TravelValue: Accommodations Of The U.S.: Airbnb

Showing posts with label Airbnb. Show all posts

Friday, September 14, 2018

Seattle, WA: Private, Clean And Centrally Located, Liam's Cozy Place Is THE BOMB!

Liam's Cozy Place (Airbnb)
Mount Baker Area - Seattle, WA
Website: Liam's Cozy Place (Airbnb)
Price: $$$$

Seattle is not a cheap place to visit, but being a travel blogger focused on helping my readers get the most bang for their buck, I have to say that Liam's place is a definite TravelValue!

A clean, charming early 20th Century home on a quiet street and just a ten minute walk from Seattle's Mount Baker light rail station makes this a terrific base while visiting the Emerald City.

Liam was there to greet us, help us settle in, and provide details about the house and local area when we arrived. The house is immaculate and Liam has gone to great lengths to ensure guests are comfortable and have all of the privacy desired thanks to the separate living spaces. It was like having the house to ourselves because the main level has just one bedroom and a dedicated, adjacent bathroom in addition to the living room, dining room and kitchen. Liam's quarters are upstairs where he spent most of his time while we were there, only popping in to say hi on his way in or out. He was so quiet, we were not sure if he was home or not.

The bed was comfy and there was plenty of space to stow our things, including several hangers and shelves in the bedroom. The bathroom was for our use only and was well stocked with clean, plush towels, shampoo and conditioner, and other amenities for use during our stay.

The kitchen was also well stocked and Liam made us feel welcome to use it and its contents as much or as little as we desired. Coffee, tea, and sports drinks were made available during our stay along with sugar and half & half, so we did not need to go to the market before bed, a nice touch.

For all of the space, privacy, amenities, and its central location, Liam's place was astonishingly well priced. Parking was no problem on the adjacent streets, the Wi-Fi was fast and reliable, and the house secure. We felt safe and at home during our two night stay.

CombatCritic Gives Liam's Place 10 Bombs Out Of 10 And A Spot On My "WALL OF FAME" ... More Bombs Are Better!

Ten Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians:

HOOAH!: "Phonetic spelling of the acronym HUA, which stands for 'Heard Understood Acknowledged.' Originally used by the British in the late 1800's in Afghanistan. More recently adopted by the United States Army to indicate an affirmative or a pleased response." - Urban Dictionary

"The Department of Military Science and Leadership, University of Tennessee claim HOOAH 'refers to or means anything except no' ... Regardless of its meaning ... the term is an expression of high morale, confidence, motivation and spirit." - WarChronicle.com

"The U.S. Air Force stole 'HOOAH' from the Army because we were part of the Army until 1947 and rather than waste a bunch of time coming up with something new and unique like "ROO-YAH" or "HAL-A-LOO-YAH", we said 'screw it, let's go with HOOAH' ... thanks Army ... HOOAH!" - CombatCritic

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Portland, OR: Airbnb Nightmare On Lombard Street

Albert's 2 Bed, 1 Bath, Kitchen, Pets OK!

North Portland (Arbor Lodge), Oregon

Airbnb Link

Price: $$$$

The place has potential, but it is severely outdated and dirty. The fridge, heat, hot water heater, and coffee maker did not work. The electrical is a mess, the blinds need to be replaced, the heat needs to be fixed, the kitchen needs a severe makeover, the plastic in the shower covering the wall needs to disappear, and the floors need replacing. The blinds are old, barely work, rusty and dirty. The kitchen counters are stained and gross. There is a glob of something in the kitchen sink, but I did not want to find out what it was by touching it.

My Only Heat Source Other Than Small Wall Heater In Bedroom

Albert, the host, was fine before and during check-in, but then he checked-out and everything went downhill from there. With no heat and nothing working the first night, I tried to contact him at around 9pm, 10pm, and 11pm, but he would not pick up the phone or respond to texts. He sent an electrician the next day, but he said "I can't find anything wrong", even though there was not enough amps to run more than one or two things at the same time. When I returned the second evening, I expected the problems to be solved, but they were not. Again, I tried to contact Albert, but he said "there's nothing I can do". A guest, me, was freezing (temps in the high 30s during the day and 20s at night) and nothing worked, but there was absolutely no sense of urgency and even less communication.

The location is not bad, but it is an old building in a rather seedy neighborhood with little within walking distance except a couple dive bars and a 7-11.

