AIBU to mention misleading advice from airb&b host in review?

[BlackFluffy]

Booked airb&b in remote town in the mountains. Host was meeting us there so to keep her updated I told her I was popping to supermarket on the way. She told me “no need! There is a shop on the village!”

I told her we needed essentials as we had nothing, she told me I could buy everything in this shop. I was hesitant but she really pushed for me to use local shop now I knew I was taking a leap of faith as there was a 45 minute drive to get to the nearest supermarket once we hit the village but she seemed so confident I trusted that she knew her stuff.

We got there after a rather sketchy drive through the mountains and this “shop” turned out to be nothing more than a pantry at the back of the village bar. All she had was some veggies she’d grown herself and some cheese she had made! I needed milk, eggs, break … chocolate!! She saw the look on my face and asked what I was looking for so I told her bread and milk was pretty essential as we had nothing with us. She translates this to the elderly shopkeeper who then runs off to get us bread from her house!! Obviously it was very kind of this woman but the bread wasn’t the kind of bread you could toast for breakfast!!

so our first night was spent with no food, no milk for a coffee and no breakfast. We had to drive out first thing 45 mins down the mountain on empty stomachs for groceries.

Later it became apparent that the host had pursuaded locals that tourists would be good for their businesses in order to get them onside.

They were all lovely and more than generous and I think it was a cultural misunderstanding as to what counts as “essential” but WIBU to mention this in the review? I feel guilty but it really did ruin our first night there.

I'd go alone the lines of "there's a supermarket in X which is essential for your essentials. locals are awesome but there's no general store" or something like that

Exactly what @SleepingStandingUp said, you mention it in passing without making a big fuss about ‘she misled me’ or similar. Not worth deducting a star if the house was otherwise good and as described. You’re not saying ‘don’t book here’, just pointing out the difference between a tiny local shop for the most basic of basics and a full-on supermarket - which the locals presumably need to use on occasion too.

I would give a glowing review but at the end say ‘You will need to visit the large Tesco in XXX village for any essentials. There is no where to buy milk, eggs, cheese, bread etc locally. It’s a 45 min drive away, so best to do this first and then drive up the mountain to the accommodation. Don’t do what we did and rely on the under equipped village shop.’

They really don’t use supermarkets, they make everything themselves - the village was like stepping back into the 1800s. Charming in one way and I loved the simplicity of it but at the same time I just wanted a proper loaf of bread, a milky coffee and some chocolate 😂

You could say ‘the village bar sells XYZ’. Then anyone reading the review will know what to get on the way

I agree with PP to add it as general advice to stop at the supermarket en route as the local shop only sells cheese or whatever.

The village and the villagers sound amazing. Stop focussing on the one negative, don’t be that person leaving awful reviews because they don’t understand cultural differences. That is what travel is, leaving your comfort zone and doing things in a different way.

I really don’t want to be negative but this wasn’t a third world country, it was in Europe so you do kind of expect to be able to get normal groceries when you book - the supermarket 45 mins away was stocked full of all the modern groceries like a local Asda - if we’d just stopped off there first we would have had a much more comfortable first night/morning.

Another night we decided to make something for dinner so I went into the local shop for veggies - the lovely elderly wouldn’t couldn’t understand a word I was saying so filled a bag full of veggies and refused to take any payment ❤️ so I’m torn between wanting others to know to stop off on the way or going all out to support the locals

Just write a fully stocked supermarked is 45 minutes away from the house and that's fine.

Id say that there is a tiny shop in the pub selling homegrown veggies and home made cheese but for loo roll and other essentials the nearest supermarket is 45 minutes before you get to the property on the A3000 or whatever.

Sounds like there is some sort of shop local initiative going on there. These aren't always well thought out things.

as others have said, be positive about what the shop offers but explain that It’s limited and for a wide range of goods there’s an aldi on the way.

Anybody who has ever been to the mountains knows that you do your big shop in the valley before you head up so I would honestly chalk this up to first timer mistake and leave a remark akin to your first reply. This is not misleading and you’d be unfair to claim as such.

Do both!

the lovely elderly wouldn’t couldn’t understand a word I was saying so filled a bag full of veggies and refused to take any payment

Oh so the locals are giving away stuff - that’s not supporting them! Be honest about what is available locally then what the supermarket is like eg fully stocked.

I too have been to places out of my comfort zone and done things a different way with cultural differences. No one misled me about what was or wasn’t available though. I don’t think OP sounds at all negative about the place, she does sound annoyed that she was misled though. As I would be.

Of course it's misleading. The hist told the OP that she could buy everything in the local shop. It's better that the OP points this out in a review because the next guest could be really pissed off about having travel a good distance to buy coffee, milk and bread.

Just be factual and positive

"once you've stock up for all your essentials at the supermarket n the way (nearest is 45mn drive away), you can purchase some homegrown veggies and homemade cheese at the local village pantry where the locals are so friendly and welcoming"

something like that

I have never been to the mountains and I would still know to do this! I definitely wouldn't be diverted from a planned supermarket trip by the promise of a village shop.

This is perfect, thank you!

Yes by all means lard on the praise about the "oh-so-local village shop that sells amazing veggies straight from people's gardens" and of course also the "conveniently located supermarket for all your basic essentials" that you pass on the way into the mountains .

Host was meeting us there so to keep her updated I told her I was popping to supermarket on the way.

I find this odd. In all the years I’ve self-catered, stayed in cottages, I’ve never felt the need to update the host on where I’m shopping.

You couldn't pay! Blimey that's another level of odd...

She asked what way we were coming in as she was giving us directions so I said we were heading to supermarket and then coming straight from there

Yeah it was an experience 😂 honestly these people live like it’s still the 1800s, sharing village duties, sharing produce, helping each other out with food etc

They were all mostly elderly and the younger ones have seen the benefit of the tourist trade. Old habits die hard though I guess and when you arrive you become a part of the village where people just want to give you stuff. I was assured that a market arrives on a Monday morning where I can get eggs … so I got up early and headed to the market - didn’t see any eggs 😂