Pros
- The house is very nicely and characterfully decorated, it is a lovely, lived in home.
- It is close to the centre of Newport and is a very reasonable price for the area.
- Kate had excellent communication before the stay.
- Kate has a very pleasant manner, was chatty, and not intentionally rude in any way.
- When I texted Kate to explain that I’d chosen to find a different place to stay, she did kindly suggest I might be able to try to get money back. I did not pursue this as I felt she might not succeed in reletting the room at short notice and it didn’t seem fair that she should lose out on income, but I appreciated the suggestion coming from her.
Cons
- The room felt much darker than it appears on the photo - the windows are small and low down on the wall so there wasn’t much natural light, and there was only a lamp and no wall or ceiling light. I’m sure it would be alright in the evenings/night, but it wasn’t great on a rainy afternoon and it didn’t provide what I needed.
- When I arrived, Kate immediately started sharing her views on politics, conspiracy theories, her social media bans, her astrological predictions of doom come Autumn, as well as some other unexpected topics. To me, this did not feel like professional behaviour, and because her views (and ideas about appropriate conversation with strangers who are paying for hospitality) were so different from my own, I felt very uncomfortable. Upon getting to the room, I searched online for last minute hotel deals in the area and left within an hour.
I wish Kate all the best, but I am glad I found alternative accommodation - it was the right choice for me.