We had high expectations given the many positive reviews. Unfortunately we were disappointed and had to leave the house after a week (we booked for 2 weeks).
First the positives - the location is great, the bakery next door is excellent and the hosts are pleasant and generally responsive. They were open and flexible about our moving out early and had no issues refunding the unused portion of our balance. The house has potential to be a very nice place, but needs a significant overhaul.
The challenges:
1. When we arrived the house had not been cleaned (although beds were made). Even after the cleaning, it was not as clean as we would expect. There were several dead bugs, spiderwebs, dusty surfaces and accumulated dirt in the carpeted areas.
2. The house had a strong moldy odor that was compounded on the ground floor with a smell of sewage. We tried to ventilate the place but it didn’t work. We asked the hosts for help, but they didn’t know what to do. We asked for a plumber but he was not able to get rid of the smell. Finally, we decided to move out.
3. There was a big water leak after heavy rains from the skylight in the kitchen. There was enough water on the kitchen island and floor to make them unusable, and to also cause the kitchen light to stop working. Water came through into the dining and living areas. We got the sense this was not a new problem; a problem that to us seemed urgent did not elicit an urgent response from our hosts.