This was our third Airbnb on our two week break and the other two put Bernardo to shame. Superhost he was not. We loved what we got from the others: a personal greeting, a tour of the property, a demonstration of how to access their Netflix (we had checked this with all three hosts), some suggestions on restaurants etc and some wine, beer and treats. Unfortunately we didn’t get any of these at this property. Firstly, we had difficulty getting a response when we asked about check-in. The stated response time of one hour was not followed. It was over 8 hours and required a reminder the first time. We agreed a time for check-in but only got the keybox password 30 minutes before the time. Other properties were telling us days in advance. No-one was there to meet us. The house smelled of smoke, there was no ‘welcome pack’ and the tv was not the one shown in the listing; it was about as small as you could get one these days and the sound was awful. Some people have mentioned the demand for the tourist tax. There were two sheets left on the table in Spanish which I presume to be about that. I have ignored them. Then, just to top it off we found 5 medium size pieces of glass and many small slivers on the rug and tiled floor. We were very lucky not to get cut feet and glass stuck in our feet. I think we paid £64 for cleaning. When I raised this with Bernat/Bernardo they explained that they dropped a glass air freshener on their way out. Sadly they didn’t do a proper clean and then maybe they would have met us and avoided all this. I don’t know why we didn’t get greeted like so many others did but we feel poorly treated.
The house has some amazing character and all of the amenities were as listed. However, maybe because it was end of season, the cushions and rug were soiled and in need of a good clean or replacement.
One review mentioned that 10 people stayed there. I would recommend a maximum of 6 and ideally 4. The sofas seat 4, the dining table seats 8 (if you don’t move your arms) and there is enough room for 2 around the ‘swimming pool’, which is no more than an oversized plunge pool.
The listing mentions that there is free parking on the premises. This is completely false. The property is in a narrow street (as most are in Binissalem) with no parking outside. Further down the one-way street there is space for parked cars but usually full. There is a car park with 12 spaces just down the road but it was invariably full. One day we parked half a mile away! We went in November, I can only imagine what it’s like in the summer.
Binissalem is a very quaint town and has quick and easy access to the west, north and east of the island so it’s an ideal central base.