# Any airbnb pros in here?



## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

Well, jamaica's out I guess, so wifey & I looking to spend about 10 days in Siesta Key area of Sarasota FL. Mid-or late April - dates are flexible.
Been before, but many years ago. Thought I'd try to book something thru airbnb for first time.
Anybody have any suggestions / tips? I can provide our "wants" if you'd like to narrow down choices for us....


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## bgc_fan (Apr 5, 2009)

Not much for tips, but I have done a number of Airbnb. I wouldn't dismiss conventional hotels because sometimes they are cheaper and located in places with easier public transport.

Besides looking at reviews, you can generally see if the person has multiple listings as that may indicate that they are doing this more as a "professional" job and keep things tidy and clean.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

okeeeyyy....
any red lags to sorta watch out for...?


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## bgc_fan (Apr 5, 2009)

Hard to say. It is pretty hit and miss. Reviews can only get you so far.


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

We discovered a fraudulent listing in Berlin by appealing to airbnb management that the listing did not ring true. It was and they immediately removed it. We went on to rent successfully in Berlin and Paris.

We are in one at present in PV (during renovations to our condo). Sayan Beach.


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## Koogie (Dec 15, 2014)

Look for lots of reviews. Keep careful note of any reviews that flag the property as being anything less than scrupulously clean. People are to nice generally and little complaints are like codes.

Except for the whack job complainers but you'll be able to tell them pretty quick (ie: "We liked the property but it rained and the owner did nothing about it !!)

Don't discount Homeaway/VRBO either.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

yes, thanks all...
about the reviews..... are they all legit? I know if I was an owner, and there was a way to pad my site with great reviews from say, family & friends, I'd do it....


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## Koogie (Dec 15, 2014)

By and large they are... if you doubt it, just click on the reviewers name and see what else they reviewed. If they reviewed 10 other properties besides the one you are looking at, they are legit.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

yeah...i've used tripadvisor reviews over the years and usually you can sift thru them to get a decent idea of a place..


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## Nerd Investor (Nov 3, 2015)

I've used both Air B&B and VRBO. All great experiences, except for one little snafu but it didn't take away from the enjoyment of the trip. Basically, one of places we rented (in France) we had to wait outside for a while for the owner's friend to drop off a key. She apparently got stuck in traffic coming from work. Anyway, not the end of the world, the place was still good. Everywhere else was spectacular. 

Read the reviews, look at the photos and hope for the best! You rate them and they rate you after the stay, so I think the ratings are fairly reliable compared to other sites where any random person can sign up and rate a place/write a review.


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

I recently asked the same question at my office, and several people told me that VRBO is somewhat easier to use (for a first timer) and gives similar results.

Also -- _always_ check Hotwire!


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

I'm trying out Airbnb for a stay in Hawaii, just 2 days for part of my stay. Once the booking is agreed on by the host, is it a "done deal" and solid? Or should one make a fall-back reservation such as a regular hotel that allows full cancellation?


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

I believe they get charged a $100 fee for cancelling within 7 days plus an automated poor review. If they cancel they day of they risk the wrath of the angry 1 star guest review, and these listings live and die by their rep

I don't bother with backups but I'm the kind of person who usually books rooms on the day of (works very well earlier in the afternoon if rooms are available, less so in the evening in my experience)

There's also Turo for cars. I considered using it in Hawaii but never needed it


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

m3s said:


> I believe they get charged a $100 fee for cancelling within 7 days plus an automated poor review. If they cancel they day of they risk the wrath of the angry 1 star guest review, and these listings live and die by their rep
> 
> I don't bother with backups but I'm the kind of person who usually books rooms on the day of (works very well earlier in the afternoon if rooms are available, less so in the evening in my experience)


m3s, in various cities I book day-of hotels all the time. But do you think that's feasible in a place like Maui in January? It could be... I have no familiarity with this area. Have you tried last minute bookings in Hawaii? Would you do that using Hotwire, Airbnb, or something else?


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

My only experience in Hawaii was Honolulu in July for work. All the hotels were booked solid in July and rental cars were silly overbooked

I'm considering Hawaii in March because the flights are so good.. but by my math it takes only a few days for SE Asia prices to break even for the flight.


