We appreciated Sri's timely communication. However, there were several issues with the rental that were unacceptable and adversely affected our travel. We have stayed in many home rentals, and we have personally rent a home in a popular tourist destination for 15 years. Maintenance of the home is critical, and I was concerned that the home was rented with so many unaddressed issues.
Issues included:
- Very bright outdoor string lights attached to the perimeter of the roofline stayed on all night, disrupting our sleep on both nights. There was no way to turn them off and no instructions. The windows only had a sheer covering, so the light glared into the bedroom, waking us up at 2-4 am both nights.
- TV did not turn off, so the screen glowed throughout our stay with a low humming sound that was unpleasant. The TV hangs off the wall, so it is impossible to disconnect the cord without a ladder. Again, no instructions are provided.
- Strong, strange odor of fresh paint and mildew throughout the stay. The heat exasperated the odor and left us with headaches from the paint odor.
- Landscape and home repair equipment left on the front porch and back patio areas. I moved those items to the side of the patios to avoid tripping or an accident. It appeared that someone was trying to do repairs and ran out of time, because painting items were stuffed into the bedroom closet and landscape blower was just left next to the front door. Thus, the home did not feel tidy and I felt as if we were intruding on a home improvement project.
I did communicate these concerns, however I did not have the ability to spend limited vacation time corresponding about maintenance issues that should have been addressed. Also, cell coverage is not available in the Volcano area, so do not have the tech capability support a back and forth about these concerns. Sri was responsive and apologized, but her solution was asking us to climb around the back of the house to manually disconnect the bright house lights. We did not do that since we wanted to spend our time exploring the Park, rather than possibly injuring ourselves.
We have previously stayed in the Volcano area at a rental that was unavailable, so I am familiar with other options which are more reliable. I understand the rental is in a rural area, with limited access to property support (cleaners, managers, etc.), but those challenges should be considered before involving guests.
The idea is to not encumber the guest with these concerns. We understand that accidents occur. Again, we operate a rental ourselves in a popular tourist destination where reliable property managers are hard to come by. However, I would not rent out my rental unless maintenance was complete and my property manager thoroughly verified the home was functional. In this case, it appears someone (property manager, etc.) who was entrusted with the home did not do their job and we were left with very frustrating situations.
Fortunately, our overall experience in the Volcano area was enjoyable, so I focused on the positive aspects of the Volcano National Park experience rather than allowing the home's issues ruin my trip. Considering the many maintenance and safety issues, the rental experience was worth what we paid.