The apartment is nicely decorated and the location is well connected. However, my 4 week stay was incredibly problematic, hampered by the incredibly disastrous management company, who were unable to resolve anything in an acceptable manner.
This stay was totally chaotic and ruined with so many issues, I honestly could not wait to leave. The problems began from day 1.
Firstly, the locks are a huge issue. There are 3 external locks and 3 on the internal main door. That's a total of 6 locks to get through every time you leave and enter. The check-in instructions are very poor, when I first checked in it took me 20 minutes to actually get inside because I had to try every single key in each lock, in different orders and each with different techniques. They really need to colour code the keys and give a better explanation. Someone else has left this recommendation before, so it appears they don't take suggestions onboard.
When I finally got inside I realised the apartment was totally different to the one listed (they have since updated the photos). I called them and they confirmed I was in the right place...no explanation was offered as to why the apartment and contents were totally different to the listing I booked.
The area is a little sketchy but it is well connected and the apartment itself was quite nicely decorated so I decided to stay. I soon regretted it when the numerous other issues continued to unfold.
There is a problem with the drains, they cause a disgusting smell that permeates the whole apartment. It seems to appear after a period of the shower/sinks etc not being used. Once they are used the smell seems to dissipate slightly, but the apartment has a constant bad smell, particularly in the bathroom. I informed the company of this over and over again. No solution was offered.
My biggest issue was with the locks. At one point one of the locks jammed, causing me to be locked inside the property for 17 hours without any food! Obviously this was an emergency situation, I had to chase and chase the company but very little was done. This culminated in me being locked inside, missing several meetings and obviously being in a very distressing situation. It wasn't treated as an emergency or taken very seriously. I was offered a very small compensation which didn't even cover my loss of earnings due to being LOCKED IN for 17 HOURS!
Another issue is the heating, I informed them very early in my stay that the thermostat was not working properly. They sent an engineer around who showed me a 'work around method', after another week it still hadn't been fixed properly. Again I had to chase and chase for a solution. Finally the engineer was sent back, however he broke the key in the lock. This led to further issues meaning now I was LOCKED OUT of the property for 2 hours. Again they took ages faffing around before doing anything. They are so incompetent that you have to chase them again and again for any kind of help. Honestly, they are such a disaster.
Further issues with the property include;
Lack of storage, only 2 clear shelves in the wardrobe, there is no hanging space free. The freezer and kitchen cupboards were also filled with expired food, I had to throw stuff away to make space.
The terrace umbrella got broken in the storm and was flying around causing noise and damage for the last week. I asked them over and over again for instructions on how to take it down, by the time they replied the umbrella had become totally destroyed in the wind. I tried to warn them of the issue and damage it was causing but nothing was done about it. It was making so much noise banging around that I had to sleep in the living room.
The apartment was not cleaned to the standard I would hope for, the pillows are so old they had turned brown. I washed them myself because they had a very pungent smell and looked rotten.
Privacy is an issue, the host has one of those ring doorbells, which I felt was a bit against my privacy. I didn't really like that the host is able to watch when you are coming and going. Not only this but you also feel watched by the neighbours, who asked me several times who I am. I did not really feel at home.
The street is very noisy at the front of the property, it seems that large groups of people often collect outside the property.
The bedroom is freezing cold, and it was especially bad when the heating was not working properly. The company should've prioritised broken heating but they took at least 2 weeks and a lot of chasing to resolve it.
This isn't even the end of the issues, it got to the point where I actually gave up even informing them of problems because they are totally incompetent. The apartment is well decorated and could be nice, however the management company is just a total disaster. If you decide to stay here just keep your fingers crossed nothing goes wrong, you do not want to have to deal with this company - they can not resolve anything. It's really a pity because it could have been a nice stay. I understand things go wrong and I can tolerate issues if they are resolved in a reasonable manner. This honestly got to the point I was wondering if I was being pranked, but nope they are just seriously incompetent.
I recommend the property owner finds a new management company. Until then I would advice anyone to do themselves a favour, skip this property and save yourselves a lot of hassle and drama!