This is a very challenging review to write… because while the host, Carla, was not directly at fault; most of the problems were the result of her being an absentee host who doesn’t have a strong system to support her guests.
I stayed in this room for 3 days, and from the beginning to the end, I did not feel comfortable in the shared apartment. The room is in an apartment with 5 other bedrooms, though I only interacted with 3 people during my time there. Two of the house members did my check-in in a very haphazard manner, including nearly forgetting to tell me that the bedroom door locks automatically when closed, so I must keep the key on me at all times— a very important detail that should’ve been included in the host’s written check in instructions / house rules!
Additionally, one of the two people who did my check-in actually lived / slept in the living room, which was not disclosed to me at any point before my arrival. That meant I was awoken early when he had some friends over from 7-9 AM on a weekday for an “after party” after a night out, drinking, playing music, and chatting loudly. Then the next night, he turned off all the lights in the common area at 9 pm and went to sleep. Given that the bathroom, toilet, and kitchen all branch off the living room, I was caught off-guard and unable to make use of the common areas at a reasonable evening hour.
Also, I was told that there would be a kitten in the apartment before booking, but what I didn’t expect was for it to sneak into my room (bed, closet, suitcase) whenever I would leave the bedroom open for a few minutes to go to a common area. As I have minor cat allergies, I made consistent effort to lead the cat out of my room each time; by day 2, I realized I would have to close my bedroom door (and take the key because the door automatically locks) every time I went to a common area for a few moments. My last night there, I was abruptly awoken and kept awake from 3 to 4 AM by the cat loudly meow-ing and aggressively scratching only my door, which felt like straight out of a horror movie. I'm not sure if the cat belongs to Carla, but its obsession with my room was unbelievable.
What I expected in staying in this apartment was that the common areas might not be clean given how many people share the unit, and that unfortunately turned out to be true. I expected that there might be noise with people frequently coming in and out of the apartment, and that also was true. I expected that sharing the bathroom, kitchen, and toilet would require some patience / taking turns, and that was true as well. I was not prepared for all of the additional unexpected encounters, which really made this my least pleasant Airbnb experience to date.
P.S. The wifi connection was also very weak and cut in and out; so if you're working while traveling (like me), you will have to go to nearby cafes for a good connection.
P.P.S. Carla's bedroom faces a plaza with restaurants open until 12 AM, and the windows offer little soundproofing. My second night, after the restaurants closed, a large group of teenagers were in the plaza playing techno music until 1:30 AM.