Our stay here was marred from the beginning when the property owner was not present for our arrival, despite the fact that we had spoken an hour and a half earlier and told him when we’d arrive. When we called and said we were disappointed, he immediately became agitated and defensive. However, he contacted one of the other guests on the property, who let us in to this beautiful and well-appointed guest house.

That night, we discovered there was no hot water. After a lukewarm shower, we alerted the owner via text message and went to bed.

The next morning the owner and a handyman were examining the water heater when we left. Later that day we got a text from the owner indicating the water was hot again. Grateful, we had hot showers and a good night’s sleep.

We spent most of the following day away, returning for an afternoon nap before dinner. When we arrived, the room smelled very strongly of natural gas. We opened the doors and windows and texted the owner about the situation. He did not respond (it was Christmas day), so we aired it out thoroughly and had a short rest instead of a nap.

There was also an odd secondary smell in the guest house, distinct from the gas smell - a bit like rotting onions - that was only noticeable when the gas smell was absent.

Later, we got a text from the owner saying that he had checked the guest house and didn’t find a gas leak. We strongly suggested he call the gas company out to check the gas lines and equipment, but he declined. We came back later that evening and there was no smell of gas.

The following morning, however, we woke to smell a faint odor of gas again. We alerted the owner and then called the gas company even though the smell was already dissipating. When the owner emerged, he berated us for being difficult and complaining so much, to the point that he made remarks that were offensive. He then practically begged us to accept a refund and leave.

By the time the gas company representative got there, the gas smell had dissipated, and she was unable to detect any gas in the guest house, although she did remark on the presence of the other odor.

The owner recapitulated and offered to allow us to stay or refund the remaining nights. We were torn, but, after his earlier verbal barrage, we were not feeling inclined to trust him or accept his hospitality. We moved out and asked him to refund the unused nights - 3 nights at $99/night for $297.

After a couple of days, we received an offer through Airbnb.com to refund $279 - $18 less. We don’t know if this was simple innumeracy or a passive-aggressive swipe, and we decided we just didn’t care. We accepted his offer, glad to be rid of him.

Bottom line: beautiful place, difficult owner.