While the listing is correct - this is a great space in a wonderful location - there were a few nuances that made this one of our weirder Airbnb experiences.
The host clearly states that the check-in and entry/exit points are "unorthodox." This is because Airbnb rentals are either not allowed or frowned upon in this building. We understood and accepted that, but the whole process felt convoluted and cryptic. We were instructed to text the cleaning lady to arrange a check-in time. It took a couple of tries but she finally responded. Then, we texted as instructed when we arrived at the designated time, only to have her say her assistant, who would be meeting us, was running late. So, we waited a half-hour on the street with our luggage. Also, the addresses in the various communications kept changing, likely to cover up the rental's real location. The address we were told to meet the cleaning lady at didn't exist. This was all very confusing.
She led us through a garage, up an elevator, up a flight of stairs, across a roof deck and bridge, through a community room and to an elevator to get to the unit. This was the entry/exit path.
Once inside and after her departure, we noticed there was no toilet paper. I texted the cleaning lady immediately and waited another 20 minutes for the assistant to arrive with a couple of rolls. It wasn't long before we started to realize how minimal the amenities were for the two of us:
-We were provided two bath towels and two washcloths. No hand towels, no bath mat or extra towel for the floor and no pool towels. I messaged the host to request more towels, and she told me to text the cleaning lady. I did but the cleaning lady never responded nor did she provide extra towels. So, we exited the shower carefully to avoid slipping and didn't get to enjoy what looked like a lovely pool.
-We were provided two pillows (the photo of the bed on the listing shows four). We requested two more because we like to prop up in bed to read, but the host responded that this was all that was provided.
-There was no sponge or paper towels in the kitchen - we ended up buying paper towels because we like to wipe our faces when we eat snacks. We weren't cooking in the kitchen so we luckily didn't have to worry about doing any dishes.
In addition, I let the host know that the kitchen faucet wasn't working properly, mostly so it was documented that this wasn't our fault. The hot water didn't turn on and the whole faucet was loose and wobbly. She responded that the faucet is new and it's fine. Clearly, no.
In the weeks leading up to our stay I messaged the host several times with a question about parking, but it took several messages before she answered (there isn't parking but, it turns out, there is a garage across the street we could have used for $8/day).
The listing and the post-reservation communications from the host repeat that this isn't a hotel. Fine, we get it - but it's still a rental that should have the basic amenities to make guests feel comfortable. It was bad enough to not have what we needed, but the real offense was the communication breakdowns.