My partner and I traveled to La Jolla to escape the toxic air in Northern California from the wildfires. We needed a place where we could both work and get out and enjoy fresh air. Overall, we had a good stay with AvantStay. However, there were some details that can make-or-break the experience, and these did for us.
Pros:
- Right next to La Jolla Cove! Just a 5-minute walk from door to ocean. This allowed us to snorkel and swim before/after work and in between meetings.
- One of the most comfortable beds we've ever slept in.
- Beautifully decorated.
- Fully stocked kitchen (incl evoo, salt and pepper, oven mitts, spatulas, glass tupperware; could use a bigger cutting board tho).
- Provided Grown Alchemist, a top-notch brand for hair and skin care.
- Decent space and wifi for my partner and I to both work during the week (no desk or office, but between the kitchen table and the sofa, we were able to make it work).
Cons:
- Required downloading another app to get check-in instructions, etc. Contacted me via other app/sms, not AirBnb. If you're going to host on AirBnb, follow their guidelines and keep all communication within the AirBnb app and put all information and instructions on the AirBnb app.
- Misleading communication about the parking situation. We don't mind not having onsite parking and it was easy enough to park in the neighborhood. But AvantStay's app made it sound like onsite parking was available (there was even a parking spot with our unit number on it). But after a day parking there, a neighbor left a very angry note on our car saying they were going to tow it. No one needs that stress in their life. It seems like AvantStay does not have a good relationship with their neighbors (the building is about 8 AvantStay units and 4 residential units) which gets transferred onto guests. AvantStay should make it crystal clear what the parking situation is for guests and work on their relationship with their neighbors.
- Ridiculous fines for cleaning upon checkout. I don't think I've ever stayed somewhere that required you to take out your trash and clean your own dishes or be charged over $100 for one being left out. This led to a lot of stress upon checkout to make sure we got everything done right before 11:00am (which would also incur a $50 charge per 1/2 hour of late checkout). If we're already paying a cleaning fee, why do we also need to do standard cleaning?