I really enjoyed staying at Hamza's apartment for 4 weeks. Pros and cons of the apartment:
Pros:
- Amazing location with a balcony and look-out onto Plaza Mayor, right in the heart of the city
- In spite of location, noise was never a problem for me. You'll hear the same accordion player and baseline crowd noise throughout the day, but when the balcony door/window is closed, it's not loud. At night when going to sleep with the balcony door and shutter closed and fan/AC on, I never had a problem going or staying asleep. I don't believe Plaza Mayor is that loud at night in general compared to other nearby areas.
- Seems newly renovated with oven/microwave combo, induction stovetop, new refrigerator, cabinets, shelving, washing machine (no dryer), etc.
- Very large closets (armoires) with more than enough room for 1 or 2 people
- kitchen is stocked with the basics utensils, plates, pans, pots, and bowls
- Air conditioning works very well and the apartment has 2 units, so you won't be hot on those summer days
- Good internet connection for basic streaming or video chat. I never had any lag or problems.
- Nice large shower with hot water.
Cons:
- You do have to climb 3 stories to reach the apartment which I didn't mind, but if you have a lot of luggage or can't do stairs, this may not be the place for you. No elevator.
- The shower drain tended to clog up a little unless I was cleaning out the hair filter daily. It never completely clogged and when I cleaned it out daily, it seemed to be fine.
- No traditional bed or couch, but rather, a pull-out type hybrid framed with wood and with throw pillows for a backrest. That said, the mattress was very comfortable for me and I had no problems sleeping. It may work worse as a couch than a bed since there aren't back or arm cushions, just the pillows.
- the table and accompanying chairs were very awkward. The table is tall, but so are the chairs, with the seat of the chairs almost at the same height which made it impossible for me to use them. Luckily, there was a chair outside on the balcony that I brought in to use at the table with a pillow which worked adequately at the tall table since I am tall.
That sums it up well. Overall, definitely 5/5 with the few quirks mentioned above.
Of note, the apartment does seem to be in a pod of 2 others that are most likely being rented on airbnb as well. You enter a tiny entry-way type hall/room from the main door opening to the stairwell. Then, you have another key to open the apartment. I hardly ever crossed paths with anyone there though.