Complaint Review: Casa Bacanora Airbnb - San Carlos Sonora

I am writing a review for a stay at the Casa Bacanora Airbnb in San Carlos, Sonora. I am writing to provide a critical review of Casa Bacanora (CB) and I *CANNOT* recommend that travelers book in this home until changes are made.

My family gathered in San Carlos for a weekend to reconnect and enjoy the San Carlos area. Problems with the condition of the unit and fee disputes with the owner complicated our stay at CB, along with a serious roach infestation of the property.

Prior to arriving, I adjusted the number of people using the home. I had already paid $19,000 MX for the stay and after making adjustments at the suggestion of the owner; I was billed an additional $22,000MX. Subsequently, Airbnb made necessary adjustments to these billings.

Upon arriving at CB family members found that only 3 bedrooms were accessible, not four.  What was the 4th bedroom was a small, cramped room. The circuit panel for the room was directly behind the headboard for the bed. This 4th bedroom is not directly in the home, and is situated around the front of the home. At night, to get to that bedroom, guests had to go through a pathway littered with roaches (big ones).

Here is a list we provided to Airbnb about what we found:

• There was no binder of policies and procedures that guests should follow in the condo. No information was provided about local amenities and activities and there was no emergency information provided. We had a phone number of a contact person, but for the level of pricing and advertised features, a well run Airbnb is going to have a comprehensive manual and binder of materials for guests.

• The pool filter does not automatically run. We figured out to turn it on. Midday Friday, a service person came onto the property with no prior notice. He adjusted the pool settings and left. Later, we found that the "hot tub" had drained itself. Pool settings should not be something that guests have to worry about. The filter should run automatically and the hot tub should be tied to an off/on switch.

• The hot tub is not a hot tub. It is a small, separate pool that is part of the filtration system. There are no jets to the hot tub, or warmer water, just water inlets that are part of the greater pool system.

• The pool was not clean when we arrived. We had to fish out a dead scorpion from the pool. You could see the accumulated dirt at the bottom of the pool.

• The service person did not test the pool water. Subsequently, a toddler came down with a severe ear infection that required medical treatment upon returning to the US.

• The listing states that there are no essentials provided. We did not realize that this would mean 1/2 roll of toilet paper for 8 people for a three night stay. We also did not realize this meant 1/2 roll of paper towels for a three-night stay for 8 people. Also, there were no cleaning supplies to wash dishes, and we had to provide that ourselves.

• Upon arrival, it was found that many of the dishes in the cabinets were dirty and needed to be re-washed before they could be used. After securing some dishwashing soap, we re-washed the dishes in the cabinet so we could use them.

• In the kitchen, the cooktop would not light, essentially leaving a small microwave to use for cooking for 8 people, for three days.

• In general, the house did not look like it had been cleaned prior to our arrival. Blankets did not smell clean, and the fourth  bedroom had an odor to it. A packet of frozen human breastmilk was found in the freezer.

• The laundry room was essentially not usable. The washing machine had a strong odor in it, and the dryer was not functional. The laundry room had a smell of a water spill, possibly mold.

• The patio chairs by the pool were worn and fragile. The seats and webbing to the chairs have been overexposed to the sun and need to be replaced. One chair broke as an adult was sitting in it. More on that in a bit.

• The barbecue on the back patio was filthy, had no burners for propane, and there was no propane tank to fuel the barbecue.

• The placement of the security cameras around the property lead us to believe that the surveillance was being made of the guests and not of potential intruders. We counted 5 to 6 cameras surrounding the pool area and only a couple of cameras focused on true security issues towards the entrance to the property.

• The problem with roaches and scorpions shows that the property has not been treated for pest control. The roaches were most evident at night, and were all over the patio area and the area of the pool bathroom. Roaches were also found inside the home, which was troubling as we had a toddler with us.

Given the problems with over-billing and the condition of the condo, including the lack of supplies, uncertain filtration of the pool water, a major pest control problem, and that the general feeling that the property had not been cleaned it is difficult to provide a positive recommendation for this property. 

We noted that this is a new Airbnb owner. The owner needs to take serious steps to improve the condition and safety of his property.

As a follow-up we have now received notice that the owner is billing us for the broken chair. I have already discussed the condition of the patio furniture. The loss of the chair is due to the fragility of the furniture and is a cost of doing business. Since the pool area had so many cameras we would request to see the video footage of the pool area that would show unsafe or egregious conduct by guests that would make the loss of the chair our responsibility.