STYLE WITHOUT SUBSTANCE
When I travel I want someplace to return to that is well thought out and comfortable. I want to have a drink on the patio, put my feet up and read a book, I might want to look at a little television. In the morning I want blinds that close, a cup of decent coffee and a predictable bathroom experience. You will not find those simple things here and the title could also be: Appearance Without Comfort.
Appearance first: it all looks good, fantastic looking kitchen, very well appointed. Striking, brand new appliances, black counter top, under cabinet lighting (with a dimmer, no less). Very hip, grey, white and glass bathrooms. The unit is well insulated and quiet and located in an interesting and convenient location.
I don’t want to rag on the host here, suffice to say he will get my litany of issues but you don’t need to see those. They are too numerous, especially for a unit that goes for $200 a night, after fees. We could have paid that at a hotel and had a far better experience. If I had been charged the expected $130 a night I would still be disappointed over the lack of common sense comfort. Bullet points: there is no place to sit. A couch, barstools. That’s it. The lighting is brutal, 5000 watts or nothing. There is no place to read. There were no paper towels, there was no coffee. (We got paper towels the next day and caffeinated stuff: raspberry, hazelnut and French vanilla Keurig pods, not coffee). The toilet seats are cheap. Sad, but true. The patio furniture is stylish but goofy; rounded bottoms that threw three of us onto the deck. The 48” television’s limit channel selection was presented to us from six feet away and constantly lost signal to the point of uselessness. I don’t believe the host has ever stayed in this unit and therein lays the problem.
The host is a nice guy but the problems he quickly fixed (the access code not working when we arrived and the caffeinated beverages (not coffee) he dropped off) could have been avoided with a little forethought. There is something very odd about a host giving you accommodations based on what they LOOK like rather than how comfortable and practical they are. We wish him well.