Peter, Chris and Jennifer:
Highest Mountain Top Retreat - but unfortunately the cockroaches made it there too!!
Overall I cannot see how this rates as 4.96 out of 5 on 83 reviews. I do realize that on Airbnb we all have to play nice as ratings go both ways. That being said, the truth is the truth. Though there are 59 pictures, the space is very small. My mistake for not catching that it’s all the same picture from different angles.
The location is of course amazing as it sits atop the hill overlooking the ocean however as we arrived after dark, the pathway to the room is very treacherous and lighting is only by motion-sensored solar lights. I managed to get the bags along the path and up the outside spiral staircase with several trips but would not chance my partner slipping on the wet rocks and stairs. Being honest, the room is dated and a little musty. We had just driven from Vegas to have five days on the coast so were tired and ready to crash for the night.
We were able to heat some leftovers in the microwave however only found paper plates and 2-sets of utensils. I was not prepared to fire up the BBQ that night so this would suffice. There is no kitchenette and the sink outside the bathroom doubles as the kitchen sink for wash up. My lovely partner was not pleased however was willing to see what the morning would bring.
Well…what the morning brought was Mr. Cockroach on the wall above the door to the main house. My lovely partner was not having it! We immediately unloaded all the dresser drawers we had packed the night before (shaking everything of course), loaded the car and drove to the Marriott @ LAX. I would not have called the space un-clean however there is never just one cockroach. I took a picture of the dead specimen and left the evidence for our hosts. We cleaned and straighten and communicated our issue an hour later. As expected the hosts response was dismissive,
“Hi John,
We have an interesting situation in that Topanga is known for having no cockroaches. There have never been cockroaches in the 35 years the host has owned the home. I am sure a rogue bug came in from outside.”
“We do live in nature, and while not common, a single bug is not cause for such alarm. A single bug from outside can happen in the nicest of hotel rooms.
Just to confirm, I have reviewed the photo and that is not a cockroach.”
(not sure why one of the 3-hosts was reviewing the picture when I had left the actual specimen for them?)
In all reality the pathway is dangerous and poorly lit, the space is tired and poorly equipped. I am surprised that no one in 83 reviews has provided feedback about possible improvements. We are all trying to play nice I guess. We are from Canada so we are generally known to play too nice!! The location is amazing and there is tons of potential however the current issues are clear. We stayed a matter of 12 hours and we had seen enough. We of course paid the fee and the host(s) did not extend any courtesy to remedy our situation.