First of all, I'll say that Paul's place is a beautiful stay! The views were absolutely jaw-dropping. I expected that being so close to the ferry terminal would make things pretty noisy as ferries pulled in and away from the island, but you never hear a thing...complete peace is what you get when you stay here. Open any window in the house and all you hear is the ocean lapping against the shoreline that lies fifteen feet below the front of the house. Restaurants are less than a ten-minute drive, as are a variety of beaches and trails. The fireplace and heated tiles are very cozy too. The perfect place to relax for a weekend away, or a lifetime- I'm desperate to move to Pender now after our lovely visit!
The reason we took off a star is because of the note left for us by whoever manages the home while Paul is not in town:
1) A bottle of cleaner and a pair of gloves were left on the kitchen table, along with a note saying "surfaces such as doorknobs, light switches etc have not been sanitized. We ask that guests and owners sanitize surfaces themselves." This was NOT in keeping with the AirBNB ad which promised exceptional covid cleaning policies. I do not ever expect to arrive at what is basically a hotel, only to be told that surfaces have not actually been sanitized and that I'm expected to do it myself. I haven't had this experience anywhere else during covid so my partner and I were not impressed about it at all. Paul did reply promptly when I asked about this, but his reassurance that "it's just to be safe" did not make us feel much better.
2. Despite us paying a $125 cleaning fee, there were several notes advising us of what to do to clean the suite before we leave, which included stripping the beds, putting all linens in a bag, running the dishwasher, and taking the garbage and recycling out ourselves, to a location that's OUTSIDE the resort area. I'm more than happy to clean up after myself and always do, but I felt like for $125 is a huge ask if the housekeeper is only expected to then put clean sheets on the bed and vacuum.
Otherwise a lovely stay, we really enjoyed ourselves and wish we had been able to stay longer!