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

Airbnb is an immoral and unethical company. Doing business with them means you are supporting that. That would of course make you unethical.
https://bemusedbackpacker.com/2017/10/23/is-airbnb-unethical-and-irresponsible/

An uninformed traveller cannot be blamed for seeing it as a good alternative to a hotel but an informed traveller can be blamed. Now you are informed and it is between you and your conscience.


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

Longtimeago said:


> Airbnb is an immoral and unethical company. Doing business with them means you are supporting that. That would of course make you unethical.
> https://bemusedbackpacker.com/2017/10/23/is-airbnb-unethical-and-irresponsible/
> 
> An uninformed traveller cannot be blamed for seeing it as a good alternative to a hotel but an informed traveller can be blamed. Now you are informed and it is between you and your conscience.





longtimeago we've been around all this already. You can see that cmffers are an unrepentant lot. Hadn't you better give up

(signed)
The Lisbon Single Mothers' Collective
Hot Cross Buns


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## peterk (May 16, 2010)

james4beach said:


> I'm trying out Airbnb for a stay in Hawaii, just 2 days for part of my stay. Once the booking is agreed on by the host, is it a "done deal" and solid? Or should one make a fall-back reservation such as a regular hotel that allows full cancellation?


It sure as shoot isn't a done deal... I had an airbnb booked for July 1st...in Ottawa... Cancelled on June 30th, 7pm!
$500 at the Best Western later, and I was back in a different Ottawa condo in Byward by July 2nd. Still, if you don't got money to burn, a backup plan isn't a bad thing to have. 

And hopefully you have a US bank credit card for that Hawaii booking, otherwise get ready to pay $1.50 for the hidden conversion rate!


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

peterk said:


> It sure as shoot isn't a done deal... I had an airbnb booked for July 1st...in Ottawa... Cancelled on June 30th, 7pm!
> $500 at the Best Western later, and I was back in a different Ottawa condo in Byward by July 2nd. Still, if you don't got money to burn, a backup plan isn't a bad thing to have.
> 
> And hopefully you have a US bank credit card for that Hawaii booking, otherwise get ready to pay $1.50 for the hidden conversion rate!


Thanks for the note about the cancellation. That's horrifying! I booked a fully refundable hostel (86 sq ft private room). I'll have to cancel that 5 days before the Airbnb but I figure that gets me close enough to leave options open... no payment needed.

I find that booking.com and hotels.com are both pretty good at finding options that are fully cancellable and often don't need any up front payment.


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

peterk said:


> It sure as shoot isn't a done deal... I had an airbnb booked for July 1st...in Ottawa... Cancelled on June 30th, 7pm!
> $500 at the Best Western later



as jas4 says that's horrible! i'm surprised you could find any accommodation within 100 km of ottawa after 7 pm on the night of june 30th though

on 2nd thot maybe the fact that you were able to find a hotel room in ottawa late in the evening of 30 june is a political commentary, they say july 1st attendance on parliament hill went down this past summer

do you suppose your first airBnb was running an auction, ie he "rented" to a bunch of tenants, all for the same 30 june-1 july pair of nights but at ever-increasing prices due to demand. Once he got the price as high as he dared, he cut all of you loose, save & except for the very last booker


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## nobleea (Oct 11, 2013)

james4beach said:


> Thanks for the note about the cancellation. That's horrifying! I booked a fully refundable hostel (86 sq ft private room). I'll have to cancel that 5 days before the Airbnb but I figure that gets me close enough to leave options open... no payment needed.
> 
> I find that booking.com and hotels.com are both pretty good at finding options that are fully cancellable and often don't need any up front payment.


We were also cancelled out of two reservations in Iceland in August a few years ago. One was only a couple weeks prior to the trip which was stressful as there's a known lack of lodging relative to visitors.
I wouldn't be worried about Maui - most places there will be dedicated Airbnb's (businesses) and would be almost unheard of to get a cancellation by the host.


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

humble_pie said:


> longtimeago we've been around all this already. You can see that cmffers are an unrepentant lot. Hadn't you better give up
> 
> (signed)
> The Lisbon Single Mothers' Collective
> Hot Cross Buns


Why give up? If one reader goes on to do their own research and decides they do not want to be part of unethical travel practices, it is worth trying to start them down that road humble_pie. If it irritates one user and gives them a twinge of guilt, it is worth it. I'm sure they would love it if everyone who points out the truth, gave up.


