Location and views are perfect. The hosts (met 3 gentlemen) were nice. There were water and cookie baskets for us when we checked in. And overall the house is nice and well appointed.
The setup and the list of tasks it entailed to stay here definitely not what you expect for the price. The house is too big to be thoroughly clean and prepared in 6 hrs. between guests. So we had to complete a list of tasks such as hosting the landscaper and pool cleaner during the weekend instead of using the outdoor space for cooking and eating outside. Check-in process was convoluted. Host walked in with the door code on our first day there (a closet door was broken and he asked to come to glue it together), I took a while to answer the door and walked down the stairs to 2 guys inside the living room. Next day host came in asking to come into the house and bedrooms to look for a pillow someone else left behind. I offered to look instead and I did. Host still asked to come inside and look through the garage. The fridge is too old so it’s grimy in places hard to reach so I cleaned/disinfected the inside but definitely didn’t feel sanitary. Kettle was completely lined with grey/blackish buildup inside. I gave it a through wash and it came off. Evidently it had never been cleaned inside before. Mats in bathrooms were not fresh/replaced between guests, I removed them while we were there. The largest window in the main bedroom with the best ocean view was super dirty so it was a shame you couldn’t enjoy the gorgeous view. The rest of the windows were fine, though.
Upon checkout we had to remove all the sheets bring them from upstairs to the garage and start a load with the towels. For smaller places with smaller fees I don’t mind doing this. But when paying almost. $8,000 for 5 nights I feel it makes sense to have the guests do all this work.
Furthermore, as a guest you don’t get the contract/full agreement until check in. Way to late to cancel your reservation. And you are expected to read and sign and initial dozens of clauses of a full 5-10 pg contract upon check-in walkthrough with all these details including full inventory and number of dishes in the kitchen, pots and pans and kitchen appliances. (Are you supposed to count them!??) I just signed everything but it was definitely a damper in the beginning of our vacation after flying with children and just wanting to unwind.