First off - I can tell you that the apartment is in a lovely wooded boulevard, with lots of cafes and a small shop just downstairs. The area is quite ‘latin’ in its flavour (lots of Columbian, Cuban, Latin restaurants). Very safe and the building is secure.
Many stairs to get to the flat but if you’re fit and healthy - not a big deal. The apartment is as it appears in the photos but is perhaps a little smaller than it looks. If you check the description though, the size of the apartment is clearly stated. It has airconditioning and all the usual stuff.
Secondly - I can tell you that we never actually stayed there.
Thirdly - I can tell you that Marcellus is an absolute legend!!
I made the error of misunderstanding the dimensions of his apartment and booked it for a full month before seeing it. When I arrived - it was clear that my terrible geometry meant that I had booked a place that my wife and I would not be able to stay in given our circumstances (this review is written during the Covid19 lockdown).
The place is very cool, clean and with everything you need - but was sadly just too small for my wife, my dog, and I, to live and work in for an extended period. I also have a large piece of metal holding my left leg together that means that while I can walk, I can’t carry stuff that well. So we would never have been able to get 3 months of luggage, cooking ingredients and accumulated living stuff - up the stairs.
The terms and conditions of Airbnb make clear that this was a non-refundable error on my part but thankfully, Marcellus was incredibly understanding and allowed us a refund of the majority of the amount we had paid.
I can’t tell you how grateful we are. Having been in total lockdown in Spain for three months as tourists who only intended to be here for a week - Marcellus’s flexibility, generosity and empathy have allowed our diminishing resources to stretch a bit further. We still don’t know how much longer we will need to be here.
Marcellus is a shining example of the spirit of Airbnb that sometimes gets lost in the media’s endless pursuit of drama and negative press. He could clearly have kept the money but he showed himself to be someone of real integrity and I am grateful for this.
His mum and dad are pretty cool too :)
Recommended stay and more than recommended host!!