Given that there are so many positive reviews for Zeb, it's possible that our experience was an anomaly. I hope that it was. Staying at his apartment in Edinburgh was our first time using AirBnB. Thankfully, we had two more AirBnB accommodations booked on our trip afterwards; otherwise, Zeb's place would have turned us off of this completely.

Certainly, having new carpet (and thus not allowed to wear shoes) is understandable. Life happens. And yes, being asked to announce to anyone in the place when one plans to shower is a peculiar rule to insist upon... but still understandable. We can even make an allowance for the drying racks running along the ceiling that were filled with towels and men's boxers. When there isn't a dryer, one must make do. But I can only stretch so far when I'm paying $150/night.

Our first in-person interaction with Zeb included him asking for help moving furniture he had stored in our bedroom (turns out, it is HIS bedroom, and he needed to get things out after we arrived)--and him proudly telling us how much money he's making by renting out his house.

What was most surprising and difficult for us to tolerate was the state of the apartment: Trash stacked outside his front door. Clutter (including two vacuums, paintings, ironing boards) lining the floor of the narrow hall. A living room chock full of clutter, boxes, and bins. I only wish I could post the photos I took of what the place looked like so others could compare to his photos.

Thank God for Mark in Amsterdam and Aida in Brussels for doing what we had hoped for in AirBnB: for tidying their apartment, for having a place that looks as advertised, and for being welcoming and generous hosts to paying visitors.