The hosts were immediately responsive to all questions. Precise, non-judgemental answers to our annoying requests like, "We need more towels!" which were plentiful in a linen closet we'd overlooked. Other than a few very minor issues, the house was quite clean.
Warning: if you DO NOT have small children, be aware that you must push an alarm button each time you open the heavy sliding door to the pool, in each direction. You cannot leave the door open for more than several seconds without its piercingly loud blaring. There’s a padlock on the power cable to prevent guests from disengaging it. Turning off the circuit breaker did not solve the issue. We would definitely not return to this house unless they guaranteed to disable the alarm first, which the hosts said cannot be done.
Because of the pandemic, we avoided restaurants. If you plan to cook, be aware that the kitchen lighting is terrible. Your body will block the one light centered in the kitchen. As silly as you may look to your family, bring a headlamp if you plan to cook regularly, even during the day.
The house appears to have been constructed as a rental, as evidenced by its qualities. Minimal windows mean not a ton of natural light. Since we were outside most of the time, it didn’t matter. Cheap appliances, low-quality cooking utensils, all to be expected in a short-term rental. If you’re a home cook, you’d bring your own knives anyway.
The entire area behind the house is a nature preserve. If you’re into it, follow the fence line past the cul-de-sac five houses down. There’s a just-visible path at its end leading to hiking trails, views of secluded Old Lake Davenport, and bird sightings. The official entrance to the trails is on another street in the neighborhood, but accidentally stumbling upon the back of the house while hiking enabled us to find the end of the fence. Bring your phone with satellite overlay turned on and you’ll easily find your way around. The area is beautiful.
The only deal-breaker is the pool alarm if you don’t have young’uns. If you do, you’ll be incredibly grateful for the peace of mind, as well as for the sturdy, removable safety fence around the pool and its south-facing light.
