The only thing we really liked about this place was the location to the beach. That’s it. However, the location does occasionally have the marsh smell at night and since the back bedroom doesn’t have an AC, enjoy the smell.
You could tell by the pictures that the place is small, but they are misleading in just how small. Only the back bedroom is private, the other two you have to walk through to get from one to the next. We assumed that there would at least be a hallway, but no, this place is too small. Since we were two couples and a child, one of the couples didn’t have privacy since there bedroom was constantly walked through.
Then the “2 full bathrooms”… yes there are 2 bathrooms, but full ones? The front shower is so small that only a small woman or child can fit in it, and turning around is questionable. It is approximately 2-3 feet wide! Also, the toilet is so close to the sink that anyone of a decent size has to sit sideways or their knees are touching the sink. The back shower was used by just about everyone, so this became the main shower. However, there are no hooks or rods in the bathroom/shower area to hang any towels on. The back bedroom has 2 hooks on each side of the bed and that is it. So there is no place to hang any clothing since your wet towels have to take priority. And its little things like this, which make you question how much the owners actually care for the comfort of their guests.
Additionally, the back bedroom only has one dresser and it is so narrow that only one person’s clothing can fit in it. Is there room for a second dresser on the other side of the bed? Yes! But they put a cheap luggage holder over there, meaning that for your weeks’ vacation they intend for you to live out of your suitcase. Again, no thought for the comfort of their guests. Final complaint about the back bedroom, is the mirror. There is only one mirror for the back bedroom and bathroom and it is maybe one foot wide by 2 feet high and at an angle to the left of the sink. I know it’s a beach vacation, but still a normal sized mirror would be nice, it’s not as if their isn’t the wall space…
Now the cleaning rules… all we were told when we booked is that: “there is also a $250 REFUNDABLE cleaning and security deposit which will be returned to you, if the cottage and yard are left clean and undamaged.” Having stayed in several rentals through owners in the past, this is standard. However, this usually means that the place is neat with no damage. Not the case here, this literally means that you are the cleaning crew and you have to leave it clean and ready for the next guest or your won’t get your refund. Who ever heard of that before!? There was actually a list posted to the fridge of the chores that we needed to do to clean the place before be left (see my pictures). So much for a cute, clean cottage… how well do you think everyone before you has cleaned it on their check out day? Just enough so it looks clean to get their money back. And how long does it take to get back your security deposit if you leave the place in the proper condition? 2.5 weeks!! So you have to pack and clean the place before you leave and then they don’t release your money for a week, then Flipkey refunds the money in 7-10 days.
Ready for the icing on the cake?? Monday of our vacation the fridge started to leak into the kitchen. We immediately called Lynn to inform her. We were told that Joe would be informed and it would be dealt with. Tuesday afternoon we mention it to Joe and he knows nothing about it, but says it will be looked into. Thursday the fridge is still leaking and one of us slipped in the middle of the night on the puddle, so we call again. They inform us that they thought it was from the rain on Sunday and since we hadn’t called back, they figured it had stopped. Never did they say to call them back if it continued! They had said it would be looked into and fixed. The fridge leaked into the kitchen up until at least Friday evening and never did anyone come to look at it. Now remember, this place is small. A leak that is a foot into the kitchen takes up half the walking space, even though we were continually drying it and putting paper towels down! So we are required to clean up before we go, but they can’t be bothered to send a plumber, or come and look into the issue. After we check out we receive an email which says, “We apologize for the inconvenience caused by water appearing on the kitchen floor. Still not sure what the cause of the water was. We had someone check out the refrigerator on Saturday and they couldn’t find anything wrong with it. No additional water had accumulated since. Perhaps it was rain water from an open window?” If they had bothered to come and look at it, they would have known that the water came from the left side of the fridge, near the stove and sink, but not near any window. But now they are trying to blame it on us for leaving a window open… there is an issue and they can’t be bothered to actually figure it out. Again, no thought for the comfort of their guests.
All in all, I’m sure you can find a better place to stay.