It's not easy for me to write this review since I generally believe people's intentions are never of bad nature. So, I do not believe the host of this accommodation meant any harm. But considering how things ended, I want to give an honest review of my time spent in this room. So here we go. When I arrived, the check-in was easy - the key was inside a locker waiting for me. But when I entered the room, the first thing I noticed was a bad odor, like someone had cooked inside and not properly ventilated afterward. Later I learned that each time the hosts (who live right next door) would cook something, the odor would just draft through to my room. Next thing I noticed was the dirt on the floor. And when I say dirt, I mean dust, hairs, grime. When I checked the bathroom, the outside of the toilet and the floor around it hadn't been cleaned in a long time (not a few weeks, more like a couple of months). The refrigerator hadn't been cleaned either. Nor had the storage cupboards or the sinks in the bathroom and kitchen. It was disgusting and I immediately texted the host about it. She said she had injured herself and had to hire a cleaning lady to take care of the guest rooms. She admitted that she did not check the results and said she was sorry about the inconvenience. She offered to send the cleaning lady the next day to clean again. In hindsight, I probably should have accepted that offer, then it would have been easier to point out exactly why this cleaning lady was not doing a good job. But instead, I said that I wanted to clean it myself because then I would definitely know that it was clean. Anyway, in order to clean, I asked her to give me a vacuum cleaner and a mop and bucket. She told me the vacuum cleaner got stolen and so they would just use a broom instead. What? Why wouldn't you buy a new vacuum cleaner?? It's like the most important tool in the house to get rid of dust, crumbs, hair, etc.! With a broom, you just keep shoveling dirt from one side to the other... Anyway, I used a lot of antibac spray and paper towels to get rid of all the dirt, especially in corners where you couldn't get in with a mop.
When I wanted to cook, I noticed that many kitchen supplies and cutlery, and plates were missing. I could not find what had been advertised in the listing on AirBnB. I asked the host and she said she had just replaced everything in the kitchen with new supplies and that the previous guests must have stolen the items (again). Hm, but then it is weird that I found paper and plastic cups and cutlery as subpar replacements. It looked like the host had just replaced some of the items with those. In my opinion, the current condition and stock of the guest room should be reflected honestly in the listing on AirBnB. The "coffee maker" consisted of an electric tea kettle. When I asked about it, the host said it could be used to make instant coffee... well, I found that misleading because I was expecting a (simple) coffee machine instead. The listing also claims that there is a desk for people to work at. Well, there isn't really. There is a big (dirty) patio table outside next to the pool, and inside the room, there is a shaky tray table and that's it. Too bad for me, because as a writer, I was hoping to get some work done on my laptop without ruining my back while in my room.
Up until this point, I wasn't happy with the overall condition of my accommodation, but since I'm on a budget and this is L.A., I knew it would be super hard to find another place for me to stay at so last minute. So, I stayed.
Things changed when on day 10 of my stay, I wanted to get some laundry done. The listing had a washer and dryer included which I thought was great. But when I put on the first load, I noticed black spots on the inside of the washing machine, but not only that. There was dirt, hair, and whatnot on the rubber and the bullseye too. Again, disgusting and frankly, a health hazard. So I asked the host if she was aware that there is mold and dirt inside the washer and she said no, she didn't know that. So I showed her. She then asked me what to do about it. I was flabbergasted and told her she needed to clean it and leave the door open after using the machine for proper ventilation and to avoid mold (which this clearly was). She said she would tell the cleaning lady. I said no thanks to using the machine and that I would have to take my clothes to a laundromat instead. She apologized, but that was it. She didn't offer to reimburse me or pay for the laundromat or anything. I mean, the machines were part of my rental agreement, right?! At that point, I was really annoyed and decided to contact AirBnB to ask for a reimbursement of some sort (I was hoping to get at least the cleaning fee back). Because AirBnB advises this and because I wanted to have proof, I had taken photos the day I moved in, of the dirty floors and the toilet, and now of the mold and dirt in the washing machine. I sent those along with my complaint to AirBnB and my host. Later that day, when I came back to my room, my host angrily told me how I could have contacted AirBnB and sent in photos behind her back. She said she did not want unhappy people staying with her and that