I wanted to enjoy a sea view . Knowing the area quite well, I knew this property was in a prime location. So I chose it even though it was not owned by a Super-host. The commentaries I read back in April were favorable.
However, the June 2022 comments which now appear on Airbnb are more in tune to what I experienced this past week.
I will explain in detail why I am dissatisfied:
I received a generic message from my host a few weeks ago. I was informed of directions and given a contact name and phone number for the person who was to greet me when I arrived. It was not to be Mr Stefanakis, my host , but a member of his team.
The message gave links to a concierge service for food shopping and a link to receive free sparkling wine.
It felt odd to me, and rather impersonal.
On the morning of my arrival, I messaged the contact person whose name I had been given . I needed to know if I could pass by earlier than the set check-in to deposit my groceries and bags. This has never been a problem with previous hosts and bookings.
Mrs. Angela, my contact , politely informed me that I was mistaking in thinking she was my contact. A Mr Rafael was. This alarmed me as I had never heard this name before , and I told her so. I thought my host’s name was Stefanakis. She told me it was the same person and that she would pass on my request to come deposit my things before going to the beach, to him.
I received a second message within the hour, from her, telling me the good news that she would accommodate my coming because she would be in the area.
And so I went.
The GPS info sent me by Stefanakis brought me to the town of Kalathos, but not to my lodging!
I messaged Angela who then sent me the proper GPS info and I reached my rented house.
The first impression of the house is that it is lovely ( even with the dead tree in the front lawn).
Mrs Angela very briefly took me around to show me the different accommodations it provided. She told me that Mr Raphael would come by to see me later to greet me and to make sur that everything was ok .
She had to leave quickly because she had guests of her own to go greet. She gave me coupons for free sparkling wine at a beach club in another district. Showed me the gifted bottle of wine and a cutely wrapped pouch containing « fresh » fruits. (Unfortunately most needed to be thrown out… probably pre-bagged for too long. )
This is when I realized that the home I rented was being managed by a group .
After her departure I noticed that there was no dish cleaning material on hand : no dishwashing soap, no sponge nor paper towels for cleanups. I texted my host, Mr Stefanakis via Airbnb , saying that this was probably an oversight by the cleaning staff, the house was after all listed as providing these essentials. He did not reply.
It was Mrs Angela who replied via what’s app and she quickly brought me what was needed.
When I returned from my day at the beach, I further noticed that no instruction booklets were to be found for any of the main appliances : ie oven, clothe-washer ( writing on the machine all in Greek) , and for tv.
I texted Mrs Angela about not being able to turn on the television. Mr Raphael ( Stefanakis) was supposed to call me to explain how to. He never called, nor did he ever come to see me.
I wanted to do laundry on the following day. As there was no instruction booklet, I looked to Google Translate to help me figure out the writing on the machine.
It proved useless because the machine didn’t work. I could hear water coming in but the tub didn’t activate . I had to turn the machine off so that eventually the door would unlock and I could retrieved my clothes.
Of course I texted Mrs Angela , directly, this time. I even told her not to bother telling me that Rafael Stefanakis would do something about it because he had never called about the TV nor had he come to see me. To which she apologized profusely and wrote that she had contacted the maintenance people.
She contacted me again late evening to say that the maintenance people would pass by the next day. I was to leave the house key in the box because I would be absent when they came.
I tried the machine again when I returned from the beach. Same problem! I texted Mrs Angela.
Mrs Angela was surprised. She said the maintenance people had assured her they had fixed it.
In the last message I received from her later that night she told me they were going to order a new machine on Monday (the 11th ) . I was leaving on the 13th .
That’s when I decided to go back to their ad on Airbnb to see if recent commentaries about this place had been added . One guest in June reported similar problems to that which I experienced and also had to do with the washing machine!
I would not recommend this villa to friends , nor would I return. I am used to facilities , even modest ones, that are impeccable. This was not the case here.
The only thing it has going for it is the view.
The house is totally impersonal and, although it is in a prime location, it isn’t worth the money asked for, even with a pool( which, to be frank, is totally unwarranted nor needed in an area where fresh water is scarce) ( a pool was not my reason