Overall I would say the stay was ok. There were some great things and some not so great things during our stay at this air bnb in Pompano Beach.
The positives:
Some of the great things this place had to offer; 1) it was really great to be close to the beach (within walking distance) and not having to worry about driving and finding a parking spot or paying for parking. 2) It had a private pool. 3) We were traveling with a 10 month old, and the place was very accommodating with a pack n’ play and high chair (which was a life saver). 4) We made several meals inside with the full service kitchen that the place had to offer which worked out really well with a baby on the trip. 5) We had a private patio where we enjoyed some cigars while the baby slept and some nice patio furniture. 6) Kat was also very responsive with messaging through the app and via text message which was really helpful on our stay.
The negatives:
Some of the not so great things from the trip. To no fault of the rental, we stayed at this air bnb in the month of January, and unfortunately during one of the coldest weekends of the year in Florida. I am sure this would not be something that most people would look into since it does not happen that often, but if you plan to stay in Florida during the month of January, generally plan for cooler weather. 1) What we did not think we needed to plan for was the AC/heat units in our place only working on AC mode, we were forced to turn off the units. On the coldest day the temp in the house was as low as 55 degrees F with only a small space heater to heat the whole unit, which was used primarily in the baby’s room when she was not napping to make it bearable for her when she was in there. We were forced to layer and cook by the stove to keep warm on that cold day. 2) Another issue we ran into was the private patio that we were supposed to have was not so private when our neighbors were walking behind our place several times a day to dump trash. When I reached out to the owners about this, they informed me that I am supposed to have a private patio (however they said nothing to me on enforcing it or speaking with the neighbors). 3) Another issue I found was security. This is a gated complex with passcodes for the residence, and pretty strict enforcement from the description of their ad, however the area that they have their trash cans is unlocked and accessible to anyone on the street. This unlocked area lead back behind our place to the patio where anyone could have attempted to
break into our place without anyone knowing they were there. There are security cameras but only in the common area by the pool from what I could see, and when I addressed this with the owner, it was completely ignored. 4) Lastly, when we requested a coffee pot that had been missing in our unit, it was delivered to us the night before we were supposed to leave (4 days into our stay).
After having all these concerns and issues, I did a little research which I should have done ahead of time, but hindsight is always 20/20. This unit is owned by owners that own several air bnb units, so the personal aspect of staying in someone’s home or second home is not really there. The unit is packed with aesthetically pleasing decor and furniture, but definitely not the highest of quality, especially for how expensive they are charging per night for the unit. The king size bed was so unstable that it would shift when you got into it because all of the support legs were bent and or not supporting the bed at all. To me, staying in a place that had 3 55”-60” tvs but an “ikea” style build-a-bed seemed like corners were definitely cut.
In my opinion, not worth the money they are charging per night. If this were significantly cheaper, I could see justifying the complaints I had, but for the same price, you could stay on a beach side hotel, hotel service and amenities, and security peace of mind and staff present that can physically address concerns or issues rather than over the phone. So with that in mind, know what you are getting into before booking.