Pros: The location is wonderful. The flat is above The Last Drop pub. The door to the flat is in between the two windows/doors for The Last Drop. This info might be helpful for the next guests as the photos in the check in information did not load for us once we were in Grassmarket. The flat did contain instant coffee, sugar and milk packets, and some biscuits.There was a tiny travel shampoo and conditioner. The bedroom was quiet. The central heating is nice. We had our Day 2 COVID test kits shipped to the Altido office which was convenient and secure and we picked them up from the office when it was open. Definitely do not have testing kits shipped to the flat itself. There are 2 priority Royal mail boxes in Grassmarket to drop your samples.
Cons: Self-check in is not convenient at all by most Airbnb standards. I have not experienced this before, but there is no lockbox at the flat. You have to pick up the keys from the Altido office AND also return them yourself (We stayed at other Airbnbs In town on the trip and their were normal lockboxes, so this is not a local regulation issue). This is not very ideal when you have three large suitcases. The office is technically a 15 minute walk away, but if you have been to old town Edinburgh, this means up and down many steep roads and staircases potentially. Incredibly annoying after already doing 20 hours of travel. The listing stated that the host will greet you. This will not happen. We even asked for them to meet us and they said no. Altido is requiring guests to pick up keys “due to COVID”. We recommend getting an Uber with one stop at the Altido office along the way. To even get the check in information, you must receive a message from Altido with a link to complete a guest info form. Make sure you do this while you have cell service or WI-FI. This is also where you will find the house manual. The lockbox was very hard to get open upon returning the keys. The code didn’t seem to work but really there were so many sets of keys in the box it was overflowing. Listing says “luxury linens”. The main bed has ONE flat sheet, not even a fitted sheet. You also have to pay $15 EXTRA to get “linens” for the sleeper sofa. $15 for a flat sheet I suppose. There were no washcloths for the shower (only large towels), or dish towels or paper towels in the kitchen. We booked for 3 nights and ended up moving to a different Airbnb after night 1 due to the bed. We were refunded the 2 nights, so this is a heads up especially for couples. The “king” bed is 2 twins pushed together. The mattresses theoretically zip together, but this doesn’t prevent the Mariana Trench situation in the middle of the bed. Trust me, we tried stuffing the crack with blankets. The listing does mention that the beds can be split apart for a 2-twin configuration, but it obviously doesn’t state that when in the “King” configuration, that it’s uncomfortable and don’t plan to sleep in the middle of the bed. We were refunded for the 2 nights lost and Altido didn’t fight us on this, but just want to give a heads up because the discomfort was a huge surprise for us as no previous reviews mentioned it. And working to get moved with customer support was time lost on our vacation. I hope they remedy this with a thick/firm mattress topper or something. During our stay, there was a thin mattress cover (for cleanliness, not comfort) under the flat sheet that did nothing for the crack unfortunately. There is no dresser but there is a wardrobe with hangars and some baskets where pillows are stored. You could take those out and put in your clothes. otherwise, clothes will be in your suitcase on the floor.