Excellent house in Kalk Bay, location, finishes, outdoor space are all top notch.
We had a strange interaction with the host. In her first communication with us she encouraged us to book an extra night because most guests love the house so much that they want to stay a third night.
When checking in we asked if we could check out at 12:00 instead of 10:00am on the Sunday. Madeline said it was not possible because they needed to clean on Sunday to have the house ready for check in on Monday. Knowing there was no booking on Monday because she previously encouraged us to stay an extra night, it was a bit surprising. We then offered to pay to check out two hours late on Sunday and enjoy our morning in Kalk Bay. Madeline said that 50% payment for late check out was also not possible because if she gets a booking on Sunday for Monday, then the house might not be ready in time. Madeline prioritized the possibility of maybe getting a last minute booking on a Monday rather than accommodating her paying guests.
As someone who uses Airbnb quite frequently, and also as a host myself, the way that Madeline handled the situation was very disappointing.
Since we were in Kalk Bay to attend a friends 40th and didn’t particularly want to rush out early on Sunday morning, we ended up paying the full rate for an extra night, just so that we could check out 2 hours late on Sunday and not have to deal with Madeline anymore.
The communication with Madeline and how she handled it unfortunately spoiled our whole experience.