Pros:
-Location. Quick walk to town and restaurants. On site parking. Pretty view of tide pools and ocean.
-Quiet. Heard neighbors once in a week, never disturbed.
Cons:
-Uncomfortable. Unit is NOT air conditioned, listing is misleading. Chiller unit in bedroom only, runs only at max/high, fan speed cannot be adjusted, remote does not work. Obviously not a new device, Host’s email about temporary A/C issues is BS. Ceiling fan in bedroom only. Living room, kitchen, bathroom stay hot and damp. Never got a decent breeze through unit, even when breezy in town.
-Poor maintenance. Fixtures and fittings are rusting and corroding. Most pieces were cheap builder grade items when new and are now decades old. No knobs on cabinets, only grungy edges where everyone pulls on them (and doesn’t get cleaned).
-Poor security. Door has only passage locks, no deadbolt. Lock uses only standard hard key. Balcony railings are low with widely spaces spindles, stairs have open risers and wide handrails—unsafe and indicators that the building hasn’t had meaningful work done since the early 90’s.
Responsiveness. Host emails and texts, but any communication to them is phone only and only during business hours. The unit’s assigned parking spot was taken by someone else, called (6:20 pm) to report it and ask where I could safely and legally park, had to leave a message with messaging service. Received email response the next morning, after my spouse has been fretting all night about our car getting ticketed or towed (dirt spaces across the alley/street are the backup parking).
-Amenities. Listing stated all supplies and amenities provided. Unit had no shampoo and welcome letter noted that they provide only “starter” supplies for three days. Old bar of soap from previous guest left in shower. Absurd volume of linens packed into the closets. Listing states unit does not have a smoke detector; it does, in the vanity hallway—why does the Host not know this? Listing notes beach towels and chairs, but other reviewers noted additional items. I emailed to clarify, Host replied, towels and chairs. Unit actually has towels, chairs, umbrella, two sets of snorkel gear, additional flippers, fishing rod; host should either know these amenities exist or discard this trash left by previous guests.
If this were an individual Host, I’d cut them some slack. But it’s a management company, so they should be held to basic hospitality standards. Terrible experience, and hard to enjoy vacation when each day begins and ends in such an unpleasant place and being reminded of my bad decision to stay here.