This is a really long review, so I wanted to provide the brief "why and why not" then more information for context for those that would like to read it below. Ultimately this stay was quite awful and when I contacted Airbnb with pictures/screenshots I was fully compensated.
What I can say about why I would not recommend this place to someone like me:
- The place simply wasn't as it was described. There were no functioning bathroom amenities (given there was no hot water) and no WiFi. Absolutely no apology and empathy was given for this situation either.
- The host obviously has a family and between 7pm - 8am did not make themselves available (pick up the phone/respond to messages) to help with issues which could be urgent to guests, but not deemed urgent to them. I was unable to do my job without internet access, so for me this was urgent and something I needed that evening/morning.
- The host lives above the unit and is able to, and in my case did, look through the windows and share judgements about the state in which I was living in it. This would be absolutely justified if I had caused damage, but nothing was damaged, there was just stuff everywhere which is symptomatic of 2 people working hectic full time jobs, looking after a high energy dog, managing a big renovation, with one of the 2 training for a marathon. So if you want to be able to have your clothes lying on the floor and empty food packets/dishes on the kitchen counter, just be aware that unless you keep the windows and doors covered, the host can and may be watching all of this.
- The dedicated workstation does not have anywhere where you can plug in a laptop and screen, so we had to get our own extension lead.
These may not be important for other guests but for some it might be worth noting:
- Whilst the place is pet friendly, dogs are not allowed on the sofa
- Because of where the unit is located, in amongst lots of foliage, it smells and feels damp
- The pathway to the unit is very steep and uneven which made it really difficult to carry luggage up and down when it was dark. During the day there was a very friendly dog there as well, although I did almost trip over him/her.
- This didn't bother me but might bother some people - in the laundry there was underwear in there when we arrived which didn't belong to us.
- Just be aware when you book the listing it is a double bed... I didn't realise that myself and my partner (he is 6ft4) sleep on a Queen and we basically didn't fit in the bed in this studio. This of course is not a complaint, it's just worth thinking about if you are taller/bigger.
Things that were great/would be great for a guest with different needs to mine:
- We never struggled to find a place to park on the street
- There is a really nice park over the road where you can take a dog or just take a stroll. We didn't get to use it but the deck at the front of the unit looks nice to sit on (although wouldn't be private)
- The cushions and bedding and sofa were really nice and new, effort has been put into the living area to make it stylish
- Narrabeen is a really lovely suburb and the unit is only a short drive from the lagoon, the beach and cafes etc.
I booked this accommodation as I needed somewhere pet friendly and quiet to work from home whilst our apartment in Collaroy was being renovated (significant structural changes/wall demolition, etc.). Unfortunately our working days average 7-8am until 8pm currently.
We arrived just after 7pm and after a day of being on and off a construction site, were desperate for a shower, still hadn't had dinner, and I needed to finish and send several emails. However there was no hot water, and no WiFi. I tried to call the number given to me by the host via Airbnb but there was no response. We also didn't get any service on our mobile phones (I am on Optus, my partner is Telstra) so we couldn't hotspot / use them either. We ended up getting our own dongle ($99) and topping it up so I could finish off work, then ordered pizzas and went to bed. The next day I messaged as soon as we were up as the Wifi and hot water still were not working, we had to let plumbers/electricians into our apartment and I had to be in my first work meeting (virtually - which requires WiFi!) by 8am. I also had to pick up an extension lead as there is no power point to plug a laptop into anywhere near the dining table, which is the only suitable surface for working on. This time I got a message back with a different WiFi code which also didn't work, and a request that for non urgent items that I messaged through Airbnb app before 8am rather than the mobile number for the host which was provided through the app if I needed anything. Later on my first day I was offered $20 as compensation for the internet between Thursday night and Wednesday when I understand the host is having NBN installed.
I used my own dongle to work on the Friday and didn't get much of a break from work all day - our clothes and stuff was absolutely everywhere and the pizza boxes / empty diet coke cans were still waiting by the bins to be recycled from the night before. We had moved the cushions (they are really nice cushions) out of the reach of our dog so she wouldn't lie on them so they were perched in weird places. We