#6 FREE STRESS INCLUDED...

THE AIRBNB FIASCO!

We had booked an Airbnb on the beach in La Libertad, El Salvador, hoping for some relaxation, to explore the country, and to get a bit of work done. However, what we encountered was far from the paradise we were promised.

Our "beach house" was located in the middle of the slums, where the streets were more like mud pits due to residents disposing of wastewater on the unpaved roads. The washing machine advertised was not there, and the BBQ, barely recognizable due to rust and without its stand, was lying next to the house. Our Airbnb was literally connected to Flor's home. Flor, the keeper/host of the Airbnb, was a local woman living on the property with her family of EIGHT, including three young children—a detail that was never mentioned beforehand. The privacy we were assured of was a fantasy; every shower, bathroom visit, and intimate moment was shared with this bustling family. We had confirmed one secure room for our laptops over the phone, but even that assurance fell through.

This had significant consequences. While we didn't feel unsafe, we knew we were conspicuous with our laptops and designer dogs, whose value probably exceeded that of all the neighborhood's houses combined. Although El Salvador has improved its safety, with almost no more murders and other heavy crimes, theft still happens. Manuel explicitly warned us to keep an eye on our dogs ("because they are expensive"). Therefore, Jim and I couldn't go anywhere without our computers and dogs. We couldn't even do grocery shopping or house hunting together because we were afraid our belongings would be stolen if left behind. This led to Jim buying a house that, until three weeks ago, I hadn't even seen since I couldn't join him on the house hunt with our dogs and we didn’t want to leave them behind.

The locals, including Flor's family, were very friendly—we never suspected them of any wrongdoing, but we had this underlying sense of caution: let's not invite trouble! Our dogs are like our children. If something were to happen to them, we’d never recover from it.

To make matters worse, Flor's method of waste disposal was to simply dump it out her front door, turning our front yard into a breeding ground for mosquitoes and all sorts of pests. Not only were the streets a mess, but the beach was a disaster too, teeming with trash. We had to keep a constant watch on our dogs to prevent them from eating anything harmful.

The area was also overrun with stray dogs. Being an avid animal lover, I tried to feed as many of these poor creatures as possible, but I had to do so far away from our own dogs. Sadly, many of these strays carried diseases, which posed a significant risk to our pets and even to ourselves, as a mosquito that bites a sick stray could transmit disease to our dogs or us.

Flor and her family were kind but far from ideal hosts. The peace and quiet we yearned for were constantly interrupted by the daily life of the family, with one child crying nearly all day, EVERY day! We expected an intimate, quiet retreat, not a life in what felt like a communal space.

The holiday season brought additional challenges. Flor asked if her family could come over for Christmas, and of course, we agreed. But from Christmas Eve to the day after New Year, our Airbnb became a non-stop community gathering spot. Not only was the family invited, but practically the whole neighborhood, obliterating what little privacy we had. Flor's family carried on as if we were invisible! Daily, they held parties with loud music and set off firecrackers (not fireworks), creating such a racket that Jim and I spent both Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve in our bedroom, comforting our scared dogs, with loud music to mask the noise. Not exactly the holiday celebration we had envisioned.

The owners of the Airbnb, French nationals, had misleadingly described the situation. We weren't elitist or scared of the poverty around us; on the contrary, we appreciated the warmth and hospitality of the locals. We adapted to the circumstances, not being the type to flee at the first sign of adversity.

Our disappointment came from our search for tranquility and privacy, a place to unwind, which was entirely out of reach here. This wasn't the idyllic escape we'd hoped for but rather an important lesson to take Airbnb descriptions with a healthy dose of skepticism.

Three days after New Year, I was on the brink of a nervous breakdown due to all the stress from this Airbnb, and we decided to leave. Unfortunately, we discovered a week later that we had taken an unwanted souvenir from this (dirty) beach house with us...

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Manuel: “Don't worry, Nancy, you just had bad luck by ending up in one of the worst neighborhoods in El Salvador. This area was heavily affected by gang activity a few years ago, but it's not representative of the rest of the country. It's as if you thought you were booking an apartment in New York City, only to find yourself in the Bronx.”