My family and I loved Tara’s house, it was clean and tidy and suited our needs perfectly. We had a great time there with a large family group (including a number of young children who made the most of the many board games provided and who enjoyed playing (and even some sleeping!!) in the room with the bunk beds. Tara was very responsive leading up to our stay and recommended some restaurants in the area (which unfortunately we never had a chance to visit). However, we were a bit disappointed by a couple of issues that Tara informed us about only one day before the check-in, in particular in respect of the below issues:
Towels - we were told that no towels would be made available “to prevent the spread of COVID”, despite the listing description stating that towels will be provided (and indeed the Covid safety section of the listing states that all towels will be washed at high temperatures).
Stripping the beds - Tara requested that we strip our beds before leaving in order to prevent the spread of COVID. This seemed an unusual request, especially since the cleaner (who had already arrived by check-out time) would still need to touch the sheets left on the bed. Whether intended as such or not, it came across as being an attempt to lessen the cleaning workload after we left (a €150 cleaning fee was charged).
Garbage Disposal - Tara requested that we dispose of our trash in outdoor bins, which were a considerable distance away from the home and had their own key, meaning that somebody had to drive down to the end of the lane (and back) to dispose of the trash. We could not even do this while leaving, as the key to the bins needed to be returned. Further, a request was made for us to dispose of our glass waste at a petrol station a number of miles away from the home, a further chore on top of those already mentioned.
Although relatively minor in the scheme of things, if we had been aware of these requests in advance we may have chosen another place as it seemed like quite a bit of housework, especially given (i) the short notice, and (ii) the substantial cleaning fee. It if of course within a host a rights to ask guests to make any requests of guests that they so desire but this should be made clear in the listing and should also be reflected in the cleaning fees charged.
I hope that Tara will take this feedback on board in the spirit intended because the house is a great spot and these are relatively minor things that can allow guests to have the best possible experience.