Buyer beware! If you get the unit shown in the pictures then you will probably have a wonderful time. That however was not our experience. The host changed the unit at the last minute due to a “technical issue” with what he claimed would be an equivalent unit. The unit we got had no windows, and no terraced view from the front door. There was a church dome blocking the view from the front door. There was a location above the unit you could climb the stairs to see the view but it had no covering which is pretty important when your baking in the sun. I contacted the host immediately and let him know that this would not work for us as we had an elderly couple with us that had mobility issues, and they were looking forward to staying at the unit to see the view in comfort. He originally offered to give us half off. I told him that I only wanted a unit like the one we paid for. He then let me know he couldn’t provide that. I then explained that I couldn’t stay at the unit and would need to cancel the reservation. He apologized and said he would refund our money. I immediately canceled the unit and found another place in a hurry. Ironically we had a wonderful time with that host Maria who made us feel very welcome and was so accommodating. She got a 5 star review from us. Haris on the other hand denied he even offered a refund. This made a bad experience even worse as it has eroded our trust in Airbnb. I was withholding writing the review for this experience since he seemed to have a very good history with other guests, and all I want is to get my money back since he didn’t provide the place shown and we didn’t stay at the alternative. I let him know that he agreed to give me a refund since we did not stay there. He then decided to be a smart ass and send me the extortion policy from Airbnb like I was trying to get something out of him that wasn’t agreed by sharing the experience in the review. I let him know that was ridiculous and unprofessional.
Please consider that there is a huge risk in dealing with this host. If it works out for you great, but if it doesn’t you will have to fight like hell to get your money back from dishonest hosts like Haris. Moving forward I will just book a hotel from established reputable companies where I don’t have to deal with these sort of issues. This is a tragedy as I have spent thousands of dollars with Airbnb and this is the first time I’ve ever had to write a negative review.
Regards,
John Palacios