Summary:
We believe this property has been excellent in the past (based on historical reviews) and it can be again, but quality has slipped, or perhaps we had an unusual mix of factors that affected our stay. Overall the property didn’t meet our expectations (based on the reviews and photos) along with the annoyances that kept mounting. We personally would not stay at this property again.
Note: This feedback was not shared during our stay as we had limited time and energy for the 4 nights we were staying in Edinburgh and we decided we didn't want to spend that energy going back and forth, but we are confident if we had the hosts would have attempted to alleviate some of these concerns. It's always unfortunate to have to share any review that's not glowing, if there were just 1 or 2 mild surprises it wouldn't have been worth mentioning, but when compounded together it becomes an issue.
What can be improved:
Light bulbs in multiple areas were dead or missing, 2 x in the hall, 1 x in the kitchen, 1 x lamp in the living room by the couch.
Batteries in one of the remotes were dead, FireTV remote I believe.
Trash was left full in the bathroom including sanitary pads.
Half empty carton of milk was left in the fridge.
Door handle on the interior side of the front door was loose and fell off making handle unusable.
Chairs are different from what's pictured in the description photos, and the couch is missing pillows seen in photos. The new chairs are hard bucket chairs which aren’t as stylish or comfortable. Pictures should be updated to reflect property changes.
There was black mold on the shower curtain.
Lockbox was among 4 lock boxes in the same location and the correct one was not easy to determine, so we attempted to open all of them and found the correct one by process of elimination. The lockbox itself was the hardest lockbox we’ve ever dealt with and the dials stuck. We spent nearly 10M between check-in and check-out just trying to open it.
Of the two key cards provided, one is broken and may or may not swipe, multiple attempts were needed.
Toaster is broken, the mechanism will not engage to toast.
There isn't an Airbnb manual that includes information such as WIFI code (it’s on a sticky on the wall by the TV), details in the area, or detailed directions of where to dispose of trash / recycling despite that being a checkout request.
Factors of the space:
During our stay there was a great deal of noise from the upstairs neighbor. It could be the unit above is also an Airbnb but the people above were out late, up early, and all of it could be heard in the bedroom. (This is not something the hosts have any control over of course.)
Shower head is about 5 inches for the wall and the ceiling is quite close. If you're above 6ft this shower will not be comfortable and the closeness of the head to the wall also makes it difficult.
Property is right above Armchair Books and very close to the iconic Grassmarket, which has a weekly Saturday market. Naturally it is a very easy walk to much of Old Town and overall great location. Steps away from Tesco express and highly convenient to get something quickly.
The main factor for this ABNB is the location, Castle view is a slight bonus but it’s a slip of a view between ugly office buildings. Again this is all about location.
Where the hosts standout:
Hosts have excellent communication, well above average, and check in instructions while slightly complex are clear.
Hosts provided suggestions of where luggage may be stored during the day prior to arrival.
We were able to gain access to the ABNB several hours ahead of default check-in which was an unexpected hope but welcome factor.