My husband and I booked a 5 night stay, and left after 1 night. One word: cockroaches; not just one, but several: 5 or 6 roaches. The property looked worn down compared to the vibrant pictures, description and reviews. I'm not sure when the photos were taken though likely not recent. Buyer beware (seriously).
Upon informing Katharina of the roaches, we requested a refund for the unused nights and the poor conditions of the property. She agreed to the refund, conceding the poor conditions of the property. But, a few hours later, Katharina refused the refund because she felt the cockroaches are part of the property's open concept. Cockroaches are NOT in the description or reviews of this vrbo - if I had seen this, I would have never booked!
I think I see what an open concept means: this property is huge. To keep it ventilated, they keep all the windows and doors open during the day (often at night as well). However, The amount of insects on the property was overwhelming: cockroaches, swarms of ants inside the building, geckos behind couch pillows (those were cute, yet jarring). You could close all the windows and run the A/C - though not without additional fees and significant toil.
Guests must pay for electricity, including A/C. This is NOT listed anywhere in the property details on VRBO. Upon arrival, Katharina introduced the new fee for electricity; we cooperated. Prepare to be stunned on the costs and process.
To get access to electricity, guests need to either trust the property manager to pay and invoice you daily, or take care of this yourself. Think of the latter as setting up utilities while on vacation: read agreements, learn local equipment, payment systems etc. This isn't a 2-minute online setup :) You'd actually require a local sim card, app and full personal account setup. Then visit the meter in the shed daily to ensure you haven't run out of funds. Either pay $20 USD/day OR keep the "open concept" (and bugs)
I booked this property because it had 5 stars and exceptional value. The property, however, was in bad shape looking like it had not been used or cleaned for months. The property may have once been inhabited by humans, but has now been infested with roaches and other bugs. Before booking this property, know that there are hidden fees and it does not provide as advertised.
PS: the chef's cooking was great. After the cockroaches I was not feeling so great about it, but great while it lasted :)