Plastic Hiding Something In Shower

Bathroom Heater Hasn't Worked In Years

The apartment was uninhabitable and should have never been rented. I cannot believe that I was charged for the two nights I stayed there, freezing and unable to shower (no hot water), make coffee or store anything in the fridge. I feel that the host could have done much more to solve the problems or at least communicate that he could not. He had my phone number and knowing that there was still no heat and nothing working on day two, a simple phone call or text would have allowed me to find suitable accommodations. It is inexcusable for a "paying" guest to have to suffer and as someone with experience in the hospitality industry, he should have known better.

Thanks to Airbnb for your professional help and the $200 credit. Even though I had to suffer for two nights, your representatives were compassionate and very helpful.

Finally, I got this wonderful text (5:47AM - Friday) from Albert after he read my honest review online:

This is the kind of person you will be dealing with if you choose to stay with Albert. Your choice!

CombatCritic Gives Albert's Place 1 Bomb Out Of 10 And A Spot On My "WALL OF SHAME"

One Bomb Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16/'17

Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)

Zomato - #1 Ranked "Verified" Foodie

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Title: Portland, OR: Airbnb Nightmare On Lombard Street

Key Words: Airbnb, Albert, North portland, Portland, Oregon, apartment, room, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, accommodation, hotel, motel, guest, review, Yelp, Airbnb.com, Lombard, street

Translation for Civilians: FUBAR = "Fucked Up Beyond All Repair"

Vancouver, WA: Quiet, Clean, Private, And Affordable Airbnb Apartment Or Room

Chris and Michelle's Clean, Quiet and Safe - No Cleaning Fee - Full Bed
Vancouver, WA
Airbnb Link

Prices: $$$$

I found this quiet, comfortable place on Airbnb short notice after "The Nightmare On Lombard Street" and Michelle and Chris were more than happy to oblige. They welcomed me warmly and I soon had a new home ... for five nights.

The house is in a residential neighborhood FAR from any restaurants or shops, so a vehicle is recommended. It is a nice 1950s home with lots of brick and wood floors. Chris and Michelle live in the mother-in-law apartment in the basement, leaving three bedrooms, a bath and a half, large living room, dining room, and remodeled kitchen.

There was just one other couple there, for one night - they were asked not to extend, during my entire stay, so with Chris and Michelle spending the vast majority of time downstairs, I pretty much had the place to myself. The kitchen is fully stocked with plates, pots, pans, silverware, Keurig coffee maker (and coffee), fridge. gas stove, microwave and dishwasher, everything you need to self-cater if that is your bag.

The living room couch has Lazy Boy style pop-out foot rests on each end of the couch, but the TV only gets over the air broadcasts (no cable/Netflix/HBO/Etc), but the Wi-Fi is fast and dependable, so I enjoyed Amazon Video, Netflix, HBO, CBS All Access, and Sling since we went cable free (like they did) on my computer or tablet.

Smoking is allowed (hey, it's Washington, so ANYTHING goes), but only on the back porch where you will find a table with ashtray and two comfy chairs overlooking a massive backyard.

I had the smaller of the three bedrooms, but it was plenty big for me with a double bed, small dresser, nightstand with light, and small closet (empty - I have stayed places where the hosts pack the closet with their own stuff, making it impossible to hang clothes). The bathroom was right across the hall, but is shared by three guest rooms if all are booked.

I spent most of my time in the house spent in the dining room where I set-up my computer during most of the stay (Chris and Michelle had no problem with it) and living room where I watched the Super Bowl and news on Fox or streaming movies or series on my tablet.

It was very quiet, comfortable and relaxed. Chris and Michelle chilled in the basement most of my stay and had no rules other that you "smoke 'em if you got 'em" out on the back porch. Otherwise, I felt at home with no stress or interference from my wonderful hosts or other guests.

The only negatives, if you want to call them that, are the remoteness of the house from restaurants and shopping (which I did not mind because I had a rental car) and the lack of cable or streaming video services. Otherwise, this Airbnb is top notch and an excellent value smack in the center of Vancouver and just a few miles from downtown, malls, restaurants and shopping.

CombatCritic Gives Chris and Michelle's Clean, Safe, No Cleaning Fee, Full Bed 9 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Nine Bombs Equates To: