The short story is that this is a premium listing (in price only) with no guarantee of running water. Upon discovery of no running water, you will be ignored by the host and will be forced to waste time begging Airbnb for your money back. Host believes that this is somehow acceptable. Never have I had such a bad experience on Airbnb.
So I would avoid this place at all costs unless you are happy ordering in every night (can’t clean dishes) and showering at friends or the gym.
The long story. I don’t often write scathing reviews but here goes.
Arrival:
a) Check in was at 15:00 and the cleaning service remained there until 16:15. In my view this is unprofessional but just wait for the rest !
b) Maid informed us that there was an issue with the water upon arrival. I switched on the tap for a second and it worked so made nothing of it initially.
Poor Communication
a) On the first evening at around 18:00, I messaged Lillian through the app informing her that there was a water problem. Unable to shower, bath, wash dishes etc. etc.
b) No response received so tried to call. No answer either. Next morning she responded on Whattsapp that they are looking into it.
c) No further feedback received for the duration of the stay. All my messages were ignored
Water Problems:
a) Apparently a tree damaged the piping so no proper water for personal hygiene was available.
b) Forced to leave the bungalow to shower which is a gross violation
c) No refund offered by the host, it was up to me to work through Airbnb and provide evidence of the issue
d) Maid was aware of the issue before we entered the cottage, host claims this was not the case
e) Host believes it is not their responsibility to secure water access to their bungalow.
f) Only received 50% refund so basically paid ZAR5,500 for asking friends if we could shower at them.