Excellent location but beware of noise and lack of privacy
The good:
Location was great and few steps from the Venice Boardwalk. The unit amenities were as advertised. And Christine was quick to reply and even gave me a discount. The parking is a bonus in Venice.
The bad:
In 29 bookings on AirBnb and HomeAway in just 8 years, I rely on reviews and the description of a property to make a booking. I have visited Venice annually for 30 years. What I did not know was this unit is right next to another bedroom on AirBnB Christine rents (she finally divulged this which I appreciated). I would not have booked it if I knew this was the case. I go to bed before 10 and wake up early for my run, so privacy and quiet are indispensable for me (and I assume many others) when on vacation. On this trip I also learned what “entire home” means on AirBnb. I discovered that I had rented a “room” next to another “room”. Something I would never ever do. And I made a mistake and never asked. That is entirely my doing. My first.
You can jump to the summary section if you don’t want the details about this unit and my experience.
The night I arrived, I had to deal with an emergency involving a youth back in Canada and was on the phone in the middle of the night. I hardly slept. I thought I would catch up in the morning, only to wake up to loud talking and door banging by adults and children on the other side of the wall at 8 AM which did not stop until 10. I thought I would have a nap in the afternoon. Similar noise at 2 PM. I wrote to Christine and asked if she had another property I could move into. I had recording of the noise. At first, she did not believe me. She offered bigger and more expensive units that I did not need. I had already paid a good sum for this unit which was not the cheapest at the time of booking. Christine also told me I was the first renter in 11 years to have issues with noise in this unit. I wondered how that is possible given a thin wall. I travel all over the world. I am not a high-maintenance guest. My excellent reviews by numerous hosts in 18 countries attest to that. Yet, Christine made me look like I was the problem.
I managed to sleep well for the next two nights. At 6 PM of the 4th night, a new guest, the fellow next door, decided to play loud guitar and harmonica and sing (often just yelling) out of tune song after song. I had not been well and was trying to rest. I went out and came back 3 hours later and he was still at it, this time with friends. Finally, it was past 10 PM and I wrote to Christine who called him and the noise stopped. I thanked her.
I slept well the that night and the night after.
On the 6th night, again, at about 9 PM, the fellow and some others decided to yell and sing and were quite rowdy and I started smelling pot in my room. I knew what was to come. I called Christine again and she intervened once more, and the noise stopped. She seemed to believe that I was unreasonable in wanting peace and quiet early in the evening. She also told me that my first night neighbor had heard me on the phone dealing with that emergency but never complained so I should return the understanding. In a later note, she mocked my “emergency” as though it was not. I was shocked.
Summary:
If you are looking for a good location and don’t mind not having any privacy right next to another person’s bedroom, then this unit would be great for you. But few couple would want to be sleeping in such close proximity to someone else separated by a thin wall. And if you end up with irresponsible guests on the other side, it can destroy a vacation. Whatever you say will be heard by both sides. I learned to always ask where a unit is from now on. A painful lesson. I appreciate that Christine intervened and helped with the noise, but I did not appreciate how she villainized me as unreasonable or demanding. Is it too much not to want to listen to drunk-sounding young men belching out of tune songs with a guitar for hours oblivious to the fact that there is someone on the other side of the wall?
I wrote this review not to vent. I wrote this to help the next guest. We rely on each other’s experience. I read some of the reviews and this issue was not reported. Why? I will never know. Perhaps I was the unlucky guest whose week of vacation turned into a week of aggravation especially by an un-sympatric host. All she had to do was come over and see for herself to verify the behavior of her guests next door. Instead, she chose to make me feel bad for wanting peace and quiet. I have learned my lesson, especially in Venice which now is packed with AirBnB holes. I hope next time Christine will take the time to verify the issue personally before judging reasonable expectations as extreme. From my experience, a business’s true outlook on customer service is not determined when all is well and rosey, but when there is an issue. It is only then that emotional intelligence, compassion and understanding for a customer can pay huge dividends. Even if he is wrong.