There was long stringy brown hair in the sheets, and in the bathroom. We slept in dirty sheets and washed them the next day. Gross.
4.	Though promised, there was no dish soap. We were to meet friends for a late dinner. We could not find the iron (not in a logical place but buried under a vacuum in a bedroom closet). There was no washing powder for the washing machine. There were in Portugal.
5.	The word “spacious” is used to describe the apartment. The airbnb’s were truly spacious. This is tiny. In one bathroom, it is almost impossible to take a shower, it is so small (for a tall skinny man). The other bathroom has a weird partition door which forces you to step onto the curved part of the bathtub which is very slippery. This is an accident waiting to happen. The bedrooms are tiny. Spacious should not be used in the description.
6.	Other things: The closet door in the front room falls out of its tracks. Dangerous. The pleasant courtyard was dirty and that’s where the trashcans are stored. And, obviously it’s Madrid, there is no “beach” close by. The wording on their description is exaggerated and incorrect. There is a shortage of kitchen items. 2 wine glasses etc.
7.	Probably the most disturbing thing is the callous attitude of Ela, who we never met. We complained about the dirtiness.
Her response “Ela: Hi Tom, Both the sheets and the floor are cleaned every time someone leaves. Possibly a hair was left on the sheets. We do not understand that dirt where it came from.” This is a bold faced lie. The apartment had not been cleaned. If her definition of clean is a filthy place, then she should not be running an Airbnb.
8.	A second request was made to clean the apartment but again she refused to have the place cleaned.
The stay, other than the location, was a huge yucky disappointment.