We wanted a quiet country retreat to rest and recover after a stressful period of illness, but this was the worst hospitality experience we’ve ever had in Scotland. Through Airbnb, we booked what was described as a cabin, with listing photos showing rolling green hills. Instead, it was a flimsy terraced chalet overlooking a car park, with neighbours on both sides. The walls were so thin we could hear every word, cough and snore, and exactly what both neighbours were watching on TV. It gave us no privacy at all. When we arrived and saw how inaccurate the listing was, I messaged Glenda and got no response. We waited until morning and called. Her husband answered, and I explained we’d expected somewhere peaceful and private. He couldn’t offer a solution. I could hear Glenda shouting agitatedly in the background. When she took the phone, she shouted aggressively at me and blamed us for not “just speaking to the neighbours.” We didn’t want to confront them for talking or watching TV, normal things to do on holiday. The problem was how flimsy the accommodation was. Her husband later went over to tell the neighbours off about the noise, which made us feel terrible and awkward. We decided we couldn’t stay. Before leaving, we spoke to the neighbours and apologised, making sure they knew it wasn’t their fault. We stayed one night of the three and paid the full £308, getting only £28 back because Glenda refused to refund us. I tried several times to call her and left a message asking for a call back, but she never contacted me, so I had to cancel through Airbnb. Airbnb tried to help, but without a recording of the noise or phone call, they couldn’t do anything because they needed evidence. We were too upset and shocked at the time to think to record it. The only offer we later heard was a £50 discount on a future stay, even though the booking was non-refundable if cancelled two weeks ahead, which felt inappropriate. The chalet itself was shabby and had an overwhelming smell reminiscent of an old folks home. There was dirty old mould on the tea mugs, and the carpets and sofas clearly hadn’t been deep cleaned in a long time and seemed to have been used as animal beds. If you don’t need privacy or peace and don’t have particular hygiene standards, it might be acceptable. I imagine the hosts can be pleasant if there are no problems, but unless something else was going on that day, they seemed unable to handle customer issues appropriately. I wish I’d checked reviews on other sites before giving them our money. It seems others have had similar problems. Loch Tay is gorgeous and we recommend the area. Update 1.6.23: I’ve just seen Glenda’s response to my review. Lol. I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, but instead of using critical feedback to her benefit, she’s gone on the attack. That says all you need to know about her as a host. Thankfully, this experience is now just a distant bad memory.
