The Location :
- Unbeatable, walking distance to everything in central Byron, TopShop cafe, the Main Street, The Pass, Main Beach.
The House:
- This is somebody’s home. There are personal items, children’s belongings etc in the cupboards, food in the fridge/freezer/pantry.
- There is a guesthouse/cottage in the backyard which is let out to other people during your stay. The kitchen is at the back of the house and has large floor to ceiling glass windows/doors. If you wanted to make a morning coffee in your pj’s, be prepared to wave through the window and share the moment with your guests in the back cottage.
- The backyard is not 100% secured for animals because guests in the rear cottage enter and exit the yard through a large gate.
- We were supplied a few rolls of toilet paper and 3 dishwasher tablets for a month stay and told it was enough to “get us started”. At this price, I don’t expect to have to supply my own toilet paper.
- The backyard is a beautiful rainforest haven, but with that comes natural wildlife. Our dog found a beautiful Echidna, 2 metre long Python and a Blue Tongue lizard. She is kind to reptiles, but it’s something to be mindful of if you have animals staying with you.
The Host:
- Nine minutes after I made a one-month long booking, I asked to cancel as I realised that the property was not the “entire place” as it had guests staying in the backyard and my dog is an escape artist. An honest mistake on my behalf. The owner responded immediately and refused to give us our money back. Thief.
- Whilst we were staying, we were impacted by COVID border restrictions and asked if we could credit our final weeks to a future date. The host ignored our messages and calls, and then days later sent a message to say “Well you're locked out now .. so I guess you'll stay”. I responded to clarify if there was any refund or credit, and did not receive any further communication from the host.
Overall,
The experience: House is below expectation for the amount of money, especially compared to other properties in the area. Interaction with the host was difficult and not worth the hassle.
Would not book again.