Wonderful location and beautiful apartment but a few things that didn’t quite fit us…
Since this is her private home and certain amenities are listed, it wasn’t clear how much of the space was open for us. She provided minimal instructions about her space, where things were, and what could or couldn’t be used.
After booking the reservation, Natalia stated that the building didn’t support Airbnb and we were asked not to mention it. The building has a notice citing the municipal bylaws for the city of Vancouver and we were told that airbnbs were illegal. If I had known about this questionable issue in advance, I would have chosen to stay in a hotel.
When we first arrived, the smoke detector was defective and beeped loudly every 30 seconds. We asked a neighbor to assist us. He dismantled the smoke detector but it continued to beep. After about 20 minutes and two phone calls, the smoke detector was off the ceiling and in a drawer. Things happen so I really don’t mind, however, you’d think that with an inconvenience like that, someone would treat you with grace and hospitality but that was not the case...
The listing states that parking on the premises is free. We drove from Seattle and thus, clearly had our own vehicle. After the smoke alarm issue, Natalia sent me an invoice for a $20 parking fee. The neighbor that assisted us with checking in stated that parking was free (so did the listing in two separate places). I pointed this out to Natalia and after that, I noticed that she became less friendly.
Lastly, it is my personal preference that I am not incessantly hounded with redundant questions. Travel days are always dynamic and when I provide an estimate of my arrival in advance, that is what I am expecting. I do not anticipate needing to repeat this information. Coming in from out of country, I did not have service. When I received a message that reads, “I haven’t heard from you,” I find this to be intrusive and unnecessary. I previously communicated my travel plans and I am not sure why I need to repeat these. The same issue happened on the day we checked out. I was out of the apartment prior to the 10AM check out time. However, Natalia sent a message stating that checkout time is 10AM, inquired about my plans, and then sent another message stating, “I haven’t heard from you.” From my perspective, if I am expected to be out of the apartment at 10AM, I will comply and no communications is necessary.
These are my personal feelings. If you are someone who likes over-communication with lots of back-and-forth, then this Airbnb may be right for you. But if you are someone who likes more hands-off and don’t want someone checking in on you, then you may feel slightly irritated and off-put. Once again, that is my personal opinion.
Overall, still a beautiful place and great location with some unpleasant and questionable events