Highest rating from me for an Airbnb property to date:
1. Accessibility: As someone who is mobility-challenged, the cottage was perfectly set up to accommodate my needs. The ensuite shower was large enough to accommodate a chair for me to sit on when washing. Big plus.
2. Bedrooms: The main bedroom has two mattresses alongside one another, on top of a single large base. This did make it uncomfortable for us as a couple on night one, as someone would inevitably end up in the gap/groove where the mattresses join. We did move to the other bedroom for the rest of our stay, which was a Queen size, and this was perfectly comfortable and ideal for snuggling.
3. Weather/Heat: The house has a Jetmaster fireplace and some wood is supplied. There was a gas heater which we had refilled, and several wall heaters throughout the cottage. These came in handy as it rained buckets almost our entire stay. We brought enough wood, charcoal, firelighters, etc, to have a warm cottage every day of our stay.
4. Bathrooms are shower-only (no baths), comfortable and tiled. The shower in the main bathroom (as well as access to the rest of the house) is wheelchair friendly.
5. Kitchen has every item you could possibly need for your stay and the appliances are user-friendly. We did not use the dishwasher, but did use the washing machine, microwave, stove, and oven.
6. The TV room and lounge area is very comfortable and there are boards games and puzzles galore to keep you entertained. We made good use of these during our stay and even made time for a movie night with DSTV.
7. Outside: We spent many nights outside on the patio watching and listening to the rain. During the day, we spend time bird- and animal-watching and just enjoying the smells of nature and petrichor.
8. Dogs: There are dogs on the property who are mostly friendly, but keep the patio doors closed when they are around, as they could wander inside and steal your biltong when you're not looking, lol.
9. WiFi/cellphone signal: Guest WiFi is strong throughout the cottage, but CellC and Vodacom cellphone signal is very poor inside the house. Outside on the patio gives the strongest phone signal.
10. Host: Avril is a wonderful host and pretty much left us to our own devices, just the way we prefer. She made herself available on phone and Whatsapp if needed and is really accommodating. Leading up to our stay, she allowed me to send a santization crew ahead of time to sanitize the venue, which was a huge weight off our shoulders during this time.
As a couple, we decided to formalized our engagement here and made so many wonderful memories while planning the next phase of our lives together. We will be back again. Thank you again Avril, for everything.