It's tough to rate this, as the issue was with the owner, the alleged "caretaker" and one simple amenity – the bedside lamp not working on arrival; without which one has the choice between darkness all the time (there's only a tiny window, and at night it's pitch dark) and staring up into the six ceiling lights, when in bed. The place was actually pretty cool, it's tiny, humble way.
Gareth promised to fix the lamp, asap, three times, over ten days. He also gave me to caretaker's number ("on call until 1am"), who received but never even replied to a single message. I am concerned this "Ador" character is either dead, missing, or awol on his job. Or simply the worst person at his job in the world. I know I'd fire anyone on that basis, on day two (of ten).
I was having a great time in the area otherwise, but after ten days, I had to buy my own light, which I asked to reimbursed for (at only ten pounds), and was then ignored. So I had no choice but to cancel. At which point he (I believe deliberately) became slow to respond (if at all), short, and deliberately vague. Really ruined the whole vibe, and made figuring out the confusing post-cancellation exit process, really hard and stressful.
All that said, the place was nice. It's even smaller than the pics make out, and certainly only an "entire unite/place to yourself" on technical merit alone, likely because they did manage to squeeze a small bathroom and kitchenette into a tiny bedroom. You're definitely getting one of about 6 private bedrooms in a shared home. And there was no vibe of champaign flutes or premium anything, whatsover. It's were lost plates, knives, forks, towels etc go to form new communities after getting separated from their original herds.
Everything worked, though, was clean and the bed was comfy. That little table and two hard stools (read: "dedicated workplace") are pretty awkward and uncomfortable, but there's lots of storage space for the size and it works well.
The area isn't fancy by any means, but it's quaint and nice, with very easy access to the trains, and a nice little high street. I had a really nice time before the constant promises to help, and no action nor concern whatsoever, ruined the whole experience and caused me to leave.
Then the refund/cancellation process turned very awkward and frustrating. And Gareth I think enjoyed letting me stress about AirBnB's ambiguous terms and lack of a new check-out time (when you cancel, do you forfeit a day's rent, or do you simply have to pay and stay for one extra day after the day you cancel? – I still don't know for sure and am still waiting for AirBnb's "24 hour" response turnaround on several queries, now many days later).
Pretty sure I'm about to get my first ever bad guest review. But I was as polite as a person can possibly under the circumstances, until I simply couldn't be anymore. And even then, I kept it pretty civil.
So, had it not been for Gareth, I would have been torn between a 3 and 4 star review (it is what it is, but for what it is, it's great) and recommended it, with some "here's a few things to expect before you commit" tips.
But he just utterly ruined the whole experience. Don't think he cares, but that 10 pound lamp he wouldn't buy or reimburse, cost him about 500 pounds. Again, doubt he cares and there's probably another sucker in there now already. It's like a revolving door of people from all cultures and places, all the time. People moving in and out, daily. I like that vibe, personally, but it's busy, for sure.
I also hate writing negative reviews or complaining, so I hope this comes off balanced. I agree with other great reviews I read when choosing the place. But I feel those people likely never needed support with an issue; however minor.
Wherever you are, Ador, I hope you're okay, man. Someone needs to send out the St. Bernards, or get in touch with his family. I hope he's alive.