We came to Santa Monica to meet up with friends who were also visiting the area. The location was great - 2 blocks from beach, truly fantastic location!! It was great the host had a parking pass for us! Tomoko was very quick to respond and allowed us to check in a few minutes early when we arrived.
The unit itself was quite small and even though we knew we were staying in the unit with the host, we were not staying with Tomoko (the female we had been communicating with). She said her dad would be there to greet us with the parking pass and key. No problem. What she failed to mention is that we were staying with HIM - not Her. This felt like a bait and switch. The dad was nice but spoke about 2 words of English - “ok” being one of them. He was nice but by preference we felt uncomfortable. She should have told us.
The unit was quite small and we were limited to only the bedroom and bath. It was not the type of place to hang out at or have company to visit. It was good for a sleep and a shower.
I felt the $300 security deposit was way too much for a $150/night room. Everything in the room and bathroom was provided and all outdated. Dust on the fake flowers, rust on the bathroom shelving. The room was more clean than the rest of the unit.