I reached out to Matt awhile before booking a stay—and he seemed perfectly friendly and communicative. After touching in though, there was no communication from Matt aside from an abrupt check-out list the day before leaving. Then, a quick message that he was traveling, and no response nor note post trip.
Topanga Canyon is always wonderful to spend time in. That said, upon check-in their were a couple unwashed mugs left on the balcony that the cleaners missed. All else was charming and in place. But I had the unfortunate experience of nosy neighboring guests. The property is shared amongst 3 units, with private and common outdoor spaces—all fine and enjoyable. Unfortunately for me, there are no bounds delineating public/private space, aside from common sense and reading through house manuals, etc. The unit itself has no shades/curtains on a few windows to give privacy—totally fine, as I enjoy open space and natural light. With my stay, however, I had the odd experience of multiple nosy neighboring guests who “got lost”, ventured onto the private yard/porch (away from the public walkway), walked directly up to the house (it takes some effort/odd behavior/poor boundaries here), and peered directly in the home/living room where I was sitting.
No chance for privacy—either via discrete/thoughtful signage, nor a simple curtain. Of course, I would hope most guests would have neighbors possessing of more etiquette.
Given Matt was communicative/friendly from the outset, and he has several reviews confirming the same, I expect this was an outlying experience. All that said, I was surprised I didn’t receive a polite/ friendly response from Matt with all the hiccups and abrupt pieces here. Nor was there a simple and polite, customary “Thanks for the stay”, note upon departure.
Hospitality and grace are a wonderful thing of both hosting and traveling as a guest. I expect this was an odd exception.