Privacy is important to me

Every holiday sees a new group of intrepid travellers join the wonderful world of Airbnb, and this December will be no different. For those of you trying this for the first time, good luck. You might become a fan and enjoy the benefits of this sort of accommodation for life.

I have been lucky with a number of absolutely wonderful experiences, thanks to Airbnb.

But I have also had the misfortune of renting a beach apartment from a man who was probably the head of a boys’ school resin a previous life.

For starters, the three-bedroom apartment was effectively two bedrooms as the door to one bedroom was bolted shut. I suspect this was done to ensure only four people could sleep in the apartment, as per our booking.

The cupboards in the other bedroom were also locked, which resulted in us having to live out of our suitcases for two weeks. That was tough, but we managed.

All things considered, the vacation was fun. After two weeks, we spring-cleaned before heading home.

But…

For those who don’t know this yet, all accommodation on Airbnb is rated by guests and by the same token, all guests are rated by their hosts.

Our review of the apartment was flattering, but honest – we felt the use of one cupboard was not too much to expect.

Then our host posted his review of us. Boy oh boy, was that a shock. Told the world how dirty we are, that we don’t wash all our dishes directly after eating, that we didn’t sweep the apartment twice daily … he made us sound like monsters. Dirty monsters.

Turns out he was crashing on a mate’s couch in the same apartment building while he rented out his place to us, but every day, when we went to the beach, he would do an inspection, taking photographs and making notes.

He would also use the bathroom and get dressed in the locked bedroom.

For me, I’m back to hotels, where they get graded by a tourism board and I get the privacy I pay for.