Unfortunately, we had a bad experience staying at Heidi's cottage. We planned a 4-night staycation, and hardly made it through 2 nights.
Upon late self-check-in at 8 pm we discovered strong toxic smell in the cottage and tried to air it. It only became worse at night, and we could hardly breathe, having the door open and all fans on. One can't stay outside as mosquitos are brutal. In the morning, both my wife and I developed serious symptoms that signaled poisoning (acute headache, nausea, disorientation).
We rushed outside, stayed there till started feeling better and realized that even our clothes smelled. We later went back to find the source and realized that there were mothballs distributed in all closets and shelves in the bedroom. We could quickly find 25! of them in a room which is 6 sq. meters... As it is widely known, mothballs must be used only in sealed containers, as they are toxic and cancerogenic (contain naphthalene in large concentrations).
We contacted Heidi, as it was prescribed by the Airbnb website, explained her the situation. She explained that, in fact, she did put mothballs there, as there were cockroaches a couple of days before we arrived, and she wanted to get rid of them. She said that she did not know that mothballs were toxic and tried to help by sending her maid to search for more and bring some smell absorbents.
We decided not to cancel and give it another night, as the situation improved slightly. However, next morning we had similar issues as the smell did not fully go away. After trying to air the room more - we gave up and decided to cancel our vacation and leave. Fortunately we live in Hong Kong, but I can't imagine what that would be for travelers.
I notified Heidi, and she said that she was "sorry for us"... I further contacted Airbnb support to cancel, yet they told me that I should have approached them immediately, but now I am no longer eligible for their support. They suggested to request reimbursement directly from the landlord, which I did, but it was completely ignored by Heidi. I requested only 50% of the original sum, as we stayed there for 2 nights out of 4, even though it turned out to be a health hazard. Yet, apparently money is more important to the host, so no reimbursement was received and request ignored.
To be fair, it must be noted that location of the property is good, close to the beach. The cottage itself is a bit shabby and maybe a bit overpriced, but you have all the amenities in. There are bicycles that can be borrowed (no charge), and outdoor sitting area. Heidi prepared good handouts that explain how to find the cottage. Extra note: light-sleepers should not book it, as walls are very thin and you would hear neighbor dog barking the whole night.
Key learnings (2 objective and 2 subjective):
1. If there is a problem - report immediately to Airbnb support, there is a chance you will get some help and maybe even your money back. However, they or host won’t be responsible for any health hazards that were caused.
2. Try to check-in early, as it will give you the possibility to report a problem early enough, and you may have an option to find another accommodation.
3. Check with Heidi if there are mothballs/other toxic devises in the cottage before you book or arrive. Mind that cockroaches did not go anywhere, as mothballs are not effective against them.
4. For Heidi, money is more important than your experience, consider that when you book.