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

peterk said:


> It sure as shoot isn't a done deal... I had an airbnb booked for July 1st...in Ottawa... Cancelled on June 30th, 7pm!
> $500 at the Best Western later, and I was back in a different Ottawa condo in Byward by July 2nd. Still, if you don't got money to burn, a backup plan isn't a bad thing to have.
> 
> And hopefully you have a US bank credit card for that Hawaii booking, otherwise get ready to pay $1.50 for the hidden conversion rate!


I love to hear it when an Airbnb user gets a dose of reality that causes them some grief.

It seems many people don't care about how what they do impacts others (like neighbours) but really do care when it negatively impacts themselves. Who would have guessed.

Last minute cancellations are common with airbnb, I'm happy to say. Along with many other disappointments. Read about some here. https://www.airbnbhell.com/airbnb-guest-stories/
I really like the one about the rental in Vegas where the guy ended up paying 3 times as much. Wooeee, sock it to em.

I do have some sympathy for the woman who was drugged, assaulted, lost a job offer when she failed a drug test and became part of a criminal investigation though. That's a bit harsh in terms of being punished for using airbnb.

It might also be informative to click on the 'neighbors' tab at the top of the page and see what they think of airbnb and people who do business with them. Here, I will click on it for you, all you have to do is read. https://www.airbnbhell.com/airbnb-neighbor-stories/


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

james4beach said:


> I'm trying out Airbnb for a stay in Hawaii, just 2 days for part of my stay. Once the booking is agreed on by the host, is it a "done deal" and solid? Or should one make a fall-back reservation such as a regular hotel that allows full cancellation?


I read that and just shake my head. So just in case your airbnb reservation is cancelled, you are going to book a hotel which you do NOT intend to use except if YOU have a problem, is that right?

So what you are saying is 'never mind the hotel 'thinks' they have a reservation from you or never mind if someone wanted to stay at that hotel but can't get a reservation because you have one you fully intend to cancel. As long as YOU are ok, nevermind anyone else. 

Well that's a real caring attitude. NOT


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

james4beach said:


> Thanks for the note about the cancellation. That's horrifying! I booked a fully refundable hostel (86 sq ft private room). I'll have to cancel that 5 days before the Airbnb but I figure that gets me close enough to leave options open... no payment needed.
> 
> I find that booking.com and hotels.com are both pretty good at finding options that are fully cancellable and often don't need any up front payment.


Well here's hoping you cancel the hostel reservation 5 days before and the airbnb reservation cancels on you on the day of arrival. Then the icing on the cake will be if there isn't one hotel room available anywhere at all, at any price.


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

nobleea said:


> We were also cancelled out of two reservations in Iceland in August a few years ago. One was only a couple weeks prior to the trip which was stressful as there's a known lack of lodging relative to visitors.
> I wouldn't be worried about Maui - most places there will be dedicated Airbnb's (businesses) and would be almost unheard of to get a cancellation by the host.


Sorry to hear you were '*stressed*' noblea, such a shame. Of course there is also the stress faced by people who live there and cannot find a place rent, to LIVE in. But hey, that's not your problem is it. I mean, you aren't contributing to that housing shortage are you.
https://grapevine.is/news/2018/06/2...iving-up-costs-mostly-not-registered-legally/

I mean, you wouldn't encourage a landlord to evict a tenant so that you could rent for your vacation would you. No, that would be incredibly selfish and uncaring.
https://splinternews.com/airbnb-has-made-it-nearly-impossible-to-find-a-place-to-1793856969


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

Longtimeago said:


> I read that and just shake my head. So just in case your airbnb reservation is cancelled, you are going to book a hotel which you do NOT intend to use except if YOU have a problem, is that right?
> 
> So what you are saying is 'never mind the hotel 'thinks' they have a reservation from you or never mind if someone wanted to stay at that hotel but can't get a reservation because you have one you fully intend to cancel. As long as YOU are ok, nevermind anyone else.
> 
> Well that's a real caring attitude. NOT


I am following the agreed upon contract in each situation. I am perfectly following both the hostel's terms and the Airbnb's terms. And don't worry, the hostel will have no problems filling that 86 sq ft room once I cancel it.

