Sadly, this was an unusually disagreeable Airbnb experience and, as such, warrants the only negative review I have submitted on this site over a decade of enjoyable and memorable stays.
The apartment in question is misrepresented in the listing, its host is inordinately discourteous, and the property is insecure: to such a degree, in fact, that we opted to leave within hours of arriving for what had been planned as a six-day stay. This decision involved the risk of losing our entire payment, which should communicate our level of unease. We have formally complained to Airbnb, and violations on the part of the host have since been verified. I would be remiss if I did not mention that our own ratings as guests in all instances over ten years have been uniformly excellent.
For starters, the host (who did not appear in person, having left a key under the doormat) requested via chat that we misrepresent who we were (and the reason for our presence in the building) to any neighbors who might inquire. The host insisted that we purport to be 'friends visiting from the university'. Why? Such a request has obvious repercussions in relation to guests' own sense of security. It creates immediate doubt with respect to the legitimacy -- or not -- of their stay at the property, given that many buildings have covenants prohibiting Airbnb, and many buildings have related disputes among neighbors. If there is no dispute in the building, then why would the host suggest that we misrepresent who we are and why we are there? The only logical conclusion for the guest in this situation is that something is amiss in the building.
Another security issue: the host would not provide a key to lock the open terrace door. This large rooftop terrace is physically accessible from other parts of the roof system, which in turn is linked to other buildings on the block. All of these roof systems offer multiple entry/egress points (i.e., doors, windows, other terraces). It is not unreasonable, given the architecture, to prefer to lock the exterior terrace door when out of the apartment or asleep.
My straightforward request for the key to lock the terrace door was met, however, with passive-aggressive rhetoric: 'Madrid is a safe city', 'we've never had a problem', etc. It was as if my polite request were an unusual buden. While the host's acceptance of the risk of the open door when in residence may be a fine personal choice, this choice should be irrelevant to the preferences of the guest. A lock clearly exists on the door and for good reason. One should be able to have access to its corresponding key. And why the absolute, curious insistence that this door remain unlocked?
Two adult guests were listed on the reservation, but only one key was provided. Offering two keys in such a scenario would seem a common-sense courtesy, and so a polite request was sent via chat in this regard. In a large city and when individuals have different work and/or leisure itineraries, It can be a great inconvenience to have to coordinate coming-and-going from a residence around the limiting variable of a lone key. Nonetheless, my seemingly reasonable request was again met with passive-aggressive responses -- never had such an unusual idea been suggested (!); why would a couple not be traveling together at all times?, etc. (!)
The amenities formally listed for the apartment and what is available in reality simply do not match up. There is no 'in unit' clothes dryer. Why, then, is it on the listing? The piano is not a piano. The listed freezer was unusable, 100% packed from wall to wall with the host's stored food. Reasonable and politely-worded queries concerning the use of the freezer were again met with passive-aggressive responses. In a tersely worded directive, we were duly ordered by the host to purchase 'fresh food' at local markets. Why should we need to use the freezer? Is it, in fact, the host's prerogative to determine guests' dietary and/or medical needs? Is it so unreasonable to wish to use a freezer during a heat wave?
There is no bona fide designated workspace in the apartment, as formally listed. If the workspace is meant to be the awkward kitchen table placed within inches of the stove-door opening and within the very radius of the fridge door’s pathway as it opens, then this is at best a very misleading categorization of this particular piece of furniture. Moreover, the use of a bedroom dresser is listed as a feature of the apartment. However, 75% of its drawers are stuffed full of the host's personal property.
The terrace, a (if not, the) main feature of the apartment, is unreasonably dirty: in need of a deep clean and replacement covers for (or laundering of) its massively stained sofa/chair cushions. Dirt, dust, mud, and debris abound in this outdoor space. To say that it has not been properly cleaned in years is not hyperbole. In relation to cleanliness, moreover, it should be noted the unusual mosquito net that hangs above the bed is covered with dust and other allergens and -- in more ways than one -- is a genuine obstacle to a good night's sleep.
If the host wishes to make the apartment more convenient for future guests, then a natural choice might also be to remove at least some of the clutter from tables and other surfaces throughout the space. Barring the kitchen counter and table, there is simply nowhere to place small objects in the whole apartment, including in the bathroom. Also, given that window coverings are formally listed as a feature of the apartment, the host might also consider purchasing curtains or blinds for the full wall of floor-to-ceiling windows leading out to the terrace -- that is, the vast majority of the windows in the apartment and the most visually exposed area of the property.
This is a fair and objective review written by