We are a couple in our late 60’s from Tasmania and we spent a three-day weekend in this unit while visiting with our son who lives in Summer Hill which is close by. The unit is clean, compact, well equipped and comfortable. It has a great looking veranda but unfortunately it was too cold while we were there to take advantage of it. It is in a good location with all that Ashfield has to offer an easy walk away. The bed was extremely comfortable with good quality linen, unfortunately the sliding aluminium window on the side of the bedroom did not close properly and rattled in even the gentlest breeze which was immensely annoying at night but we managed to fix that by jamming a couple of face towels between the rattling panels. The sink in the bathroom is tiny and with the mirrored shaving cabinet protruding above it, it was impossible to get your head directly over the sink which made cleaning your teeth and washing your face quite awkward and messy so we ended up using the kitchen sink.
We arrived after a half day of travel, exhausted, only to find that there was not even a small carton of milk in the fridge so we could not relax and have a cup of tea. Asides from a few tea bags, a few instant coffee sachets and a container of sugar and an old container of salt, unlike so many other Airbnb places we have stayed at, there was absolutely nothing in the kitchen, no oil, sauce etc. etc. though we did no cooking or eating in the unit, not that it was inviting to do so, despite all necessary cooking and dining implements.
Finally, 24 hours before checkout we received an Airbnb message firmly reminding us that checkout was at 10am the next day as well as asking us, among other things, to wash the dishes despite paying a $100 cleaning fee! Even a two-star hotel would not do this.
We have been Airbnb customers for several years on travels around Australia and the world and for two years were Airbnb super hosts. Sadly, Airbnb venues such as this unit have now become corporate entities that are entirely impersonal managed by third parties an arm’s length away from the premises owners; there was nothing in the unit that provided any information on local public transport or any recommendations on local dining or things to do.
The unit is little more than a hotel room, well equipped and comfortable but just lacking that “personal but eclectic” element that I think was the cornerstone of the Airbnb principle when it was founded.