My husband, adult daughter and I stayed at “The Earl MacDonald House” for over a month. Our primary needs for a place that accepted our small dog and two cats, with 2 bedrooms/baths, good Internet, and a yard for our large planters were met. The location is great – near Piedmont Ave with terrific restaurants as well as Fentons Creamery and La Farine Bakery. Nice neighborhood to walk the dog. The kitchen was well equipped and had a washer/dryer.
Between the three of us, we have stayed at over 40 Airbnb’s around the world. This was our least favorite for several reasons, which included the Host’s comments when she learned we broke an antique lamp. In the process of moving out, a living room lamp was accidentally knocked over and I had no idea of its value. We were charged $462 in damages which we paid. Be forewarned – be super careful around these antique lamps or move them to a high, out of reach area during your stay. My only clues were in the fine print of our Airbnb receipt, “Your host requires a Security Deposit of $1500 to book this listing,” and a note in the House Manual to not change the lightbulbs ourselves because ‘Many of the light fixtures and lamps are antique’.
When we told the Host, she responded “It is extremely frustrating that this happened; It would have been alot (sic) easier and preferable if you guys had broken one of the double-paned windows” and “Too upsetting that the lamp survived guests, one with two boys under 10 and the other with a toddler, but somehow its (sic) the adults that destroyed it.” My thoughts on this are 1) accidents do happen, whether it’s an adult, child, or pet, 2) please clearly alert guests of their value, and/or use them as accents in areas where they can’t be knocked over, and 3) If the lamps are that special and irreplaceable, an Airbnb might not be an appropriate setting even if they are important to your aesthetic.
Caveat – for a few days or even a week, some of the following could be overlooked. Also, the owner is particular about many things in the House Manual, which we respected. However, this is a 31+ day listing, so I feel potential guests would like to know the following. There was no paper copy of the House Manual available in the house. The listing says it is sunny – just the pictures are dark. Some early sun in the kitchen/dining room and a little more afternoon sun in living room, but overall it felt very dark to us. It says there is a TV. The TV is hooked up to a DVD player, but there is no coax cable for input, just a phone plug. After several texts with the Host to resolve lack of TV service, and trying all suggestions that were given, I gave up. The furniture, while eclectic, was uncomfortable. The sofa bed/couch in the main room had a mattress that constantly slid down and had to be repositioned. The main bedroom mattress is extra firm – we put our own mattress topper on it to sleep comfortably. There was a gap between the mattress and the wall, which was filled with a round pillow that was not wide enough for the bed. Uncomfortable if you enjoy reading in bed. The toilet seat in the middle bathroom is too small for the rim, and slid sideways whenever I moved. This can be dangerous. We airdry some of our laundry, and the finish on a chair that was in the corner of the dining room permanently stained three shirts we had laid across.