We stayed at Lauren’s place over Christmas after our original Airbnb was cancelled by the owner less than a month before our holiday. As a last minute place to stay, this Airbnb was fine and it was the same cost as our original Airbnb and in the same area (Venice Beach).
However, just generally this Airbnb isn’t one I’d recommend. With only two bedrooms this apartment felt too small for our group of 5. Because the sofa bed was out for the duration of our stay, we didn’t have anywhere comfortable to sit as a group when we wanted to relax. Aside from space, which will undoubtedly feel different for every group, the general cleanliness and quality wasn’t very high here. Many of the fabrics in this Airbnb are stained. The blanket on our bed was stained with something yellow, the sofa is stained with brown marks, and the carpets are as well. It gives a very shabby feeling and made me question how clean everything was. Food was left on the floor of kitchen near the dishwasher when we first arrived, and it just didn’t have that real sparkling clean feeling that I expect from paid accommodation.
Lauren’s communication also wasn’t the best at the start. She waited 5 days to return a message when I was first booking which I wasn’t impressed with. Even my follow up message wasn’t answered. I had to contact Airbnb and tell them she hadn’t been in contact at all to get Lauren to reply to me.
Overall, this Airbnb is expensive for what it is. You’re in a great location and there’s secure private parking, but I don’t feel that the shabbiness and unclean feeling of the apartment are worth it. I really feel like some TLC is desperately needed in this Airbnb.