I’ll start with the positives:
The apartment is in an amazing location and we loved being able to walk everywhere easily - lots happening nearby on the weekend.
Zoja left a bar of chocolate on the counter as a welcome present which was nice.
Check in was easy and the lock mechanism on the doors was very nifty!
Now for the negative:
Overall really disappointed with this one. I hope Zoja changes the pictures on the listing as they are not the ones of the apartment. Until they accurately represent the apartment #5 id caution against booking.
She will defend this and say that they are all 1BR, 1 bath apartments, which they are, yet the apartment we got does not match the photos in the slightest.
The kitchen is tiny & completely different to the large kitchen separated from the living room in the photos. If you see a large open space kitchen in the photos, it is not Unit 5.
The view was the worst view I’ve had at an Airbnb. Couldn’t see anything except rusty corrugated iron fences and backs of surrounding buildings when we we were expecting atleast something nice to look at. Again, misled by the photos which she has obviously chosen to get bookings. If you see a view of anything other than derelict fences, it is not Unit 5.
The apartment was dark, and both the living room and bedroom were NOTHING like the photos advertised. If you see a light filled bedroom, it is not Unit 5. If you see a living room facing the archway kitchen with a door on the right, it is not Unit 5.
There was dust everywhere, the carpets were dirty and it felt like the kitchen had the bare minimum. Ultimately, if those were the only issues, I would have minded less but given the fact that the apartment was not what we thought, this just added to the list of issues.
One other thing to keep note of: very few power points anywhere so bring a few power boards if you book here.
I had messaged Zoja straight after arriving stating my disappointment at the apartment layout and wondering what could be done to rectify this and this was the unhelpful message I received the following day:
“Hi Kartik,
Thank you for your email.
You have booked Apt #5 and as stated on the website this unit is a one bedroom apartment located on the first floor.
From the top floor there is direct views of the harbour bridge from the common area balcony.
All our units are designed exactly the same with open planned kitchen complete with oven, dishwasher, washer and dryer.”
Overall, this has been my only negative experience with Airbnb and it was truly disappointing. I was here for a week and if I could do it again I would have selected my second option, but it was the photos on the listing which sold me. Unfortunately, they are not even close to the apartment.