Thank you to Gerard for hosting us.
The house is spacious and was spotless clean when we arrived.
Easy check-in and good communication with the host.
Pro's:
- Smiths Lake is a great area to explore. Smiths lake itself is a bit murky, but within a short driving distance you can visit a number of really nice beaches or crystal clear lakes apt for swimming.
- The house is very well equipped, specially the kitchen. Ample space to stow away things (particularly important for groups)
- The veranda is nice for afternoon drinks (just make sure to have mosquito spray)
- Beds and pillows are very comfy
Con's:
- Our stay had to be shortened by one day given that the host had doubled booked some other people and gave us no real option than to reduce the number of days that we were staying.
It didn't ruin our stay but it was a bit of back and forth regarding refunds due misunderstandings on what had been paid.
The owner, however, waived the cleaning fee as a token of appreciation which was thanked.
- There's only aircon in the living room, the rest of the rooms have fans. The cross-ventilation is not enough to cool the house down in very hot days; it gets really hot.
- The pictures can be a bit misleading as we thought the backyard was right on the lake given all the pictures of the lake beach with kayaks/canoes. There's a 5 min walk to the lake. The backyard is not as easy to walk through with small kids so the walk is a bit longer as you have to go through the front and around.
Overall we enjoyed our stay and it was good value for money.