Aspasios Atocha Apartments

The apartment is beautiful, but the roof was leaking, and it clearly wasn’t a new problem. We had to lay towels down to soak up the water and muffle the dripping. I was never contacted during regular hours about the leak. The main issue at both Aspacios apartments we stayed in was getting help late at night. No one answered our messages. We were told to call long distance, which we did, but nobody picked up. In response to the comment below saying an emergency number is available, I want to clarify that we tried it too. The international call cost me a lot, and I still couldn’t reach anyone. With no front desk, Aspacios needs an emergency WhatsApp number that’s available at all times. I shouldn’t have to pay long-distance charges just to get assistance.

The self check-in was a frustrating start after a long journey. I hadn’t realized the details had been emailed, and couldn’t find them among the many travel messages I get. With nobody there in person, I had to deal with WhatsApp messages to get signed in. Someone without that confirmation email or a working phone, for example, without international roaming, could be unable to enter a property they’d paid good money for. I’m fine with technology in travel, but the process needs to work like a hotel, Airbnb, motel, or something else that doesn’t leave guests hanging. My note to myself is to stay in a hotel next time. The apartment itself was quite nice: clean, modern, and reasonably well equipped. But the big street-facing windows let in a lot of noise, and at times the walls between neighboring apartments seemed as thin as rice paper.

The location was great, and it worked perfectly for me, my husband, and our two-year-old. The cleaning staff spotted me arriving early and made sure I could get us inside, which I really appreciated. I wasn’t keen on having everything online because I don’t like using so much mobile data abroad. Still, the instructions were very detailed, which matters since nobody is there to check you in.

A great apartment with everything we needed, and such a good location that we walked everywhere.