The Good:
The kitchen, dining, and family room spaces exceeded our expectations as far as square footage and layout. The AC kept up with the summer heat and humidity, and we appreciated the wagon to use back and forth to the beach, which was just a quick 5 minute walk.
The Not-So Good:
The day before our vacation began, I received a message from the host with check-in details. In that message were instructions regarding parking, in which there was a nonchalant mention of a downstairs tenant - which was NOT mentioned in the original listing. Although friendly enough, the unexpected downstairs tenant did inhibit our use of the outdoor shower, patio/lawn space, fire pit, and grill that were advertised in the rental. Likewise, we were under the impression the laundry facilities were ours to use at all times. Multiple times, we had to work around and wait for the tenant to free up the facilities. Also, the lint trap after her use, was completely full of lint and dog hair that we had to empty ourselves.
Which leads me to the cleanliness of the interior. Although we knew a dog could potentially stay in the house the week prior to our stay, we also expected the hardwood floors to be cleaned enough that our allergies would not be adversely effected. Unfortunately, that was not the case. There was so much pet hair, human hair and dirt on the floor and mattresses we immediately looked for the vacuum cleaner when we arrived. To our dismay, the canister of the vacuum hadn’t been emptied in quite awhile and we did not want to add even more allergens into the home.
We trust the sheet sets were laundered in the appropriate water temps advertised, however the the comforters/quilts were laying open and covering dirty mattresses upon arrival.
Although we appreciated a well stocked kitchen, we did not expect to have to work around leftover open bags of chips and cookies when unloading our groceries. The toilet paper (there were literally 4 squares when we arrived) and paper towels advertised were never found by us. The coffee maker still had grounds left growing mold.
When I reached out to the host with this information, the response was a quick "we'll take this into consideration." When I then requested a partial refund in light of the information, I received no response.
Future renters beware: This rental may not reflect all amenities or cleanliness standards listed in the description. You may also have a surprise downstairs tenant.
