I booked this far in advance for a scalloping excursion, a new tradition of recent years that I was now sharing with a different set of friends. In the past, I first stayed in an RV park and later in a cottage in Port St Joe, so this time I wanted to try something on the cape. Aside from location, our criteria included a house that could accommodate 10-12 people comfortably. Shortly before our trip we checked the VRBO website to confirm some details but became worried when confronted with recent negative reviews. After contacting the property management company with my concerns, I was assured that maintenance & housekeeping would be informed. Upon arriving I was relieved to see the property in better shape than described by recent guests. It was clean and there would be no issues with pests, non-working TVs, or clogged tubs. The kitchen was fully stocked with wares to suit our needs, including grilling tools. However, one of the main attractions was the pool and it was filthy and unusable. We initially blamed the recent rain for this misfortune, but the pump didn’t seem to be running and the pool area looked neglected. In fact, the broken tiles mentioned by a previous guest were still left out on a table. The general appearance of the outdoor furniture was sad and uninviting. The bedroom off of the kitchen had a sagging bed in need of being replaced. The garage room was unappealing enough without its own bathroom, but the musty odor and loud window unit made it even more so. While trying to enjoy my cup of coffee from the lookout point on the top floor, the enchanting sounds of cicadas were interrupted by nearby construction, before 8 a.m. nonetheless. Despite these shortcomings, I’m left most disappointed by the customer service. Because we had never stayed out this way before and were relatively new to scalloping, I emailed the management company with questions about scalloping and boat rentals, thinking they would be knowledgeable of such a popular activity for the season. While they were quick to answer my initial email about concerns over the house, this one went unanswered. I would’ve been more accepting had they simply responded that they couldn’t be of assistance, but ignoring communication from paying customers is unacceptable. How sad that Google and locals were more helpful than this company to whom we paid good money. While we enjoyed the remote location and beach access, we’ll spend our hard-earned dollars elsewhere next year.
