Disappointed with this property. While the view was certainly spectacular, we were not treated well by Melissa and the property is not well cleaned and prepared for guests.
We booked our trip entirely in advance of a somewhat similar April 2022 review by another guest (although it's not clear if we might have only missed that review because they are not presented in chronological order- perhaps a deliberate tactic).
We arrived and met Jerry, who was very kind- he brought us up to the property and provided some high level details. He was there when we barely touched curtains in the master bedroom and the rod came crashing to the floor- it was literally hanging by a thread. He committed to returning the following day with a drill to repair.
While we were originally impressed, mostly with the view, upon closer inspection, the place was not well cleaned and in some disrepair. There was a layer of dust over everything, there was a grungy old coat hanging in the master bedroom closet, the master bathroom carpet was dirty, the master bedroom sheets didn't seem cleaned (hairs and a stain on it), both bathroom doorknobs were broken, towel racks were partially hanging off the wall, water was left in a warming carafe in the kitchen, kitchen utensils were dirty in the drawers, the kitchen sink had a still soaking wet sponge in the corner and the sink itself was still dirty, the closet drawers all needed to be wiped down before we could think of putting our clothes in them, and carpets were not vacuumed.
We realized also that for four adults spending three nights, we were left three bathsize towels- there were no spare towels where Jerry said they could be found.
Just as the April 2022 guest mentioned, we were asked to communicate outside the Airbnb app and were in a Whatsapp group chat that included Jerry and Melissa and someone unknown.
Via that chat, we shared the towel dilemma initially and Jerry stated he could bring them the following day when he returned to repair the curtain rod- we had to advise that we wouldn't be able to shower the following morning with what was left for us without sharing towels! Jerry then said he would arrange towels be delivered that evening.
We then expressed our great disappointment with the condition and cleanliness of the unit- when Jerry asked what he could do the following morning to try to make it right, we advised that short of being moved to another property they managed, it would be difficult to correct, as we already had to try to clean up as we were trying to feel comfortable unpacking. He said he would make some calls.
That was when Melissa began to contact us via different channels. She first called us and spoke to my wife- she was quite unkind and very unprofessional. She did offer to have cleaners return that evening or perhaps the next day- my wife told her we had already been forced to clean up as we went along to try to feel comfortable unpacking. Because that was her only solution (no partial refund for the cleaning and/or "service" fee?? No apology for unacceptable conditions??), she became frustrated and decided to begin defending the condition and insisted it had been professionally cleaned, calling my wife "my dear".
We had sent multiple pictures within the Whatsapp group communication. Melissa then went into that conversation to argue, defend, or dispute everything in pictures- 1.) evidently, after professional cleaners were there, Melissa herself brought a lamp from storage that she thought would be helpful to guests and it happened to have dust on it (Melissa wasn't aware we had pictures of most everything in the apartment with a coating of dust on it, not just that one lamp), 2.) at that same time Melissa brought the lamp, she was drinking tea and happened to leave the water in the heating carafe 3.) other guests had been rough on the apartment during their stays and that's why things were loose or broken, etc.
Finally, Melissa thought it was appropriate to advise that we were in someone else's home and should be appreciative that closets were emptied for us to place our clothes! The one final offer Melissa made - for a 100% refund of our money: vacate the property in an hour! We cleaned the place up enough to feel comfortable. We shopped and stocked up groceries for our weekend. We ultimately unpacked. We had nowhere else to go but return home. It was unconscionable treatment.
Evidently, Melissa isn't aware of the finer points of an Airbnb or VRBO property (or any other service industry guest accommodation)- when we pay over $2000 for a three night weekend, we are YOUR guests who don't deserve any lecture, just good service. While many Airbnb's and VRBOs are actually people's private homes, when they are renting them during times of their own absence, there is a perceptible shift in preparing them for guests.
Not sure who Melissa thinks she is, but she is not a professional, gracious or accommodating host. Not sure if she judged my Airbnb profile and thought we were traveling rookies, but that was also her mistake- we've traveled extensively and know what it means to be paying guests.
We have plenty of pictures for anyone who would like to privately communicate with us prior to booking any time in one of her managed properties