In fact, I'll be doing a favour to some last minute traveller looking for a place to crash on ultra short notice. You should be jumping up and down with joy, cheering me for being such a generous player who is willing to provide so much joy and comfort to someone who needs it. My temporary reservation of the hostel as a backup means that I am providing extra liquidity to the last-minute-hotel market, effectively providing an extra bed for the "last minute" market.


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

By this logic one should never use a hotel if something bad ever happened in a hotel

How does airbnb displace more people than hotels do? I would argue hotels displace far more people, entire fishing villages even for luxury seasonal resorts

One should definitely not stay in a hotel because of their unethical capitalist practice, albeit legal, according to some spiritual internet beliefs


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## Prairie Guy (Oct 30, 2018)

Does every topic on this site eventually go off the rails?


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## nobleea (Oct 11, 2013)

Longtimeago said:


> Sorry to hear you were '*stressed*' noblea, such a shame. Of course there is also the stress faced by people who live there and cannot find a place rent, to LIVE in. But hey, that's not your problem is it. I mean, you aren't contributing to that housing shortage are you.
> https://grapevine.is/news/2018/06/2...iving-up-costs-mostly-not-registered-legally/
> 
> I mean, you wouldn't encourage a landlord to evict a tenant so that you could rent for your vacation would you. No, that would be incredibly selfish and uncaring.
> https://splinternews.com/airbnb-has-made-it-nearly-impossible-to-find-a-place-to-1793856969


Hard to see the computer screen with your nose so high in the air?

The reservations were cancelled since the owners (it was their home) decided it was no longer convenient for them for the few days in question. The exact opposite of what you are claiming.


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## peterk (May 16, 2010)

humble_pie said:


> as jas4 says that's horrible! i'm surprised you could find any accommodation within 100 km of ottawa after 7 pm on the night of june 30th though
> 
> on 2nd thot maybe the fact that you were able to find a hotel room in ottawa late in the evening of 30 june is a political commentary, they say july 1st attendance on parliament hill went down this past summer
> 
> do you suppose your first airBnb was running an auction, ie he "rented" to a bunch of tenants, all for the same 30 june-1 july pair of nights but at ever-increasing prices due to demand. Once he got the price as high as he dared, he cut all of you loose, save & except for the very last booker


Worse - It was 2 years ago, for the Canada 150! And it rained the entire time...

But we had different accommodation for the 30th, which worked out - it was our July 1st night, the first of 4 nights, where the airbnber cancelled. They did not even cancel actually, they just sent a message saying that there was a maintenance issue all of a sudden the place couldn't be occupied. I suspect, though I can't recall anymore exactly, that they may have been advertising a brand new condo building for rent when I booked it months in advance, and when the time came there were delays and they actually didn't have possession of the condo or it wasn't furnished or something. They tried to accomodate by putting us in some other unit of theirs, way on the outskirts of the city. I declined. Then it took a solid month to get my money back.

Anyways, we nabbed one the of the last rooms in the city for the July 1st night, for $500 - king bed suite - and then for July 2-4 everyone left the city and there were dozen of cheap airbnb's available again for the remainder of the stay.

Quite the 48hr period it was. Long flight to Montreal and drive in to Ottawa on the 30th evening, find out when we get there that the next day's apartment is gone, no sleep, wake up on the 1st to torrential downpour and nowhere to stay, waited in a 3 hour lineup to parliament hill that got broken up and went nowhere, gave up, snowbirds cancelled, clouds break for the afternoon, wait in line for lunch, get back in a real line up to the hill for 2 hours, finally get on the hill around dinner time - no food for sale anywhere on the premises, free water.. Then the rain comes back just before headliners are to perform and the stereo system gets drenched, 2 hrs to repair, performers finally get on but all their sets are cut short because the fireworks must start at midnight. Fireworks set off on the river, probably a good view from the bridge, but not from the hill. Party's finally over, walk in the crowds to our $500 hotel. Ay.

But the rest of the time was lovely, followed by 4 days at the Montreal jazz festival


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

james4beach said:


> I am following the agreed upon contract in each situation. I am perfectly following both the hostel's terms and the Airbnb's terms. And don't worry, the hostel will have no problems filling that 86 sq ft room once I cancel it.
> 
> In fact, I'll be doing a favour to some last minute traveller looking for a place to crash on ultra short notice. You should be jumping up and down with joy, cheering me for being such a generous player who is willing to provide so much joy and comfort to someone who needs it. My temporary reservation of the hostel as a backup means that I am providing extra liquidity to the last-minute-hotel market, effectively providing an extra bed for the "last minute" market.



