I don't want to rant too much, so i'll get straight to the point after a small bit. My arrangement with Antonio started off great. And I can't stress that Antonio (the host) is not the problem, but the flatmates I had to share the home with. With that said, here are the cons and pros.
CONS:
- My room was next to the main door. Seven other flatmates would slam the door sometimes, and it's a bother especially in the early morning.
- Not all the flatmates were clean, and so the kitchen and bathroom tiles would get dirty. I was not going to be cleaning after them all the time (I clean after myself, though). For example, someone peed on the toilet (did not bother cleaning up after that), hair left on the sink after shaving, black smudges on kitchen and bathroom tiles, piled dishes. What was the last straw was when I discovered shattered glass shards (tiny pieces) in the kitchen and no one bothered to let the whole house know to be careful. (This is the kind of flatmate I had to live with).
- Air condition would shut off every hour due to security reasons.
PROS:
- Close to Arguelles and Moncloa (yellow line) Metro stations.
- Bus stops around the block
- Whole Foods several blocks down
- A liquor store right at the corner
- Several banks right at the corner
- Below is a restaurant/bar
- Several blocks down is a Cortes Ingles and several other shopping areas.
Basically, the place is quite convenient and I think was centrally located to the point it was easy to travel around. So, A+ for the convenience, good communications with the host, and some of the amenities. It's just the flat mates I had a problem with. Like the girl in one of the rooms whom I had kindly asked not to smoke in her room if she can't contain the smoke to her room. I mean, I smoke too, but I smoke outside because it's the respectful thing to do. As a smoker, I don't need to be living in an ashtray too! The smoke travelled into the main hall, and so the other tenants (non-smokers) and myself would smell it in the hall! DISGUSTING. Furthermore, this persisted even after the host had reminded the whole house that it is in the contract -- NO SMOKING.
It's not a bad place, it's just that my particular experience was like this. And again, Antonio is a great host.