Shawn’s place was cute, newly renovated, and fine for a night. I met up with family from Florida here before we were to head to Long Island the next day.
The house was reasonably clean upon arrival. “Reasonably” meaning there was no trash or overt mess anywhere in the house, but the floors hadn’t been thoroughly swept nor surfaces wiped down. The cleaning fee being what it was, I expected the house to be spotless. (I used to clean airbnbs for a living and this was the expectation.)
Shortly after arriving I received a message from Shawn saying he welcomed dogs with an extra fee of $130. Being that we’d been out back with my dog before that, we drew the conclusion he’d been watching us on the outdoor camera, framed in the listing as a security measure, not a means for the host to watch us. This lack of privacy made us very uncomfortable. I’ve also never paid more than $50 extra for a pet, and that was with prior notice.
The kitchen was somewhat stocked but didn’t have enough plates, bowls, or cups/mugs for our party of 8. Disappointing considering this place sleeps 8 and we would presumably want to eat at least one meal together??
This house isn’t really suitable for multiple families/people who don’t go to sleep at the same time. There aren’t any rugs or means of sound insulation so the house is very echoey. The alarm system is also jarring and announces when you open certain doors (this might be a plus for some, but not us). A few area rugs across the otherwise entirely hardwood downstairs would make a huge difference. (I realize this wouldn’t be a big deal for everyone, but being that we were a multigenerational party it was difficult with our staggered bedtimes.)
The moment we put food on the counters ants appeared in masses. I know this is hard to control but a heads up and/or some attempt at minimizing the problem (e.g. an ant trap) would’ve been appreciated.
This place wasn’t terrible, but for the cost for one night we were disappointed. When you’ve been on the road for days the last thing you’re thinking about is whether the Airbnb will have enough plates for everyone.