Unfortunately, this will have to be the first negative review I have ever posted - on Airbnb or elsewhere. Let me explain. About a half hour after check in, Josee (the host) knocked on the door with a little container of salt, asking if she could enter and place the salt in the kitchen because apparently it had slipped her mind. The reason and timing seemed a little suspicious since we did not check in until a few hours after the check in period was open, but somehow, she knew when to stop by. The real issue is the following: I've had a service dog for the past five years (miniature dachshund) to help with my disability. By law, service animals are not to be denied as they are very different from pets. In fact, my wife and I have rented numerous places and never experienced any issues. Not at this place though. As soon as Josee saw my dog she told us we would have to leave. I tried to explain my situation, including documentation which she was not interested in. At first, she said dogs were not allowed in the community. After I told her that we had already seen a bunch of neighbors walking their dogs here, she shifted and said that she had just put in new hardwood floors. Funnily enough they were vinyl/laminate - perfect for renting as they are very durable and don't scratch. She then left to go to a meeting but told us we'd have to leave. I called Airbnb right away, sent them my documentation, and they assured me that they have strict anti-discrimination policies in place and that hosts need to accept service animals unless the animals pose a threat to someone. It took Airbnb about 1.5 hours to get in touch with Josee as she would not answer calls or emails. Eventually, they called me back and informed me that my service animal poses a threat to Josee because apparently, she suffers from severe allergies - something that was never mentioned in our initial conversation about hardwood floors etc. The conclusion was that we had to leave the next morning (it was already later in the evening at that point) and that Josee would charge us for that night and the cleaning fee. Airbnb was nice enough to credit $200 to my account to use for my next stay as we scrambled to find a new place. They also guaranteed that Josee would lose her status as superhost. Josee's actions were not only against local laws and Airbnb policies, but they were also discriminatory and potentially dangerous as she was playing with the health of her occupants.
While the apartment itself was nicely decorated and tastefully furnished, I have two quick points to add:
1. The apartment is called Island Beach Villa, but the closest beach is a solid 20 minute drive away. Don't be fooled.
2. After Josee told us to leave, the Wi-Fi mysteriously stopped working for the rest of the night, which was very unfortunate since I work remotely.
To summarize: The place is nice, the community is old/run-down, beach is far, and Josee is very difficult to work with.