First, you should know that this cottage is located on the same property as (I think) nine others, all of which can be perused here: https://www.airbnb.com/s?host_id=592405. As we drive up Old Topanga Canyon Road, we found the place exactly as directed. We got onto the bridge, which felt a bit rickety—my wife’s intuition was to SLOW DOWN, but I’d recommend moving quickly. The first thing you see as you enter the property is junk—old broke down cars, boats, etc., and the odd spattering of tractors and other kinds of equipment. You very quickly realize that these nine (I think) cottages are located very close to each-other, as we passed most of them as we made our way up to our own (we drove roughly 100 yards on something like a switchback). This “Creative Suite” is located next to the “main house,” which looks like something right out of Mad Max—a filthy building that seems pieced together with spare parts, and has tools/junk lying all around it. There’s also a scent in the air that is distinctly sewer around the main house, which I’m pretty sure I successfully attributed to the open sewer line that is partially covered with a piece of no more than half-inch sheet metal. My wife and I settled in to a cottage that was sort of clean (maybe a quarter inch of dust on the window sill in the bedroom; busted out pieces of window trim/ceramic tile countertops, etc.). The bathtub looked like it might have been sitting on some moldy subsurface, but I didn’t verify. The shower changed temperature consistently during a shower. As we dressed for dinner, someone who seemed to be a vagrant arrived and parked right outside our door in his van (parking was a bit of an adventure). He appeared to have slept in his van right outside our cottage for the duration of the night, and left early in the morning. When we woke up the next day, the bathtub was covered in ants.

To be fair, I might have liked it when I was in my late teens/early twenties (and other people clearly like this place). Unfortunately, I can’t say I enjoyed my experience and do feel that it is *way* overpriced for what you get. I noticed in the instructions I received after booking the room that I should expect “glorified camping,” which is pretty accurate. I don’t remember seeing that before I booked (it might have been there, but I missed it if it was), and wouldn’t have booked had I noticed. I’d guess (but cannot confirm) there are dozens and dozens of building code violations on this property, so I would recommend that you use extreme caution if staying here--the post-booking instructions discourage patrons who aren't sufficiently "nimble."