Based on a 14 night stay for a small family of 2 adults, 1 child and 1 small dog, please note the following pros and cons that we experienced during our stay:
Pros: Great location, near to Kew Bridge train station, however in Brentford, not in Kew itself, which is across the river and within walking distance. Secure parking and modern building. Host communication reasonably timely during booking enquiry process. Decent washer/dryer.
Cons: Host communication essentially ended once fees were paid and pet fee followed up on. Original confirmed check in date was pushed back by host two hours before our expected arrival & whilst we were offered to stay in a one bed apartment for one night & then switch, this should have probably been a 'tell tale' sign. 1 night was fully refunded accordingly. Once settled in, it was obvious that the apartment although tidied and cleaned after the previous tenant, was absolutely filthy as in unhygienic and certainly at no level of safe cleaning protocol level as advertised by Airbnb/host. Areas of concern included: dirty and stained carpeting in bedrooms, stained & torn lounge sofas, dirty cutlery, glass ware, pots and pans. One bathroom sink did not drain. Hangars in closets come from random shops. Old worn bed linen with gross pillows and bath towels, all of very poor quality. Cracked glass cooking hob which should have just been replaced, way back at the time of incident. In general, although all furnishings selected to look "modern", in actuality all furnishings are cheap, worn and uncomfortable.
Experience: We did not eat self cooked meals, (the toaster & kettle alone were testament of filth) only pre-bought packaged food, with our own bamboo cutlery as we did not wish to use any of the items in the kitchen, due to being so disgusting to use. It went beyond using dishwashing liquid to clean, they urgently need to be replaced. So certainly not self-contained if you cannot use the facilities unless you bring in a professional deep-cleaning company, purchase new bed linens/towels and kitchenware/stove top.
Resolution efforts: Absolutely zero efforts were made by Host to rectify our complaints, aside from making various excuses. We requested to shorten our 2 week by 1 week with enough time offered in advance to the Host to find another rental, however zero compromise by host to offer any refund on advanced paid nights. At 48 hours we reached out to Airbnb to assist, whereupon all initial indications were that they would assist, however they then did a full turn, misquoting their "policies", linking everything to the need of a "24 hour notice", hence completely leaving us on our own at the mercy of a non-helpful host, which was surprising considering the focus of our complaint was on the lack of cleanliness, an area one would consider in a time of a pandemic, certainly in terms of rented out accommodations. Branded hotels make all the 'safe stay" efforts, so not sure why Airbnb would not enforce their "hygiene" policy with their hosts as a "non-negotiable" to adhere to???
So for a 2 week stay we paid over GBP 3,000 for a dirty, uncomfortable, inhospitable stay with a host who could not care less about client feedback regarding their accommodation, which they have falsely advertised. This coming from a family that travel extensively and whereupon this is the first negative review ever posted.
We are now moving on to another short term rental accommodation, where due to this latest experience, we went to see it first just to make sure before committing funds, and what a great surprise: perfectly clean, extremely polite and helpful host, great daily communication, high quality linens, towels, kitchenware with comfortable furnishings that are either perfectly maintained or brand new. Location exactly as described. The best, this accommodation is at the same cost as this one we have left! So please be aware, it is not about the cost which one should be prepared to pay if proper "value for money" is on offer and the product is what is advertised.
Which was certainly not the case in this booking.
Conscience of always reading reviews first, Cristian's place came with decent reviews, especially location focused, hence booking. However, within a few days of our stay & having sent photos to Cristian to highlight the 'state' of the apartment & he brushing all responsibility I noted a negative review was now available for viewing following a recent poor stay & ironically one in which little to no attention was given once things became apparent to not be as expected.
Thus, to conclude would not recommend a stay here, there are plenty of other great clean options with hosts that care about their properties & clients.
Thank you