Lower your expectations.
Before my rant, I will say the host was quick to respond to any questions, but this apartment was too far gone for any type of quick fix.
I want to start by first saying this is the only time I’ve ever left a negative review on airbnb, before this I always shared the good experiences when living in someone else’s home. But I cannot allow other travelers/nomads/groups/families to walk into this place without first telling them what our group experienced.
As soon as you climb the 67 treads up the staircase you are met with what I presume is the owner's clutter on both sides of the staircase. This includes multiple pairs of shoes, litter boxes/transport boxes, plants, etc. Weird, we thought.
After walking into the place you’ll be met with shoes that are not yours, and a dark interior from the lack of lights that simply have no lightbulb, or maybe they have burnt out.
The Kitchen. A very unorganized space whose cabinets are filled to the brim with no order or purpose. Stuff is just simply put anywhere it can fit. The fridge has half eaten food and freezer has food that does not belong to us. The dishwasher was full of dishes. There is a paper bag stuffed into a hole in the ceiling. The only cooking pot has one handle, so it is very hard to cook with when it has boiling water in it.
The Living Space. Probably the only area you would want to spend any time in. The table is comfortable to work from and the light that comes through the large window is nice. But alas, this room has its own quirks. A light fixture hangs to the roof by a zip-tie, no lightbulb. Paint is chipping off the ceilings, as well as cobwebs fill the corners. There is a pet fish as well…I guess that is our responsibility to take care of. The couch that sits in the living room is so uncomfortable that we avoided it throughout the stay. This room gets very dark at night as there are only small lamps that do a bad job at providing lighting to the room. The area is the only space where the already weak wifi can reach. Be careful with the washing machine as you are supposed to take the drainage hose and run it into the bathroom sink for drainage. We did not know this, or was told about this…so a small flooding occurred shortly after starting the washing machine. Thankfully we were still in the apartment, so we were able to stop the washing machine before the flooding got to the point that it would ruin our belongings (because remember the floor is the only available space to put our stuff). The remainder of the washing was done by hand in the bathtub.
The Rooms. The theme of cobwebs and uncomfortable places to sit/laydown are here in the rooms as well. Only now the bedrooms have a presence of mold in the corners. This was delicately left out of the photos on the listing. The rooms offer nothing but a rack to hang clothes on, as all the drawers are stuffed to the brim with the owners belongings. This is the first time we have come across condoms in an airbnb listing, first time for everything I guess. The wifi has a very hard time reaching the bedrooms, a surprise, because I was told “wifi is fast no problem while working.” The rooms are generally very warm temperature wise.
The Bathroom. Oh my. Never have I come across a bathroom that makes it look like the owner is still living there with us. Toothbrushes that were not ours, and various toiletry items took up the entirety of this bathroom. We had to buy a candle for the bathroom because it had a pretty bad stench. The result of the washing machine drainage hose that is draining into the sink I suppose. But this candle served to be a good purchase because when the light would go out in the bathroom for minutes at a time, you could do your business by candlelight. Romantic.
Conclusion. A lot of the problems/issues/quirks of the apartment could have been forgiven if the host was forthcoming in the first place about them. “Like hey the washing machine will flood if the drainage hose is not put in the bathroom sink” or “there is a bunch of mold in the apartment, so if health is a priority for you, maybe find a better place” or lastly “beware I also live here so my stuff and belongings are everywhere and stuffed into every available space.”
I regret staying throughout the duration of the stay, but accommodation was hyper expensive everywhere else. I hope these issues can be resolved as the location of the airbnb is the only thing going for it at the moment.
I can not recommend this listing to anyone.