We arrived at the place super excited for our week in Santa Cruz. But when we walked in, we were immediately overwhelmed by the smell of mold.
We opened up all the doors and windows to try and air out the place but within 15 minutes of sitting in the kitchen we both had headaches and felt nauseous. We realized that sadly there was no way we could stay there.
We went and sat in the car and texted the host. She was out of town and not able to come by. She said if we cancelled she may give us a partial refund, but only if someone rebooked the place.
We called Airbnb and they said not to cancel or we’d lose everything and that they would get back to us in a few hours to confirm a refund. I’ve called several times and messaged on the app with no response.
None of this is what we wanted or expected when we made the reservation. We wanted nothing more than to hang out in Santa Cruz. Instead, we’re out $1600 and a vacation. We’re extremely frustrated and disappointed by both the host and Airbnb.
A few other things to consider before booking this place: 1) the floors were very dirty. We removed our shoes as requested, and the soles of our feet were black by the time we left; 2) the wardrobe was full of the host’s stuff with no room for hanging or putting away clothes; 3) there is a desk crammed into the corner of the bedroom but no chair, and no real ability to use the desk; 4) the beach nearest to the house is beautiful but it’s a surfing beach and not great for hanging out at.
This is the kind of experience that makes us never want to use Airbnb again. We’re continuing to try and get a response from Airbnb and get our money back.