This was our 3rd time at Helmut's place. The view is truly incredible and the unit is comfortable (assuming the weather isn't too hot as the place does not have AC, as most seaside places don't). That said, we will not be staying at Helmut's place again.
I was happy to rebook this place back in January as we hadn't been to Catalina in several years and we remembered enjoying Helmut's condo. The place has a bit more wear and tear than when we were last there but the big issue we had was with the host. I completely agree with Jonathan's review from August 2022. While certain items Jonathan cites seemed ok for us (like the front door and porch doors having locking issues - we didn't have any problem there) his comment about Helmut giving him the impression that he is simply there to collect the guest's money is EXACTLY the impression we were given.
The last time we stayed at Helmut's place we had only our daughter who was old enough not to worry about with a lot of stairs / cliffs and no longer needed a car seat. So safety wasn't a big concern. But this time, about three months before our booking, I suddenly realized our son would be just learning to walk at the time of our stay and I was concerned for his safety (there are loads of stairs to get to the unit / lots of cliffs / open air golf carts that aren't great for car seats, etc).
I reached out to Helmut and explained our predicament and that this was completely my error in booking the place with such a young child. His first response was to send me a link to a woman who rents kids car seats, high chairs, cribs etc. This was helpful but really didn't address our concerns. I explained this, again reiterating that it was completely my mistake but I was hopeful he could work with us. I explained I would happily pay any Airbnb fees as I didn't want him to lose anything on the exchange. His response was to give me only 50% of my deposit back which meant he would hold onto over $400 when he had 3 months to find someone else to take the weekend during a very popular time to visit the island. I explained that we would still take the place if no one signed up, so again, he wouldn't lose any money. But 50% was the best he would do. When I circled back with him on it his response was "The cancellation policy protects the hosts from losses from clients who make reservations and then cancel" but that didn't address the money he'd be making off us by keeping 50% of our deposit AND rebooking the place. At that point, I dropped it as it was clear this host was more interested in his money than keeping good relationships with his guests.
If you are going to be this inflexible with a guest who has visited your property successfully, followed the directions on how you like the place to be taken care of, taken good care of your things and communicated well with you, I then think you need to make sure you property is in excellent condition. As Jonathan cited in his review, there are several problems with the unit currently (still no upper rack to the dishwasher, sofa bed is broken (there is also loveseat that folds out that works fine), wifi kept going out, freezer was intermittently leaking water into the fridge, not enough mugs for everyone in our party (only 3), only one skillet that was warped and doesn't sit flat, no tea kettle, etc). The most egregious issue was the golf cart seatbelts. Both seatbelts in the front seat wouldn't work b/c they were missing the metal part that goes into the clasp. Only one seatbelt worked in the backseat, the other one would clasp shut but the belt wouldn't pull out far enough to get around anyone sitting in the seat.
If you are hosting someone with a toddler who is concerned about safety and has cited the concern about taking their toddler on the golf cart and you have 3 months warning, I don't get not fixing ALL the belts on your golf cart. (FYI, I mentioned this issue to Helmut after we checked out in case he wasn't aware of the problems with the seatbelts but he knew the front ones weren't working, the only part he didn't know was that one of the back ones weren't working also.) I suspect here Helmut would say 'just take a cab' but cabs are about $20 one way and you need one for any excursion outside the property.
Bottom line: I am all for a host making money. I am a landlord myself and so I understand things a bit from a host's perspective. But if you are going to prioritize making money over your guests' experience then you will have to endure a review like this one. There are multiple other units to stay at in Hamilton Cove that are just as nice if not nicer, so I'd rather give those hosts my money in the future.