Our stay was for 3 nights in mid-June during the weekday. The place was very clean, tidy, and organized. Many essentials were provided.
Positives:
Bathroom:
There were many sets of clean towels of varying lengths. Shampoo and body wash was available. The rain shower was nice with a good amount of water pressure. The toilet was clean and ample toilet paper was available in the cupboards.
Kitchen:
Lots of essential kitchenware are provided and matches the pictures of the listing. Everything was provided for dishwashing and clean-up. Designated garbage/recycling bins underneath the sink.
Living room:
A 1080P TV was available to watch from a range of Shaw channels. We explored and watched some Netflix on the TV which was nice. Blankets and pillows were also on the couch which added to the comfort of the place.
Bedroom:
The bed, sheets, and pillow were comfortable and most importantly clean. Being able to adjust the bed’s head and feet were an added bonus. The host provided 4 pillows on the bed which is plenty for those that like the extra pillows for adjusted comfort and position. Overall the bed was comfortable with a good amount of room.
Negatives
Bathroom:
As of the time of this review, the listing did not provide information on how the water system is for the bathroom. It uses a pump reservoir system where every time the reservoir is empty due to water usage there would be a short ~3 second water pumping noise that is not quiet. My wife and I are used to getting ready for bed after midnight so our usual schedule is to shower then. We knew that the house rules were to have quiet time from 11pm - 7am so we made sure not to have the TV on or talk loudly. On the first night, we didn’t know how the water system worked with the pumping noises until it was time to get ready for bed after midnight. So we went ahead and used the shower/sink/toilet and the hosts were upset. We heard stomping from above which then followed by knocking on our door and yelling at us for using the water since we didn’t know. Basically, this ruined our stay as we were on edge with anxiety of what else would we get yelled at for. After communicating the miscommunication and apologies from us we made sure to use the water in the bathroom before quiet time. It was also my bad I didn’t check the phone when the host messaged me about the water usage as I didn’t expect anyone to message me after midnight. The host also apologized to us for the yelling in the morning which was appreciated but we were already uneasy which made the entire stay not comfortable. We also got lectured by the husband the next day as if the yelling/lecture from the other was not enough to get the point across.
We also noticed there was a sign in the bathroom to limit showers to 5-10 min due to the water pump. This wasn’t a negative for us but it was not in the listing description and it would be good to let guests know in advance.
Kitchen:
We noticed the drying rack was a bit dirty with water marks.. We noticed there were instructions not to light candles and since there was no cooking vent we didn’t want to cook anything to make the hosts upset. After the yelling and lectures given due to the above water usage in the bathroom we were also anxious to do any cooking so we didn’t.
Overall:
The home had all the essentials provided and it was very clean which is a big plus. The backyard was also really nice to relax in but we didn’t get to use it due to what happened on the first night.
The conflict would have been avoided if the listing had provided explicit instructions on how the water pump works in the bathroom and creates disruptive noise during quiet time. If that information had been provided there would be an understanding from both parties not to use the bathroom water during quiet time should anyone continue to book the place. We would have reconsidered booking the place or complied with the host and not use the bathroom water during quiet time. I think also the confrontation should have been handled in a different way without yelling. There was no dispute that people need to sleep in order to wake up early for work. And yes it might have been “common sense” that the water pumping noise would be noisy but at that point (after midnight) we just started getting ready on the first night so the alternative was not to shower or brush our teeth until the next day. Isn’t this supposed to be a relaxing and comforting stay?
Alicja was apologetic due to what happened and tried to make our stay comfortable. We had a friendly chat afterwards and she also reminded us we can feel free to use the backyard porch if we wanted to. I’m sure if things were communicated and known most will enjoy this stay.