Unfortunately, pictures and descriptions can be quite deceiving. Check-in was the only smooth process upon arrival and during our stay, and this house was not worthy of 5 stars.
This review is lengthy, but I believe important for guests to read this experience, be AWARE prior to booking, and hopefully for Rich and Cardo Management to actually READ this in order improve this Airbnb.
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I booked the house through Rich with intentions of having a nice Thanksgiving dinner for friends and family.
Rich was not communicative when I reached out, and neither was the Management Company. I only received automated messages (after leaving them several voicemails every day of my stay, due to the urgency of the following issues):
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- When entering, the house was full of a musky smell, from the living room to the bedrooms. Even the sheets smelled. I had to buy Febreeze, Lysol, Wipes, etc, to clean every surface.
- The big window to the right facing the ocean was dirty with a bunch of handprints all over it.
- No curtains or blinds anywhere in the living room or kitchen. (No privacy from the neighbors or the street)
- The dining room table was not cleaned; Dusty, dirty, cup stains.
- There were no towels in either bathroom, which was inconvenient - HOWEVER, the owner has a note taped to the hallway door where extra towels are located, which says that guests need to do the laundry if they use any extra towels besides the ones in the bathrooms, which makes no sense.
In addition, the Tide laundry detergent was practically empty.
- There were some shower towels, but only 1 hand towel in the hallway cabinet, so I had to buy extras for both bathrooms; Inconvenient for guests, considering they offer 9 visitors to stay.
- All outlets and the table lamp did not work in the Queen size room (My father who is quite old and requires easy access to things, was unable to charge his phone in the room - he had to constantly walk back & forth to the kitchen, and was unable to turn off the main light without getting up from the bed).
- There was hair found all over the Queen bed pillows. (We bought new pillow cases and sheets for both rooms)
- There was hair found around the toilet in the King size bathroom.
- There were no extra trash bags or cleaning supplies, as Rich originally told us there would be.
I had to buy many supplies and spend both days cleaning up the house instead of enjoying myself and relaxing before my hosted dinner.
- The balcony light outside the bedroom, along with a kitchen light, bathroom light, and chandelier light were out; Not the worst, but something to be aware of.
I messaged Rich the above issues, and asked for someone from management to contact me on my cell phone as soon as possible to further discuss the issues
** Rich sent me an automated message after check-in, stating that they only expect their guests to have a 5-star experience, and if not, to contact him within 24 hours (which I did) in order to receive a discount/refund, and that they would do their best to accommodate **
I messaged these issues within the 24-hour period and he sent a short message, simply offering for maids to come clean (Granted I had already done it myself and guests were already arriving).
The most unfortunate thing was, not only did I have to clean everything, but when reaching out to Rich AGAIN about the above issues (he didn’t react or respond to the specifics), I also continued to call Cardo Management, and would only receive another automated message (asking for a 5-star review), and never got a call from anyone.
** In my opinion, communication is key and important for guests to have a nice stay and be able to contact a host at any time.
I have SINCE messaged Rich, and have left several voicemails with Cardo Management after checking out a few days ago - Still have not received a personalized message from Rich, and no call back from the company.
PS - Their “guidebook” has a major list of things to clean and do before checkout, some of which I believe to be unnecessary… what’s the $250 cleaning fee we pay for at Airbnb’s anyway?
I still hope to hear from someone regarding this experience.