Barbara was nice. Harry was not.
The place is listed as a self-check-in. However, the iron gate was closed. We rang and rang the bell, but no one responded. We stayed in the sun, sweating, on a busy street, with no place for a car. Our phones didn’t work in South Africa, so we asked Harry in advance, for their email addresses, to communicate, but none got provided. The other guests arrived too, and were unable to check-in.
Finally, we bought a SIM card, to be able to communicate with Harry via AirBnB. He hasn’t responded, but someone else wrote to us, that no one was there, but they were sending someone to let us in.
If there is no self check-in, and the guests must wait in the scorching sun, on a busy (and what appeared to be not safe street), then we’d prefer to know it upfront.
It turns out that the host can only be reached during business hours. I am a host myself, and I respond to my guests right away — especially in extreme situations — evening or morning, regardless.