Two couples and one child stayed in this well-equipped apartment in Zarautz. Overall we were not satisfied with the quality of upkeep of the apartment, but with a few problems solved it could be an excellent option. As it stands, it was too expensive for what it was. Since it is managed by a company (rather than the owners), small things that a resident would notice go unfixed or unaddressed. Also, it is a major inconvenience to have to go to Zumaia, a town 30-min drive away, to pick up the keys. Not recommended if you're using public transport.
Positives:
Great location - in a pleasant building, with a playground and nice community feeling. A pleasant 15-min walk to the beach (a bit longer with a small child). If you can, rent a bicycle - Zarautz is full of bike lanes and it would have been the best way to get around. Also very close to a giant supermarket, Eroski, with vast food and drink selection, plenty of fresh bread and fruit and vegetables, but also beach chairs...flip flops...TV sets if you need!
Free, secure parking spot inside the building. Otherwise it would have been difficult to find parking.
Well-equipped: dishwasher, washing machine, plenty of kitchen equipment, etc. We struggled to find the drying racks for clothing - they are on the balcony of the bedroom with two single beds, behind a door. There is also a secret beach umbrella here!
Plenty of storage - if you like to unpack your clothes you will have lots of places to put them!
Good communication: when we asked for something or requested for a fix, Basque Stay replied promptly and addressed our fixable complaints.
Negatives:
The apartment was superficially cleaned, but needs more attention.
-Major amounts of dust underneath the furniture - triggered a dust allergy in one guest - and visible dust on some of the furniture.
-The rugs seem not to have been vacuumed in a long time.
-The furniture is decent quality but many of the upholstery has old stains.
-When we arrived, the dishwasher was full and it was not clear whether it was clean or dirty...
-Most alarmingly, there were moths and moth coccoons on the ceilings of most of the rooms. We informed the hosts and hopefully these will be treated before future guests arrive.
Some small things are broken or slightly out of whack - the door of one shower, the knob to change from bath to shower in the other bath. The clothes drying racks are rusty.
Wifi is only strong in the living room. It does not reach the master bedroom or child's bedroom.
The bed in the master bedroom is incredibly hard and uncomfortable (other beds were fine).
We did travel with a child so the third bedroom "two single beds" being children's beds was fine for us. That room would not be appropriate for two adults.
For such an expensive apartment, certain basics are missing. There is no soap or shower gel for the showers, not even salt in the kitchen (let alone olive oil or any other basics). We left some basics for the next guests. We did have enough toilet paper, and Basque Stay brought dishwasher tablets and dish towels when we requested it.