We are full-time travelers and, as such, we have had the good fortune to stay in many and varied Airbnbs. We have come to understand that perfection is virtually impossible, and therefore, each Airbnb has its pros and cons. Accordingly, we review each of our stays using this methodology:
CONS (If any of these “cons” are important to you, avoid this particular unit.)
1. AIR-CONDITINING
You cannot set the thermostat. There is a note from the hosts that leads you to believe that the Las Vegas power company presets the thermostats at 78-degrees, but that you can override that. However, every day and every night we changed the thermostat to a more comfortable temperature and were routinely frustrated to see that the temperature we selected would only be maintained for up to one hour, and then the thermostat would revert back to the original 78-79 degrees.
2. INTERNET
The internet connection is quite slow. We ran a speed test from Google: download speeds never exceeded 35Mbps, upload speeds registered 8Mbps. Therefore, if your visit requires you to have high speed internet, you will be disappointed.
3. HOST(S) DOES NOT LIVE NEARBY
We came back one day to find the house completely without water. To our frustration, we realized that the hosts had not provided us with a working phone number. We were forced to communicate via text, and although the hosts were responsive, it meant much slower communication.
4. NO TV
There is no regular TV. Only Netflix (which stopped working because the host had a problem with the bill) and Sling.
5. PLUMBING PROBLEM
The toilet backed-up into the shower. The hosts promptly called Roto-Rooter to fix the problem —as expected. But then, they left us to clean the leftover mess. And, this leads to the next point…
6. HOSTS’ ATTITUDE
In fact, when we said that we were going to clean the mess, the hosts’ response was “do whatever you need to do to prevent this from happening again” and “we have had AirBnB for two years with no problems”. Unbelievably, the hosts blamed us for clogging the toilet and said they were doing us a favor by calling Roto-Rooter. When we commented that we thought their attitudes towards their guests was below par, and therefore poor customer service, their response was, “This is Airbnb, not a hotel. There is no customer service.”
PROS
1. The casita is very affordable.
2. The property is kept clean and has all of the niceties would you expect (towels, equipped kitchen and bathroom).
3. The neighborhood is very quiet and safe. Only 1 mile from a major shopping area, we enjoyed walking to the grocery store every few days.
As long as nothing goes wrong, this is a fine place to stay.