Weird AirBnB Experiences

We don't use AirBnB or VRBO very often. We like the privacy of getting a hotel. Yesterday, we checked into the AirBnB home that Becky will be staying in (I stayed with her for the first night here) for the first couple of days before she checks into the Stanford Guest House for the month that I'm in the hospital. It was a nice older home in a quiet part of Mountain View near downtown owned by an elderly lady named Peg. As we walked into the home, we were asked to put all of our things down and sit on the couch. We were greeted by a very large white dog (Great Pyrenees) and a very attention starved cat. I wasn't sure if this was Peg's way of checking us out for drugs, explosives, and food, before she let us stay in her home. She told us it was so the pets wouldn't start barking as we were living in their home. The dog was actually very well behaved and left us alone after checking us out. The cat on the other hand kept shoving its hard head against my hand demanding to be petted. I am not a pet person. We sat and chatted with her for about 30 minutes, partly because I was asking her questions, and she was asking me about my medical condition and treatment (aren't there HIPAA laws against this). Books of all types, many on travel, lined her living room walls. In fact, our room had a shelf filled with books on Unix, Java, and C. She must have been an engineer or programmer for one of the many tech companies in the area. She told us that another gentleman was in the other room across from us. One of the many frequent types of renters that she gets visiting the Silicon Valley for job interviews, conferences, and other business.

Our room was actually very large, clean, and well-kept. It had an on-suite bathroom, which was good for privacy. Peg kindly offered to make us breakfast, which she offers as part of her rental according to other reviewers. Still weird, hearing her dog occasionally barking in the house, and the other guest walking around in the morning as he got ready for work. Overall, a nice first night staying here, especially when the room only cost us $100 a night vs the $250 a night you would pay for an inn in the nearby area (not sure why there are not many hotels here being the silicon valley). I would still prefer to have full run of the house, rather than have these weird encounters with home owners. Becky is on her own tonight with Peg and her playful pets.