Yes, you are following the rules james4beach, who could fault you if you are doing that, right? Umm, what does the word 'just' mean to you? Trying to suggest that you are obeying the 'law' does not mean that what you are doing is 'just'. But it is convenient to ignore that isn't it.
https://www.lawteacher.net/free-law...over-rule-of-law-constitutional-law-essay.php

All you are doing is 'self-justifying'. http://www.freetopursue.com/blog/2016/1/7/good-and-bad-of-self-justification

You don't have to feel bad about that, everyone does it. But it also doesn't mean you can't recognize it and change something.


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

Prairie Guy said:


> Does every topic on this site eventually go off the rails?


Almost every thread on every type of forum goes off on a 'tangent' or onto a related topic Prairie Guy. Just like any other discussion between 2 people or more does. There shouldn' be any surprise in that. There is nothing unique about this site that would make it do otherwise.


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

nobleea said:


> Hard to see the computer screen with your nose so high in the air?
> 
> The reservations were cancelled since the owners (it was their home) decided it was no longer convenient for them for the few days in question. The exact opposite of what you are claiming.


I have no problem seeing the computer screen nobleea and I am able to hold my head high, most of the time. Certainly when it comes to where I choose to stay on a visit to somewhere. 

There are owners who use airbnb et al and are only renting out a room in the house where they live or only renting when they themselves plan to be away from home. They are basically the equivalent of a B&B. B&Bs have been around for a long, long time and no one has any objection to them. If you take a look at how airbnb talks about their business, you will see that they constantly attempt to say that is who their listing owners are.

However, let me ask you this nobleea, in how many posts on the subject do you see people asking about or telling about having rented a ROOM in someone's house vs. how many are about renting an entire house or apartment? Do you really believe it is about people just earning some 'extra money' and not about someone running a business, whether it is from 1 property or 100?

You are implying that one owner renting while they were going to be absent from their home (as it appears was the case in your example) are the norm whereas the reality is that they are not the norm. The majority of income earned by owners using airbnb is earned by 10% of all owners. In other words it is those running a business, usually with multiple properties who are making money. That also means then that the majority of reservations travellers are making are with those owners. 
https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/airbnb-story-tk

So while your example may be the opposite of what I am claiming, the norm is the exact opposite of your example.

If someone using airbnb et al was looking at listings and saying, 'yes, this is an owner with one property renting out one room or while they are absent from their home, I'll rent that one. No, this listing is by someone with multiple properties who is running a business, not just trying to make a few extra bucks, and is displacing people who want to live in this place, I won't rent from them', I would have no objection whatsoever to someone doing that. But the fact is, most people using airbnb are not doing that as evidenced by the simple fact that the majority of the revenue is going to only 10% of owners.


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## My Own Advisor (Sep 24, 2012)

Anybody have any suggestions / tips? I can provide our "wants" if you'd like to narrow down choices for us....

1. Talk to the owners where possible.
2. Read reviews.
3. Follow-up with previous folks that have stayed at place, re: from reviews.
4. Monitor recent reviews for suspect activity/false claims.
5. Keep receipts of payment.
6. Always have a back-up plan (i.e., you can cancel a hotel usually 24-hours before).
7. Other...

The list goes on.

Basically, due diligence. Good luck!


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## 30seconds (Jan 11, 2014)

We used airbnb in the Caribbean, Europe and east/western Canada. 

Twice have I had a problem. 

1) The washroom was dirty (mold in the shower) and there was basically no dishes. When I re read the reviews someone did say the kitchen was not well stocked. The washroom was unfortunate and we took pictures and left reviews so the next person would know.
2) 8 of us rented a cottage in muskoka. When we got there the place was FILTHY. The pictures made it look amazing but it fell very short. Re read the reviews.. again people did state that it wasn't the cleanest place. I do not know why I booked it but read the comments carefully. People will say something negative but still rate it 3-4 stars. We called the landlord multiple times and thankfully they were property managers of multiple locations and they switched us to an AMAZING spot. We got lucky but the new place really made up for it.

My best advice. Read the comments carefully and do not pay attention to the star rating. People are more generous with the stars. Also leave honest reviews so you can help the next person.


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