To ask if I’m being overly picky, or if you’d mention these things in an Airbnb review?

We've used Airbnb a few times. You often find the same accommodation is advertised on several different booking platforms. I use the Airbnb photos, what is stated in reviews, and other listings to figure out where it is (you don't get the precise location details until shortly before arrival) - the photos often show adjacent businesses - and locate the place on Google Earth to check views, etc. If it's in Spain the listing will include the tourist licence number.

When I've had negative stuff to report, unless it's something that would majorly impact someone's choice, it's been in a private message to the host, rather than in my public comments. e.g. we stayed in a place in Sydney which was great, but the mattress on the bed was awful - one of those that has a huge dip in the middle. I reported it privately as I felt that was something that could easily be remedied, and it didn't detract from the rest of the accommodation, which was very good.

I’d absolutely mention both, politely. Useful info is better than gushing.

Note for those planning arrivals that the key for the property is located at the hq 20 minutes walk away.

Lovely sea views from within the flat. The pretty sunken walled courtyard doesn’t have the sea views, but you can enjoy early morning sun up to 8.30am (in August when we stayed).

Definitely mention the key. Some people might not be able to walk a distance to retrieve a key, or want to, on their own at 1 a.m.
The courtyard - if it has been photographed and presented as a feature, with sun, a sea view and larger than it is irl, then yes, I would mention it. Some people might book on the basis of this expectation alone. Be factual in the review, but you can express your disappointment at the inaccuracies, in the option they give of leaving a PM for the host.

Yes, this is a useful review to others. I would be glad to know there is shade and more likely to book.

Absolutely mention courtyard. There are some people who may book specifically with the idea of sitting in the sun with a book gazing out to sea all day

Of course you should mention both.
I have used sites dozens of times and never walked anywhere to collect a key.
That information would have been enough for me to scroll on.
The sea view is sneaky, so yes clarification is helpful.
That is why reviews are so important.

I would be pissed off if I chose an expensive place because I thought I could sit in the courtyard looking at the sea, only to get there and find it's not possible and sneaky photography has been used to give a false impression.

And a sea view is very much the sort of thing that would sway me towards going for one place over another. So yes I would say.

It's possible the key safe is either new or has been moved because of some issues around it being at or close to the flat. Or perhaps despite the instructions, someone has met people arriving at other times.

Yes, I would mention both issues in the review.

No need to mention them to the owner as it’s clearly @Premierinnsleep! No other explanation why a random poster would be so hell bent on proving you wrong, OP 😂

Negative reviews aren't deleted but Airbnb promotes the best reviews to you so unless you filter by 'lowest rated' you won't see them

No they don't!
Neither party sees the review until either both have been left or the review window has expired. Maybe people think this and that affects their review but Airbnb is quite clear that this isn't the case when it prompts you to review.

Definitely mention the key. Yes, you might possibly have got the information about the inconvenience of pick up in time to cancel the accommodation - but who wants to try to find substitute accommodation in a very specific place at the busiest time of year with only 24 hours warning? Also, if you are travelling, it's possible to miss the communication regarding where and when of key pick up until you arrive.

The courtyard? I'd do as others suggest and mention it within the body of your review as a 'space that gets the sun for your morning coffee and then in the shade' type of neutral comment.

The key thing is annoying and has happened to me too - my friend and I were on foot and had to get the key from the back of a shop about 10 mins walk away - again didn’t get this info until the day before so I’d def mention that.

In answer to why people don’t mention the negatives or couch them in very nuanced terms: The air bnb host reviews you after they see your review which impacts your future bookings on popular properties. A lot of people ( including me tbh) take the view that where you’ve been is a sunk cost if it was bad - you just won’t go back- and you don’t want a shitty review from them. That said I would mention the key safe and just write something like “ key safe is at x so stop off on the way in the taxi to save yourself a walk” or something.

We had to recently collect a key a 7 minute drive away from the actual accommodation as owner was away. This wasn’t ideal but we were in a car so could get taxi to wait. I think both things you describe can go politely in a review as per suggestions posted and the lucky poster must be a former holiday let owner !

I would mention the key pick up, and I would also mention the courtyard. The sun and view from the courtyard would be one of the reasons I booked, so as a potential guest I would like to know. It won't matter to some, that's fine, they will still book anyway.

Keysafe is clearly going to be an issue to most people, I'd certainly want to know about that before booking. You could mention the courtyard too but I'd probably do it in a way that makes it clear you know some people would like that.

I'm intrigued to understand how a photo can show somewhere has 'sun all day'.

I agree it would be good to say something about all day shade though as it would help future bookers (I wouldn't book somewhere in summer that said this so, as a reader, I'd be grateful).

We had similar with a ‘sea view’. Property on both booking.com and ABNB. Just before flying out was reading some reviews on other site which said instead of sea view they were facing a road. Once we arrived we had same issue ( set of apartments some with genuine sea view and 1 without). Prior to phoning to complain looked for similar negative reviews on ABNB and they were gone, totally disappeared. (Did get ‘upgraded’ to a sea view apartment after complaining as pointed out sea view specifically mentioned in description). Still don’t know how they managed to get rid of negative reviews, to make sure our review didn’t disappear gave it a high score and included info in written review.

If those things bother you then it's fair enough to mention them. But be reasonable about the good points of the rental too. DS is currently in Athens staying in one of the cheapest apartments he could find - a small studio with a bed on a mezzanine level and a tiny wet room. He figured it would be fine as he's on his own and planned to be out all day. The listing mentions a balcony and one review said this was useful for drying washing. Several reviews focussed on the inconvenience of a wet room, with water going everywhere. What NOONE - not a single reviewer - mentioned is that the balcony is in fact a terrace across the entire roof of the building for his sole use, many times bigger than the studio, with a 360 degree view of Athens. A very pleasant surprise for DS, but quite incredible that other visitors were so focussed on minor niggles they forgot to mention this.

Keynes. Courtyard if advertised as sunny either by photos or verbal description.

I've stayed at an AirBnB where the key was located at a corner shop (KeyNest) - it wasn't a problem as the owner gave clear directions to it in the communications.

But in the middle of the night, perhaps after a long journey, lugging your bags???? A mile's walk is not nothing in this case.