feel very much feel mis-lead and we are disappointed.
Room in the back was so stuffy and hot that the three fans I set up couldn’t cool it down to make it comfortable and opening the door which was the only option wasn’t possible since residents or general population were walking up and down that path directly next to the room. No screen door is there to offer any way to cool down the room either. With two kids leaving the door open was not an option. No windows at all in that room. I did not sleep at all and relocated on the hard chaise of the couch hanging off the second night barely sleeping at all.
Mis advertised:
1- steps from the beach with the wooden stair case in the picture#29 in listing is broken off and does not lead to the beach for access at this time. Looks like it’s old damage so this should have been updated at least for renters to know. Alternatively another stair case up the path to the right of the property is gated off for construction also.
Tides were high the whole time so minus a few hours mid day where you could catch a small glimpse of the sand along the cove for wading in the water there was little indication that it would even be a usable cove for anyone to enjoy as part of their rental experience. This should be clear that the property is for VIEWS not beach access.
Driving down to the ocean beach pier was a nightmare. Heavy traffic and no parking. After driving around for 40 minutes the public parking had one spot where we paid $20 for three hours of parking. Then dragged all our beach stuff to try to find a spot where there weren’t dozens of people side by side. Most of that beach was signed for surfers only!!! We were very uncomfortable with the close proximity of others and concerns for COVID and ended up leaving to eat and go back to the house.
The add indicated the second room had two beds. It did not. Each bedroom had one bed and the couch in the small front room/ living area was the pull out bed. This either took up most of the space when opened or needed to be closed up all day so we could use the couch for sitting and hanging out without feeling like the place was unkept while we were resting. The couch cover looks clean at first but has a food odor and does not smell fresh. Trash and crumbs under the couch. The couch cushion has a stain (possibly pee) and the underside of the couch’s mattress along the fold is brown and grimy with crumbs and who knows what else.
Mugs and silverware had dried food and did not feel hygienic to use without pre washing all things.
My friend is an attorney and this was a much needed break where she still needed to work some of the day and we fully expected to utilize the beach front access for our two 13 years olds while she got some work done and I with ease, could take the children to enjoy water play. I am an RN and have worked 7 nights a week this entire year and also needed some rest and reprieve. In all honesty we wouldn’t have brought the two teens with us if we would have knows the beach was not accessible, knowing it would not be convenient to take them to another location to have beach time if we wouldn’t have thought this expensive $3000 plus three night weekend would include “steps away” beach access.
The patio was in need of some TLC. The photos were clearly taken when everything was new. The benches are weathered and bbq was very weathered and not clean. The propane tanks were all rusty and I would not have felt comfortable to touch them with my bare hands.
The house on the inside was as expected other then the second bed not being in the bedroom as advertised and the super hot back room.
The patio was not private at all. RV parked right along side the property and all the bikers and others, (some questionable people) also were enjoying the beach views right next to the patio. To the left of the patio there was an apartment and the occupants were home and we could see each other through their windows. This again offered us zero privacy and zero ability to leave children even on the patio without supervision since patio was very easy to access If someone wanted to.
So now with COVID and all the other indoor time we very much looked forward to some lengthy outdoor beach time for the kids and they spent a large amount of time stuck inside the home. Again with COVID going to a densely populated beach and walking around the also heavily populated streets were not proper solutions.
The hosts with VRBO responded quickly and offered me 10% refund of around $235
After I requested a minimum of 20%. Realistically it should have been way more as this was truly false advertising.
I would like a better refund or a better credit for future stays. This was not at all the vacation get away we needed. I very much hope there will also be a much better description of the property to avoid this happening to others.
The ocean view and sounds were incredible and saved us from packing up to leave all together. Maybe for some that would have been enough but we wanted the beach access. Other properties without the beach access would have been more private and much cheaper.