La maison de Fabrizio des Terenzio (Airbnb review)

  Hello Hello!

Today I am going to review a room I booked on Airbnb recently.

Tired of being overworked, I decided to take a week off and isolate myself somewhere in the country. My sight was set on Goree Island that I love so much. I have been dying to stay on the island for quite some time but never got the chance. Plus last year, due to covid it was the first time in four years that I have not been to the island. So I booked a room through Airbnb for two nights. 

Arriving on the island

For those who do not know Goree Island is an island off the coast of Dakar. It is accessible by a small ferry. The island is a World Heritage and it has the now infamous Slave House. I used to live on the island from 1991 to 1998. I was in an all girls boarding school named Mariama Ba. That is why Goree has a particular place in my heart. But the island is also very beautiful with colorful houses and lots of greenery. Futhermore, it is peaceful since there are no cars or other heavy duty machines there. 

The room I booked was inside a house located on "Rue des Batteries". It is actually on a side of the island I was not really used to. It is a quaint house with a small backyard and rooms for rent all around. The owner still lives in his quarters upstairs. The room I rented was right next to his. Downstairs, there is living room with wooden furniture, and beautiful art. And by its side, there is the kitchen and dining area- also with carved furniture, where breakfast was served every morning. My room was more like a tiny studio, with two bedrooms. When you enter, you have a a bed covered with a mosquito net on your right, a huge side table with a lamp, and in front of you, there is a desk with a chair. Next to the desk are some wooden steps that would lead you to a mezzanine with a shorter bed also covered with a mosquito net. There was a small wooden open closet opposite the first bedroom accesible though four to five wooden steps going down.  At your left is the bathroom with a shower covered in blue and white tiles. The room itself was not huge but it was perfect for me. I could choose to sleep downstairs or upstairs. Although, I stayed downstairs for two reasons: the steps were a bit steep for my taste and I did not want to have the cleaning lady make two bedrooms. Yet I thought the room would be perfect for a couple with two small children. 

One of the cute window in the room

The second bedroom up on the loft

The mirror and tiles in the bathroom

What I absolutly loved about the room was that from my bed, I had a view of the sea. There is a white wooden balcony separated by glass doors. I could sleep while having them open and admire the view. I could also stay there and take the sun in during the day. Yet my favorite place in the entire house was the living room. There are huge tinted windows that give you a great view of the sea without letting the sun come in strong. There are also many books I could choose from to read. I pictured myself sitting there for hours just reading in total peace. 

The living room with a small window to the kitchen

More wooden furniture in the living room

Some books from the library

Furniture

Art

That is the great thing about that place: even though there were people around, they were so discreet you barely noticed them. They do not come to you unprovoked unless it is to serve you. And if I needed something I could just go downstairs to them or ring them on my phone. And to top it all there were very nice and accomodating. I have to say that it is what I like the most when I book through airbnb, not to be disturbed by the host. 

Simple breakfast of bread and jam, cheese omelette, coffee with milk, and orange juice. 

View from my room 

I arrived on the first day by the 4:30 ferry. The owner already contacted me through email and asked me to call her cousin who was taking care of the house while she was away. The later explained how to reach the house. Goree being a small island it is impossible for me to get lost. Still, since it was a side I was not used to I had to ask for help. Once at the place, the cleaning lady showed me to my room. I liked it but I prefer the view I had from my balcony. The place was very quiet except from the strong waves crashing on the rocks, and occasionally the real owner's (an old European man) radio.  There is also a small dog living there. He does not even bark and is tied during the day for those who are afraid of dogs. 

I would have said that my stay there was uneventful except that on the first night, the key was stuck to the bedroom door and I could not get out. I called the manager and she immediatly came to my rescue. She asked me to give her the key from the balcony so she could try and open it from the outside. It still did not work. So she asked me not to panick and wait for her to call her handyman. It was very late at night, past 10 PM. But I was not panicked. I sat there playing solitaire on my phone. The handy man came and try also. Since it got stuck he decided to force the door open with some his tools. He succeeded and I was freed at last. The manage apologize to me and told me that she will get the door repaired the following day. In the meantime it was perfectly safe for me to sleep with a broken door, since the house was locked and she herself was sleeping in the adjacent quarters. I agreed and went to bed. I still blocked my door with the chair just because it did not want the wind to pry it open during the night. And to tell the truth, it was kind of my fault if the key was stucked. I was the one who did not use it properly. The following day, the handy man came to repair the door and the new key worked fine. I did not have to pay extra like I was expecting to. Come to think of it, I should have tipped him at least. 

The last day of my stay, I had some small business to attend to before leaving the island. Checkout was at 12 noon but I did not want to walk around with big bags.  I asked the manager if I could leave some of my belongings there while I roam around the island. She let me put my things in the living room. Three to four hours later, I was back to take them and say goodbye. 

I did not want to leave. Everything was so peaceful and laidback, I wanted to stay for at least two more days. But I had obligations back on the mainland. I promised myself I would be back. I saw that the place was being renovated. On the other side of the house, I also noticed more rooms. Actually quite a few houses and old hotels were being rebuilt or had a fresh new coat of paint. This gives me hope for tourism on the island. Covid had hit them hard last year. I just hope that this Summer, business will be back to the norm with tourists, local and foreigners coming back to Goree. As for myself, I will defnitly be back and I would not mind staying in the same place again. 

Over all, I would give the place a 4 out of 5 stars rating. They were just a few things I did not like in my room: there was no hand shower for the toilets. And the thing holding the shower head was broken so I had to hold the shower head every time. On top of that, the wifi is only available in the living room downstairs. I hope they will incorporate all these elements in their renovation, to make the place even more attractive. I paid 102,71 Euro or around 67.187 CFA francs for two nights. I booked during the week day from wednesday to friday. But the price was the same for a weekend booking. At chedkout, I also did not have to pay for extra fees such as cleaning. And I like that very much. I would actually recommend the place and a room.

Thank you for reading me. For more on my stay in Goree island, please read here.