I took my time to before writing this review because I didn't want to write it in anger. I almost didn't write a review because I was asked by customer support ( who was asked by the host) to not leave a bad review and I feared some sort of retaliation, but I feel it's my duty to leave my true thoughts so that others can read and decide from there. Still expecting to get some type of excuses or push back in the reply, but that's life.
First off , I had to insist to get a key for the place. I don't know if the host truly never provides keys or if she just didn't want to provide one to me, but after insisting and suggesting that I get my own lock, the host did bring a key on the second day.
The first thing I noticed when entering the place was a sour smell, which I mentioned to the host. I foolishly put my face to one of the provided towels and it smelled so bad, I wanted to puke, but I was told that they were freshly washed. Also the towel provided had huge holes in it which I thought was kind of disrespectful. I just used my own towels.
There were ants that just would not leave, I think due to the fact that the place is old and had several holes like above the shower, in the walls, and under the doors. She did bring over two ant baits, but they did nothing. There were many crickets and spiders. I basically just ended up living with the spiders hoping they would help with the other bug problem. They didn't.
The place was not that clean. Some things were sticky, and there was a strong urine smell under the storage under the TV, but I was told that a professional cleaner cleaned the place and would be told to clean it better in the future. The vacuum machine didn't work so I bought a broom. There were only five or so hangers, so I bought my own.
The bed was very unconfortable, it felt like I was sinking into one side of it and my back hurt so much the whole time. I told the host and she said that it's 8 years old.
The wifi was spotty and unreliable and the ethernet cord provided did not always work. I mentioned before coming that I work from home so this was very disruptive.
The toilet kept clogging and flooded. I was told that it clogs easily and I was told not to use too much toilet paper. Towards the end of my time, I was throwing away my used tp in a trash bag, but it was still clogged. She sent a plumber once and it seemed to work for a few days, but then a few days later I heard a bubbling noise and nasty, smelly water came up out of the shower. I was told to not touch any water and she would send a plumber. Later, I heard a banging on my door. I was trying to get presentable as I called out that I was coming, but the banging didn't stop. Once I got to the door, it was the plumber, but now the banging was coming from the backdoor.
When I opened the door, it was the elderly person who is watching over the property who was there. She yelled at me, "why did you lock the door? You're going to get me in big trouble!" and then she slammed the outer screen door in my face.
At this point I was shaking and knew I had to finally leave. I had tried to manage all of these issues because I only had a couple of weeks left, but I knew it was not a safe place for me to stay and that was my sign to go.
I told the host what happened and she told me that the person is "volatile" and does that to all the guests. My feeling is, if that's the case, then perhaps watching over the property is too stressful and neither that person nor guests should have to go through that. I ended up losing two days of work due to this issue, talking with airbnb, and trying to find a new place to stay.
The one thing I did like about the stay was the location and the safety and how quiet the area was, that's why I didn't give it a one star. I also realize that the price is lower than a lot of places so that is factored into my review as well.
Maybe the host can make the changes to make this place a 5 star stay, unfortunately that's not what I experienced. At least I was able to get a partial refund.