I was a little reluctant to review this place because I didn’t want to offend the host, Buz, who was nothing but charming and prompt in his communication, but I thought I would anyway.

It’s not that I didn’t like the place, I did. It has a certain charm and I’m sure in its day it was gorgeous. It’s more that it is in SERIOUS need of attention. The place is made of wood, by the sea and now old, so over time things can shift and warp. I get that. But what worried me the most was the electricity sockets that were hanging out of the wall and that one of the bedroom doors kept getting wedged shut, both of which are major fire hazards. There is also no air-con and unfortunately for us, the weather was in the 90s. Fans were provided but these offered little or no respite from the stifling heat. Some of the windows were propped open with lumps of wood and one was even patched up with tape, which again, was not great. I stayed here with two others so the three of us had to share one bathroom/toilet which was OK. For a property that potentially sleeps ten, I’m not sure how having just one bathroom would work out. I don’t want this review to be too damming so to be fair, the place was private, very bright and clean and the location superb (literally a few minutes’ walk to the Venice Beach boardwalk or Abbot Kinney Blvd). The Wi-Fi also worked fine which was much appreciated.

I research things a lot before I book them, and the reviews for this place seemed good, which is why I booked it. Maybe my standards are too high. I guess it’s all subjective.