Pros:
Maider was so kind and generous in renting me her space for only one person. She also didn’t mind when I decided to bring my boyfriend along and added him to the reservation! The home was comfortable, clean, convenient, and it is really in a perfect location for walking everywhere in Bilbao. The terrace was also really nice. To keep the apartment cool at night, I recommend leaving the terrace and windows open. We had no issues with bugs at all and the breeze made sure we could sleep comfortably. Maider checked in multiple times to make sure we had everything we needed during our stay, which was very appreciated.
Cons:
There is a lot of noise at night (people, vehicles, workers), so for someone struggling with jet lag it was disruptive. It is pretty typical in Spain to have people yelling and talking loudly late into the night and especially in popular areas, so this isn’t surprising but it is good to be aware of!
The hot water runs out very quickly. Showers were short and would get chilly within only 5 mins or so.
Upon arrival, my friend who lives in Bilbao dropped us off from the airport. She wanted to come see the apartment and help us settle in, so she came upstairs with us. Maider unfortunately mistook my friend as an unexpected guest and accused us of being dishonest about bringing another person without permission. This resulted in a very uncomfortable and frustrating 20 mins of repetitive back and forth. We told her multiple times that my friend was only dropping us off, but she didn’t believe us. Finally my friend convinced her and things went back to being friendly again. I really wish that Maider had asked us questions instead of accusing us of being dishonest. It wasn’t a great introduction to the house. We had been traveling since 5am and were exhausted, and this just added stress. I also didn’t like that my friend had to defend herself when she was doing us a favor by picking us up from the airport. I hope next time Maider will ask questions, explain her concerns, and be open to listening/discussing instead of making accusations that later need to be walked back.