Wednesday 20 February 2013

Milan and how (not) to choose the perfect accomodation on Airbnb

View of Milan from Il Duomo 

A few friends and I went to Milan on the first weekend of February and despite a few obstacles we encountered on site, it turned out to be if not a fun weekend, a memorable one.

Everyone on Facebook and IRL assured me that Milan was Italy's ugly ducking city. A thriving industrial, fashion, and economic centre? Yes, but not nearly as quaint or as beautiful as say Rome or Florence. My friends and I decided to be posh and rent an apartment via Airbnb rather than stay at a hostel, like commoners... I guess. Gemma and I had done it a week earlier in Paris and we still remember it as the most comfortable stay we've had outside a hotel. Unfortunately, our Milan experience was quite the opposite. The apartment was absolutely beautiful but our host Andrea turned out to be a bit of a scammer who tried to collect a 540  security deposit after we left.  

I got a bad feeling when our host's mother - not him - received us. We got settled in though and proceeded to explore the city. When we returned, and after multiple tries, we couldn't open the door, our host couldn't open the door, and his mother couldn't open the door. The key just would not turn, the lock was completely stucked. After about a pointless hour of mother and son trying to open the obviously jammed door, we were advised to wait at a nearby McDonalds while the locksmith arrived and did his job. Classy as always, my friend and I got really drunk on gin and tonic while we waited (read more about it here). 


After about 1h30, we were able to enter the apartment and even had a reckless night out. The rest of the trip went smoothly, although we were not able to lock the door during our stay. Andrea was very nice throughout the ordeal and even offered us a reimbursement for the first night - which we never got! Imagine the surprise when the girl who had booked everything on her card got an email from Airbnb saying that Andrea was claiming 540  for the dammages. 

I called Andrea with the hopes that it was some communication problem. It was not. He claimed that the locksmith had charged him 540 € and that the jamming of the door had been our fault because they had allegedly found a piece of the key in the lock. As far as I can recall, the key looked intact before we handed over to them. He sounded very determined to get "his money back". I bet I sounded just as determined to keep it. He said he understood we were poor students and suggested we go 50-50 on the alleged cost of the locksmith and "solve the problem between us" without the help of Airbnb... He then sent us his bank information and assured us that he would withdraw the deposit claim when he received his 270 € payment. In my opinion, he shot himself in the foot by asking us to do a direct deposit. Thankfully we knew better than to do that -- we had no guarantee that he would in fact withdraw the 540 € claim. 


We wrote back to Airbnb, contesting his claim. We explained everything that happened including his failure to provide us with a reimbursement and his outrageous request of a 270 € direct deposit. Luckily, Airbnb agreed with us and they dropped the case. He was obviously just trying to make an extra buck. 


I have gone back to using Airbnb without any mishap since this unfortunate experience but I have developed some rules so that this never happens again. I have outlined them below. 


Things to look for when choosing Airbnb accomodations: 



  1. Location - google map it!
  2. The description - the longer the better! It's a good sign if a host has gone through the trouble of writing an extensive description of the room and the services they offer. Do take the time to read everything, otherwise don't act surprised if you get there and there's a cat or you have to share a bathroom or there's no breakfast.
  3. Photos - the more the better! This is another sign of how much effort the host has put into. If you're renting a room, it's nice to have a look at what the rest apartment looks like.  
  4. References - read them thoroughly and read between the lines. If there's more than a negative one and they both point out the same things, better not take the risk. It's not like it's free.
  5. Type of accommodation - I prefer renting a room or rooms than a whole apartment because if anything goes wrong, your host will be there. It's also more likely that breakfast is included
  6. Fees - make sure you read if there are any cleaning fees or damages deposit added to the price.
Have you had any negative experiences on Airbnb or have anything to add? Post in the comment section below.



Tuesday 12 February 2013

Euskalherria 2012


Current Basque Country Region in yellow, in the border between Spain and France

The Basque Country Region (or Euskal Herria) is nested within the "Atlantic Pyrenees" department in France, and the "Basque Country and Navarra autonomous communities in Spain. Is an aspiring nation defined, amongst other things, by their amazing food, well-kept traditions, a helluva complicated language (Euskera), and an ongoing fight for independence. 

