Positives- decent price. Not too far from Santa Cruz. Great host.
Reviewers are correct. This is a “quirky” apartment option.
This is an apartment probably best suited for someone younger, with perfect mobility (and night vision! 😊.) We booked last minute and this was as close as we could get to my preferred Santa Cruz neighborhood right after Easter.
The price is reasonable for having some privacy among different rooms. Nice to have a small kitchen and we appreciated the tea and coffee pods Rafael provided.
As a couple, we are unable to sleep in a small full-sized bed, so we slept separately on different levels in the twin bed near the toilet and the full bed at the foot of the downstairs. The apartment is actually three levels.
This bed situation was my fault, not Rafael’s, as he advertised a “double bed,” which in my experience in Europe has often meant two twins pushed together, which basically is comfortable enough for two people. In this case, it is the equivalent of an American full-size bed, but for us, uncomfortable.
This apartment is *definitely* not for someone who does not have excellent mobility. Steps at night down to the bedroom definitely could benefit from a stair night light.
First floor is the tiny kitchen and very small living area. It’s step up is to a small area with a twin bed next to the toilet. There’s a very small closet in that room. No dressers or other storage.
I left the apartment a mess...cut my foot on the last step last night because it’s too dark and steep to see at night without caring a flashlight or leaving the apartment light on, especially that last step near the bed. Perhaps It was just my clumsiness in the middle of the night going upstairs to the bathroom, but I am on my second day of antibiotic cream and Band-Aid with a pretty badly cut foot so that did not make me happy. I also have a huge ugly purple bruise across my entire upper arm where I tripped on the step going up to the twin bed next to the toilet and fell against the wall while Rafael was showing us the apartment initially.
However, Rafael is an EXCELLENT, responsive host. Graciously left some fruit for us on arrival and very kindly took us to the train station at the end for which we were grateful.
For the right guests, this apartment is a good option. We noticed that he is booked most of the time, so many people are quite satisfied.
For us, a mature couple, it was a challenge with the steps to the kitchen, bedroom and the bathroom and the downstairs very vertical spiral staircase to a full bed.
The apartment was clean.
We felt safe here.
Very unpleasant smell of sewage on the first floor did not reach his apartment.
While I would not stay here again, for the right guests, I highly recommend Rafael with his kindness, generosity by taking us to the station, and great responsiveness when we were arriving from Madrid and had a question about the apartment.