This was a very mediocre AirBnB experience. A few positive points. We had a group of 7 and this apartment has potential to be good for groups. The neighborhood is awesome and there are trees in the backyard and it is quiet and good lounge space. May and Sofia were flexible with some folks in our group who wanted to drop their bags early. They also arranged for delivery of toilet paper and paper towels and coffee because there were none (see below).
The downsides:
- lack of personality: both in house decor and interaction with hosts. There was absolutely no “wow factor” here. It’s clear this place is all about churning through guests and no personal touches whatsoever.
- $300 cleaning fee, but only partially-used rolls of toilet paper in bathroom, no extra rolls, no paper towels, no provided soap for showers, exactly 7 cheap and worn-out bath towels for the 7 guests. No extras. When I asked the hosts about the paper products, they agreed to deliver more the next day.
- no coffee available, but a 12-cup coffee maker with tons of filters.
- keyless entry system is a mess. The door to our unit would alarm randomly multiple times a day when coming/going for no apparent reason. I came back late at night in the rain and my key code would not work after multiple attempts on outside door. It was extremely frustrating trying to find a solution with Sofia and May emailing me and not answering my phone calls and they kept explaining the code was working on their end... but I was the one standing outside in the rain trying it over and over with no success. Finally, the guests in the other unit let me in.
- limited hot water. The capacity is not enough for a 4-bedroom house even with all guys taking relatively quick showers. All of my showers were lukewarm.
- washing machine out of service. However this is listed in the “house manual” after booking. We didn’t pick the place specifically for this amenity and after booking it’s not easy to see amenities anyway. But it’s misleading to look in house manual and see instructions for washer/dryer and then not be able to use it when you arrive.
In summary — a 2-night stay in a 4-BR apartment should not involve this many requests and malfunctions and need for interaction with the hosts. Things should be stocked and ready and functional and welcoming. I would not stay here again.