I have had mostly lovely guests & a few ‘odd’ ones and I really thought that I had seen it all until this morning.
A young couple checked in late last night & had previously asked if they could use my microwave. I agreed & just requested they ate in the kitchen & not their bedroom or lounge. They asked about breakfast the following morning & I said I would wait to hear them up & about & then put everything out for them.
I woke up this morning at 04:40 to a fair bit of noise in the kitchen… Microwave pinging constantly, plates clinking & them chatting. It wasn’t even daylight.
I ventured downstairs at 05:30 & they were sat at the breakfast bar eating LANGOUSTINES!
My face obviously said what I was thinking & she said “oh go back to bed it’s early”
Oh you think so my face said!
I crawled back in to bed next to a very irate husband & then had to listen to them chatting and clanging.
They then ate breakfast at 7:30. So 2 meals in 3 hours!
Is it me or is that slightly mad?!
Not the 2 meal bit but the 04:40 langoustine feast?
Sorry - don’t know what this is…
giant prawn type shellfish also know as Norway lobster, scampi or lobster
Why didnt you say something? This s much beyond typical “quiet hours” and absolutely exceeds use if the microwave. Just so inconsiderate
That’s the part that amazed me.
We get up at about 5.30 am every day and I often have leftover pizza for breakfast. And leftover cold curry for breakfast is brilliant. Langoustines for a pre-breakfast snack sound fine to me but if I was in an Airbnb, I’d probably forgo the treat because of the noise and the smell. There’s no accounting for guests 
You wake ME up at 4dark30 and you’d better be prepared for one grumpy old man! I’d have read them the riot act (this is MY house, NOT Yours etc.!) and chased them back to bed, minus the langostines! Wouldn’t give a damn about a bad review at that point.
We are in a typical small town in the UK. Its not usual for people to get up and have a pre-breakfast snack despite what time of the day it is.
They are a young indonisian couple & I can only assume that this is the ‘norm’ for them.
What isn’t the ‘norm’ is for a guest to cook stinking shellfish at the crack of dawn!
In response to why didn’t I say something…for once I think I was completely shell-shocked (pardon the pun)
I honestly didn’t know what to say as they were so cheery & completely unaware of anything untoward!
They are a really lovely couple but I don’t think it’s appropriate when we are sharing certain spaces.
They have a bedroom, their own lounge & private bathroom but can only use the microwave.
When they arrived they asked if I actually lived in the house?! Duh… Yes, you’ve rented a room not a house.
As always Kenh you give an answer I can only wish I’d done!
Why after 2 years can I still not say it how it is.
It was inconsiderate & I absolutely should have said something at the time. I shall live and learn (I can hope!)
This is what a plate of langoustines looks like. The smell of these shrimp cooked in a microwave would make my house stink for several days.
Langoustines? Because sometimes you’re feeling a little shellfish (sorry).
I would have told those guests you are an Orthodox Jew and your strict religious beliefs forbid shellfish and pork in your home.
If they were from Indonesia and they recently arrived in Europe, it’s simply the jet lag that made them get up very early. It’s normal! As for eating langoustines, many countries don’t have what we have in the morning. I’ve never heard anyone eating langoustines at 4:40 but then again, there could be many reasons (leftovers, last day before they went bad, 4:40-munchies, pregnancy,…). So nothing special.
What is less acceptable is all the noise at that ungodly hour. You should have addressed it there and then in a friendly way: “Dear youngsters, we are still trying to sleep, could you keep the noise down? Thank you! See you in a few hours.” And put some quiet hours in your house rules.
Wow they sound clueless
Not jet-lag as they live in the UK.
I really do think it’s a trend now with a lot of youngsters where they have no clue as to what is and what is not acceptable or appropriate.
We had a bit of a sleep in this morning… 6:45am & music was resonating throughout the house.
I did on this occasion have ‘words’
As to a review I will be honest. They are really lovely, friendly & very clean guests but they need to respect others are in the house & early morning noise is is not acceptable.
Is it a possibility to put a microwave in the guest lounge? That way you don’t necessarily run into the same type of thing in the future.
I actually don’t mind that guests use the microwave at all. It was just odd they wanted to have shellfish at that time of the morning but hey… Each to their own. Plus I think above all it was the amount of noise they were making.
They’ve checked out now & left their rooms really tidy… Even emptied their bins which is a first.
My idea on the microwave was not just about the food type- but the noise in general. You and your husband shouldn’t have to be woken up by a guests odd hours.
I suppose I should’ve dealt with it better. Instead of getting myself annoyed, I should have just said it was out of order as kenh suggested!
It’s never happened before & we quote enjoy chatting to guests in the kitchen if they’re in there making coffee or warming food up.
It was odd that’s all & not very respectful on their part.
We don’t really encourage food in their lounge due to a large curry stain on the sofa from a careless guest so we do try & keep eating for just in the kitchen.
Oh to have a seperate house!
They may have been jet lagged?
Look at the way you framed your quiet hours, and also what you allow in terms of cooking. There is nothing worse than fried eggs in the middle of the night.
I wish Airbnb had more search filters to make it easier to properly match hosts and guests.
My reaction to these guests based on your description is that I’d get up and start having breakfast with them and ask if I could taste their langoustines. And at 6:45 I’d be up dancing around the house with them. They sound delightful. When I hosted people in my part of the home I used to say I’d be delighted to have an East Asian or South Asian family stink up my kitchen with cooking as long as they invited me to join in. It sounds like a fabulous time. But then again I’m just an old spinster who enjoys the company of young people at times. And I wouldn’t want to do it every guest. My review would definitely mention that they are early risers for the benefit of other hosts.