Our stay at Michelle's place was a mixed experience. Michelle is a lovely and generous host, was welcoming and loved sharing the produce of her amazing vegetable garden. Her home is very well located close to both buses and Stanmore train station.

On arrival in the morning, Michelle had no problem with us checking in as soon as we landed however we soon realised that the house was situated right under the airport's flight path. This came as a surprise because previous guests had said “the place was quiet” however planes flew every few minutes in the early hour of the day. They did stop at some time in the evening and indeed the nights were very quiet.

Michelle's house is old and charming however the presentation of her home as an airbnb was concerning and not what we expected as paying guests. The level of cleanliness and tidiness, particularly across the common areas, was disappointing. The bathroom was presented as cluttered and unhygienic and boxes were stored from the front porch, along the corridor, into the lounge with some even stored in the bedroom. The lounge too was strewn with books and ‘things’ and we were not keen to venture into the kitchen.

Although we considered looking for another place on the first day, we only had three nights in Sydney so didn't want to waste time looking elsewhere.

In terms of value for money – we did ask for an extra mattress in the room as we did not want to share a bed, the mattress was off a lounge sofa, so uncomfortable so we did not think that the price per room was good value. However, Michelle did offer a second bedroom at no extra cost - this generous offer then made the stay more cost effective.

As an Airbnb host myself, I take a lot of pride to offer a clean and welcoming place for my guests. It takes time between every stay to clean, iron and refresh the house. Michelle's house could be a great Airbnb if only it was cleaned and tidy - it would be welcoming, charming and fun.

It is challenging to give feedback that is not all positive however I believe that is the only way Airbnb can work. This was my first Airbnb experience as a guest and unfortunately I felt cheated by the previous feedback where no one mentioned the planes and the poor state of the house.