Unfortunately our stay at your place was far from being acceptable. I have been travelling for two months now and travelled to 10 different countries and have yet to experience the level of unprofessionalism that was displayed in this situation. Here are a few points that are to be noted:
-Communication with the host was unproductive. He contacted me in advance to confirm my arrival time. Unfortunately, I was not aware of this until the day before. When I did confirm the time with the host, he responded asking a question, then I answered and never heard from him again to confirm if the time proposed was okay. Even the day of, I tried contacting the host, who would not answer messages, but did end up answering a phone call. Also, beware, the address provided in the ad is not the same as the one provided personally by the host.
-The check-in was unorganized. When we got a hold of the host, he said he would have to wait for him to take care of the cleaning before we got there. This was acceptable, because we wanted to access the place at noon, two hours before the official check-in time. The host told us he would contact us when he was ready. Eventually, we were contacted and made our way to his place. It was now 13:30. The host greeted us in his place, which was still dirty from the previous guests. He got our information and told us that we had to get out once the cleaning lady came. She arrived at 14:30. We finally were able to come back at 16:00. Displaying a check-in time of 14:00 and having the place cleaned two hours later is unacceptable. Next time, do not waste my time making me come to your place if it's not ready.
-Cleanliness was below average. This is after the cleaning lady had came. The sofa is stained and not very attractive for someone who would sleep on it. The ceiling has yellow stains, which didn't do us any harm, but just made the place look dirty. A broken iron was left on the ground in the closet. Why bother leaving it there if the wires are not even attached? Also, a bag of dirty laundry was left on the sofa when are arrived for the second time. Lastly, the whole apartment had a weird smell. We could not find the source, but not very pleasant.
These elements could all be improved by the host. Here are a few items worth mentioning for future visitors, that were out of the host's control:
-We believe the family living upstairs is training their baby/kid to become an marathon runner. Running can be heard until past midnight.
-Dogs in the neighbourhood can bark for hours.
Putting the negative experience aside, the apartment provides all the things you need. It includes microwave, stove, fridge and air conditioning. It is generally well located, being 10-20 minutes to the cities main attractions.
I would not recommend this place to my closest of friends, but you do get everything you need at a reasonable price. I wish the host can improve the controllable elements for upcoming stays. He was very nice and gave us recommendations for restaurants and activities.