As we drove to the property, I received a text from the owners. Because the day had been warm, they had remotely turned the a/c for us. "How kind that they have prepared for our arrival.” I thought. So, I was confused when we arrived after dark, and the porch light was off. This, combined with the leaf-covered flagstone pathway, made the walk to the house a bit precarious for my 83-year-old mother-in-law.
The inside of the house was prepared for us, but seemed rather utilitarian – one pillow per guest, one towel per guest. Luckily, there were only three of us, so we snagged extra pillows from another room.
The rest of the interior was disappointing. The furniture has seen better days. The chaise in the primary bedroom has a rip in the fabric that has been repaired with duct tape. A plastic folding table is used as a sideboard in the dining room.
The following morning revealed that neither the primary bedroom balcony nor the deck had been prepared for guests. The plastic that had covered the furniture was blown into a heap in the corner of the balcony. The deck furniture was pushed into a corner and both spaces were covered in leaves. My husband and I had to move the furniture and sweep the leaves before we could use the deck.
To the owners: Thank you for offering your home. Our comments are intended as constructive criticism and are not meant to be unkind. We wanted to love it, but we didn't. No doubt the water view is beautiful, but overall we were underwhelmed.