The Beach House at Yamba is an aesthetically beautiful property with remarkable ocean views.
The interior design is impeccable with a very relaxed beachy vibe, a super comfortable bed and if you want some picture-perfect vacation photos to make your friends jealous on Instagram, then this is the place for you.
But that's where it ends.
The management of this property (or lack of) is where it failed us multiple times during our stay and here’s why:
We were never made aware of any access issues to the property until after booking and paying for the Airbnb.
The original driveway / road access to the property is no longer accessible due to part of the road being washed away during the recent rains and flooding in the region.
It wasn't until the day of check-in that we were made aware of alternative access to the property via the Airbnb app check in instructions. No phone call or email with advanced warning, just a last-minute addition to the check in instructions. The listing still (at the time of writing this review) shows the 'Directions from your host' with the original access instructions via Main Beach, which is still indefinitely closed.
The new (and only) way to access the property is totally unacceptable. It's also extremely difficult and quite dangerous. It would be completely impossible for anybody with mobility issues, or a physical disability to access the property. We arrived around 5:00pm on a Saturday just as the sun had set; it was starting to get quite dark. There was nowhere to park on the street suggested in the new check-in instructions. Saturday appears to be the busiest night of the week for the pub and all available parking spots were taken. We had to park down the road and around the corner on some grass, then find our way back to the first point of access, which is a side alley next to the pub with a gate; all while carrying heavy luggage.
The next step was to walk through the gate to the rear of the pub accommodation, along the back balcony, navigating multiple flights of stairs in the dark with only our mobile phones for a light source to see where we were going. We then ended up at the back entrance to the pub which was packed with people amusingly watching us navigate the worst part of the new “access” the property, which is a very steep grassy hill with some DIY cinder block “stairs” covered with grass. At the bottom of the grassy hill was yet another set of stairs leading to the rear of what looks like an abandoned house. We had to cross the rear of this property in the dark, stepping over a few more obstacles before making it to the rear of the Beach House at Yamba.
We had to perform this same trip several times to get the rest of our luggage from the car. Not a great first impression for a property which is billed as an “exclusive” holiday rental.
While property access was the main problem, we also had an issue where the safety switch for the hot water tripped, leaving us without hot water for over 24 hours. When we contacted the property managers, their response implied it was our fault for "plugging in external devices like an iron or hairdryer which might set it off". I did notice that the fan in the bathroom was not working, so my guess is that switching on the exhaust fan when taking a shower shorted the circuit and turned off the electricity supply to the hot water tank.
It was pretty cold the first night we arrived and we couldn't locate the heater. After messaging the property managers again, we were told it was in the bunk room cupboard. It wasn't. To their credit, somebody did drop a heater around the next afternoon, but only after following up again after we got no response to our original question about the location of the heater.
Unfortunately, when we returned from our holiday I realised I had left my personal house keys at the property. I contacted the property managers to see if they could be returned, and offered to pay for the postage. While they acknowledged they had found my keys, rather than simply returning them, their response was: “Let’s leave on a positive note with a 5 star review for each other and forward your address for postage”. I am still yet to receive confirmation they have been sent.
It is clear the owners and/or managers of this property don’t want potential guests to know about the current access issues, as it will probably mean fewer, or even cancelled bookings. I can appreciate this is a terrible position to be in, but it is also unfair and quite deceptive not to provide full details of the property and allow guests to decide for themselves before making a booking.
Some suggestions for the property managers:
1. Inform all potential guests about the current access issues while the road is still closed along Main Beach.
2. Suggest people arrive during daylight hours, so they aren't having to find and navigate access to the property in the dark, especially with the current access issues.
3. Ask guests if they require and assistance with luggage on check in and check out while access is still a problem.
4. Investigate options with the pub or local council to temporarily reserve a car spot on Pilot Street to make things a bit easier.
5. Put some proper lighting along the new access path.
6. Fix the faulty fan/electrics in the bathroom to stop the hot water accidentally switching off.
If the property managers had been upfront about the access issues from the time of booking, then this would most likely have been a 4 or even 5 star review. The Beach House Yamba is a beautiful property, totally let down by poor customer service.