4/10 Poor
Ted G., Altamont, New York
Oct 31, 2022
Liked: Cleanliness
Sadly, Not A Positive Review
As a five-star VRBO host myself, I know something of industry standards and this property barely measured up. Yes, the view of Porto was nothing less than spectacular, the location terrific, the lodgings as advertised ( Though it would have been nice if napkins, paper towels, directions for a laundromat, and other essentials had been provided for.) The real disappointment was the host - if you can call him that. He lives two minutes walk from the apartment but could not be bothered to welcome us. His directions to the apartment were awful- he said it was across from an address that no longer exists. We were lost for twenty minutes. His instructions for parking were so vague and ambiguous that our car was towed and vandalized. It cost us $220 to get our car out of impoundment and we had to spend five hours with the police. The host knew our car had been towed ( he insisted that his instructions clearly indicated we were to enter a garage at the site- I am not a stupid guy. I have lived in Half dozen countries and know how to read instructions- his were vague.) Even knowing our car had been towed, he never offered to help us recover it (unless scribbling the number for the local police counts as help.) He never followed up to see if we had gotten the car back or how we were. We never heard anything from him. As a VRBO host myself, I simply cannot imagine abandoning a guest in a foreign country, unable to speak the language, in this way. So. yes, it’s a grand view out the window, the apartment is all that is described, the location is terrific -lots of positives - but being a proper and caring host is a part of the VRBO experience and on those grounds I was disappointed. I sensed he was a well-meaning guy but running a successful VRBO property requires a deeper level of engagement, beyond just leaving the keys for someone and charging their credit card.
Ted G.
Stayed 6 nights in Oct 2022