The property is beautiful. Photos are accurate.
Patrick was responsive and pleasant leading up to our stay. I felt that we had developed a rapport.
On check in we were advised that one of the toilets was out of order and a plumber would be called. No big deal. Check in was on Easter Sunday so we weren't expecting immediate resolution.
After the first night I let Patrick know that the downstairs bed was really uncomfortable, to the point where my brother and sister in law were unable to sleep on it. Patrick advised that the issue was likely notthe mattress after I told him my brotherhad offered to buy a new one. We just wanted to have a smooth trip. We lifted themattress to check the frame and discovered the supporting bracket was broken. Patrick said they would come fix it later that day, which they did.
The following day, Patrick informed that he would come by with a plumber to fix the toilet while we were out. Up to this point we had been texting directly in a pleasant way. While at the beach I received both a text and a notification on the Airbnb app that the toilet was fixed but Patrick noticed a stain on the carpet and that I should let him know if I was unable to remove it. I messaged him back immediately concerned because we had not had any spills. I didn't hear back right away so I called. I told Patrick that we had not spilled anything, had only had water in the house and we're a pretty responsible family who had been respectful of his home. He insisted the mark on the carpet had not been there when we checked in. We were at an impasse. I was emotional because I felt that I had been pretty understanding about the things that had gone wrong after we had checked in and now I was being accused of something I know for a fact we didn't do. I told him I would check it out when we got back to the house. About a minute later Patrick called me back and said he had discussed with Will and they thought it would be better if we found somewhere else to stay. I asked why and he said he didn't like my tone. There was no name calling, swearing or disrespect. I likely raised my voice but like I said, I was emotional. I packed up my family, we left the beach and were checked out of the house within 90 minutes. We looked at the mark on the carpet and it was an old, dry, weathered and faded stain. It's not something that could have been done in the less than 36 hours in the house even if he didn't believe me when I say that we had NO spills.
Anyway, this is a long review but needed to be said. I think there is a certain amount of trust in people that you need to have in order to be a good guest and a good host. In our case, there was no reason not to give me the benefit of the doubt as I had been nothing but honest in all of my interactions with Patrick. I paid an extra guest fee up front and only had 6 people total. Patrick asked for $225 to heat the pool and I sent $250. I was cool about the toilet and the bed. We offered to buy a mattress! Lol.
We drove 7 hours home that night. I spent my 50th at home and didn't get to take my daughter on her college tours. We did have a fun almost 36 hours! San Diego is beautiful. The pool/yard/view at Patrick's house is amazing and I'm sure anyone else that stays there has had and will continue to have a wonderful time. I deducted no stars because, while it didn't work out for me, I would not want to dissuade anyone from trusting the positive reviews. The best advice I have is to keep all communication on the Airbnb app.