Let me start off by saying that the views are incredible at this home. We stayed over the Fourth of July and had panoramic fireworks views and beautiful views of the river. However, that’s the only positive thing I have to say about our experience at this rental.
Upon arrival, we were shocked at just how very steep the driveway is to get up to the house. It was also in very bad condition (the owner has since repaved it, but this wasn’t done when we were there). The exterior of the unit is in good shape. However, inside, it’s obvious the home has not received regular maintenance. Many of the tiles in the floors are cracked, the caulking in the bathrooms is dirty, peeling and obviously very old. The vanity lights in the bathrooms had many bulbs that were out, and not replaceable because the fixtures were broken. The paint throughout the home was splotchy as if they’d tried to touch up paint many times but not with quite the right sheen or color. The wood floors are horribly creaky. It was impossible to walk on the wood floors without making tons of noise (which the owner told us bothered the people in the rental below). I would’ve been bothered, too! The wood floors were awful! The dishes in the kitchen are all mismatched and there is an overall lack of attention to detail in this unit.
When we arrived, the game room only had two of the six chairs that were shown in the pictures. The owner said the previous renters broke them. While I understand that things like that happen, he should’ve at the very least warned us…but really should’ve figured out how to get them replaced with folding chairs. We ended up bringing in big patio chairs so we could all sit at the table together.
The owner told me that he’s put a lot of money into this home in the last couple of years. While I think that’s wonderful, the fact is that many repairs are still needed and we believe he’s charging too much for a small home that needs some serious TLC. To spend nearly $800 a night after fees was probably $250 too much for a unit in this condition. We were thrilled with the views but disappointed with the rest of the unit.
The owner told me that the people below us thought we were inconsiderate of them. We were a group of twelve, with three children under 7 and a 9, 12 and 14 year old. With the squeaky floors it was absolutely impossible to be quiet.
While the views and location were spectacular, this home needs to be much less expensive.