I have been lucky enough to visit the French and Spanish Basque country in numerous occasions and it is by far my favourite place in Western Europe. The weather is not extreme, the beaches are not too crowded in the summertime, and the food is always amazing and cheap. I will take the Basque Country over anywhere on the Mediterranean any day. Did I mention the food is incredible? 

If you are travelling there, don't worry if you don't speak Euskera! Most people speak either French or Spanish depending on which side you are visiting and signs are always in both Euskera and French/Spanish. 

1. Pasaia

I first visited the Basque Country in 2007 to visit my aunt and baby cousin. They live in a tiny port town called Pasai Donibane which is about 20 minutes away from the more bourgeois San Sebastian. I recommend going there for a day-trip and visit the Santa Ana hermitage, going on a walk along the water and check out the main square. If you are a Victor Hugo fan, he lived there and there is a museum dedicated to him. If you are looking to have a drink and some food, I would go to:

Txulotxo
-- Basically in the Main Square, you'll see it. Their food is delicious, especially the calamari. 

San Juandarra
-- Definitely a very popular bar. You'll see bits of the history of the Basque Country and if you speak spanish, anyone would be happy to talk to you there.

Bar Restaurante Juantxo SL
-- For a very local, popular atmosphere, this bar is at the very entrance of Pasai Donibane. 



There's also a cute bar in front of the church on the main road, there's only one church and one main road so I'm sure you'll find it!



Pasai Donibane viewed from Pasai San Pedro

The main Square
This is me on a boat on my way to Pasai San Pedro, Pasai Donibane's rival town across the port





TO BE CONTINUED.... IN THE MEANTIME SOME PHOTOS: 
2. Lezo









3. San Juan de Luz 













4. San Sebastian














Outfit Reviews for December - February

I'm sorry I've neglected this blog so much. I've been very lazy and so busy hoping from one place to another #SoHumble. Ok, the main reason I've stopped dropping posts is because my internet sucked until 2 days ago. It has taken about 4 months to get a technician from France Telecom to come fix whatever was wrong with my wifi signal. Classic France. I have also been really busy with my job, I'm telling you those kids are going to learn english whether they want it or not.

I'd like to believe my dozens of followers have been dying to know what I've been up to AND what I've been wearing so I'm just going to do a recap of my most memorable outfits in the past couple of months. Although, more than an exercise in sartorial introspection, this an opportunity to brag (and humblebrag) about the trips I've been on since October, which by the way have driven me to both extreme broke-ness and extreme happiness.


#1 "Pixie-Fairy-Psychedelic-Post-Grunge"(San Juan de Luz, Basque country)
>> Read about my trips to the Basque country here

Black wool jumper
Opaque Floral dress
Maroon boots

#2 "Circus-Vaudeville Elderly-Chick" (Lyon, France)
>> Read about my trip to Lyon here

Velvet jacket
Floral dress

#3a "Steam-Punk Aviator Post-Grunge Casual"  (Geneva, Switzerland)
>> Read about my trip to Geneva here


Leather Jacket
Black leggins
Maroon leather boots
Maroon scarf

#3b "Post-Grunge Casual" (Geneva, Switzerland)

Jean shirt
White t-shirt

#4 "Elderly-Grunge Utilitarian Travel-Chic & Glamour Face Bonus (Barcelona, Spain)
>> Read about 
Maroon Sweater
Black jeans
Black boots
Utility/construction socks
#5a "Steam-punk Andes-grunge Aviator Post-Hipster Travel-chic" (Berlin, Germany)


Leather jacket
Black leggings
Blue wool scarf
Converse shoes 


#5b "Post-Nerd Travel-Chic Andes Casual" (Berlin, Germany)

Leather jacket
Red wool hat
Jeans and jean-patterned gloves

#6 "Elderly-chic" (Paris, France)

Coat
Denim purse
Maroon scarf
Black leggings

#7 "Elderly-Chic" (Milan, Italy)

Beige coat
Neon orange scarf
Red pants
Maroon leather boots