Lovely little place…
The host shared how to access the unit the day of arrival. No problem with finding the address or entering with code. You enter the home and it has a pleasant and nice interior. Pleasantly surprised to not find any scented plug-ins. I was a little nervous about that for we asked before arrival if they used them and the reply was they do, but they would remove them for us. When I reached out to the host prior to arrival I wanted to make sure they remembered the request and she shot back, “If I remember.” A very reassuring answer. Along with that request I wanted to find out if they provide water or any of the basics like salt and pepper or oil. She replied, “I do provide salt & pepper but not oil nor water.”
There are two bedrooms, a living room, one bathroom, and a kitchen. All very nice except for the furnishing of anything beyond the bare minimum. No extra bedding, bad for the cold seasons, not a problem in the warmer seasons. HVAC vents are in the ceiling, in one of the bedrooms with the heat turned on there was cold air blowing on a chilly night, perhaps in the summer you might like it just not the winter. For some reason this host was not willing to provide extra hand towels or wash clothes for the three night stay. Upon request for more she indicated she only provides 4 bath towels, 2 hand towels and 2 wash clothes, this all for four guests. I informed her that we only received one wash cloth and I asked for more and got a lecture, then reluctantly she decided to bring more. When she arrived she presented 2 hand towels and was pleased as punch. I shook my head in dismay that there was nothing else. Must have been lost in translation. Another interesting fact others brought up and I found extremely helpful, the shower faucet is plumbed backwards! You need to know that HOT is immediately after you turn it on, and cold will be all the way to the left. My poor family all commented how cold the shower was, then I remembered prior comments about this issue and sure enough, it’s backwards. The host really should put a sticker on the handle area to help others not freeze. These subtle things are what a real BNB Host would make right so one has the best experience. If anyone represents themselves as AirBNB hosts, and we pay these kinds of prices then it should be a great experience and one would never see a review like this, ever! I honestly think she has it in her, just needs to work harder at it.
I am venturing an educated guess based on our conversations that if you speak her language you will be better received, however, English is not her language nor does she understand it well.
During our first night there, in a text message to her, I asked a simple question if there was a toaster and she lectures me again about how the contents were listed on the web site and I had ample chance to cancel. Customer Service is not her strong point.
There is no house rules book in order to know anything about the unit. No mop to clean spills.
Kitchen is so minimalistic that if you plan on cooking you will be frustrated. There are only 4 plates, 4 cups, and 4 bowls, nothing extra to help when preparing meals. Cleaning supplies consist of a single sponge and a hand soap dispenser filled with dish soap. No dishwasher in this unit. No kitchen towels, only paper towels.
Parking, there is a designated uncovered spot located at the end of the fourplex along the street, and to our surprise one evening we had to share it with their relatives. Although they did approach us when they noticed we returned and were having a difficult time finding another spot.
Be prepared to smell the lovely smell of cheap marijuana from the adjoining unit. They usually light up on a schedule to keep the addiction going, like most smokers do, every half hour.
The neighbors on the back side where the bedroom windows are located, they love to play their music till the late hours in the evening. If you go to bed after midnight or there about then it shouldn’t be a problem.
We got to experience the generosity of the other neighbors in the fourplex when the middle unit tied up their dog to the tree in the evening leaving it to yap for hours seeking attention…and no one seems to care. After a few days around the noon time I saw the owner in the front (surprisingly they live in the fourplex too!). I decided to make the host-owner aware, only for them to not understand English once again. I mentioned that the dog barks all evening and is a nuisance, she immediately had the owner pull the dog inside even though it was only noon and we were heading out for the day. On a different day the dog was running around in the enclosed yard and it greeted us when we arrived, it just wanted attention so I pet him. That evening, to my surprise I heard yapping outside the front door, which was odd for it was normally coming from the tree at the end of the fourplex where the dog was tied up. I opened the door and the fury little beast was wanting more attention and wagging its tail up a storm. I said hello and gave him a snack. He apparently remembered me from earlier and which unit I was staying. Sweet dog, just needs some attention.
There are bums digging in the dumpster all day long, hey, beats having to pay for a recycling service.
Then there is the magical feeling of being in a Mexican village, with