We were disappointed not to stay in THIS seemingly beautiful property in Marina Del Rey; it was swapped out on the day of our arrival (due to purported water damage) for an apartment on the 12th floor (good view of beach) of a very large Venice Beach building with a dizzying maze of entrances and a galley kitchen. MDR and Venice are quite different.
Photos of what we had reserved show a modern, beautiful open plan high-end kitchen and living space. We had intended to host dinners at home and enjoy time with our LA college son and LA niece. The kitchen where we actually stayed was a galley kitchen. Not the vibe we were after. As a result, all dinners were eaten out at much greater expense – it’s LA.
Bathrooms were not comparable to the high-end bathrooms shown for the reserved property. Master bathroom vent over the toilet is dirty with some kind of mildew or other substance - hard to miss. Bedroom carpets were prominently stained. The lighting throughout is inadequate. The master bedroom has only two foot-pedal light fixtures which require one to get in and out of bed to turn on/off. No side tables with lights or to place cell phone, glass of water, book, etc.
Host spouse did not walk us through the apartment or the complex to provide instructions about basic details. Did not hear from him again until after we finally received WIFI and pool towels. “Where’s the pool?” -he sent us a message with a link to a “Nestin site” with a video of a person walking a maze of hallways and parking lot – not what we reserved.
Notably, Nestin had details for checkout, including responsibility for washing the towels – glad I clicked each link. Disappointment notwithstanding, we followed the instructions and left the apartment impeccably clean, including washing the towels, stripping sheets, taking out all of the trash, etc. We also left a generous tip for the cleaning crew as the issues are not of their making.
What this really comes down to is the benefit of the bargain – our expectations were based on the photos we saw; we paid for something that we did not get. We were left disappointed and out far more money than planned given the lack of open plan, high end kitchen, expected amenities and service. We tried to resolve these things with the host with a reasonable solution - unfortunately, we were unsuccessful in doing so.
