New Year’s Eve hell: I was supposed to be staying in a cosy loft apartment to welcome in 2025 – after seeing it I’d prefer to sleep in my car

A young couple’s New Year’s Eve plans are ruined after they arrived at their “nice little Airbnb” to find it felt more like an “abandoned crack den.”

Posting on Facebook, a young paramedic said she was excited to find the “cute and cozy loft” apartment near Melbourne’s CBD available on New Year’s Eve.

The best part: it was pet-friendly, so they could bring their two pups with them on the short vacation.

But problems started cropping up immediately after she booked and handed over $1,000 for a few nights’ stay.

“As soon as I booked it, I received a message from the host saying there was an error on the website and that the loft was not actually pet friendly,” she wrote.

‘She wanted to trade us for another house that was ‘much bigger’ and ‘more suitable’ for us and our two dogs.’

The host also claimed she was abroad so there could be delays in changing the booking.

The paramedic said she asked the host questions about the new spot, including where it was located and what the parking situation was like – leaving the owner frustrated.

“She started arguing with me because I had so many questions.”

The host then asked the woman if she wanted to stay alone in the place.

She said no, that her female partner was with her and that they were exhausted after a highway trip.

within 20 minutes the couple had received their change request.

“The new entry looked like a real s**thole. Like a garage with cemented walls and an old bed.’

The couple said they would check out the new accommodation, but added that if they didn’t like it they would take their first choice – as it said it was pet-friendly when booking.

The second booking location gave the young woman the creeps.

She said there was a ‘suss as’ white van parked in her spot and the location was remote, behind the harbor – near the shipping containers.

‘Our entrance was a small gate with a long corridor that gave access to our room. “I told my partner I wasn’t happy there and I had to get out of there,” she said.

They told the owner that they did not feel comfortable there and wanted to go to the original place.

She gave them the information to get to the place they first booked.

They arrived and somehow things went from bad to worse.

“We get there and the front door opens. Open the front door and make sure it’s a rooming house,” she said.

She added that she has seen many of them “at work.”

When they opened the door, the smell of weed and cigarettes greeted them, but they were so tired that they continued to their room.

“I’ve traveled around the world and I’ve never seen anything like this before,” she said.

‘It was barely big enough for even one person to stand in, the window was screwed open and there were cobwebs all over the ladder to get to the bed.

“Then out of nowhere we heard people running down the hallway and screaming and banging things, they were clearly out of their minds,” she said.

The young woman was so scared that she held the door handle to prevent one of the screaming neighbors from entering.

‘We were both panicking and I told my partner we had to get out of there. We called the owner and told her the food was ready and we wanted a refund.”

The host said she would have to adjust it to cost $100 or they would pay the cleaning fee – the paramedic agreed.

But then only $100 was refunded.

She called airbnb support, who happily gave her the full refund.

“I’ve booked and stayed in so many Airbnbs in my life, but this was something different,” she said.

The property is still live on the booking site and is available for just $88 per night.

The woman said she had seen that it had a five-star rating and positive reviews, but upon further investigation, five of the six reviews were from the same person over a one-month period.

Some people had similar nightmare experiences.

“This sounds like my son booked something and was then told there was an error and was offered another spot,” one woman said.

‘This sounds exactly like a ‘hotel room’ my partner and I booked in Melbourne. The room was small and dirty and it sounded like people were running up and down the corridor on a trolley all night,” one woman said.