TSDR: Overall we had a really awesome time at this location and, although nothing was 'wrong', we weren't "wowed" enough to come back. We'd want to explore other options since we felt, for the money, we could have had something just slightly nicer.
Pros:
- Host was great and easy to communicate with
- Check-in was easy
- View from back porch/ back lawn/window bed is awesome
- Navigation to and parking was super easy. We always had a spot right in-front of the unit.
- Has lots of amenities should you need to use them (full kitchen and washer/dryer)
Cons:
- The pictures make it look a bit nicer that it feels (compliments to the photographer and staging, it means they did a good job). I think this is largely because the 'other 4 senses' play a factor once you get there (more on that in the below points).
- Place was a bit musty smelling in the kitchen and bathrooms and could use some air fresheners and ventilation. Bedrooms and living room seemed fine, but air fresheners would be a nice touch.
- Beds and sheets were basic. The beds are pretty springy, more like a cheap hotel and the fabrics also remind me of a cheaper hotel. In contrast, the days immediately after our stay here, we stayed at a place that was cheaper and smaller than here, but along with other details, the bed and sheets were awesome quality and we slept much better, thus enjoying ourselves more in that regard.
- Overall we felt like there wasn't a lot of thought put into 'the details'. They provided the basics, soap, shampoo, etc, and the 'extras' they did provide felt like an after-thought, left-overs, or were just in poor condition. In contrast, the place we stayed at just after this one felt like it had everything. There were umbrellas, headlamps, wide varieties of soaps and shampoos, nicely printed and laminated instructions for everything, air fresheners everywhere, med kits (which we actually needed and were thankful for), extras of everything, batteries, extra lights for customizing, chargers and cables incase you forgot yours, coffees and teas (something not provided here that I really missed), etc. Furthermore, while we're on the topic of details and presentation, the welcome booklet is poorly printed on cheap paper, has faded images, water stains, creases, and looks like its the same book that's been used for the last 10 years. It's readable and served it purpose, but it's just one of those things where people perceive quality. If it was me, you can bet it would be nicely designed, printed on cardstock, laminated, and nicely bound, not because it needs to be to have function, but because it shows I care about the quality of my place. That's the kind of detail we wanted to see at this place for the price.
- At the time we booked it, the post said "lots of snorkel gear" was available, but in reality, about 50% of the gear was broken, cracked, missing pieces, etc. What was left over that was usable left me with few options and I had to make do with gear that didn't fit well, and that affected my snorkeling experience which was a disappointment. We had specifically been excited about the fact that this booking would include snorkeling gear so that we wouldn't have to rent, but in the end it cause a bit more frustration than help.
- Definitely don't stay here because of the pool; it's small and not in great shape. But there were lounge chairs if you wanted to get some sun.
- The door lock is easy to use, but always requires two-hands, which was a nuisance basically every time we arrived or left the unit because our hands were always full of gear.
Again, it sounds maybe like we were really disappointed, but we overall had a great time and virtually none of the above mentioned affected the quality of our stay (minus maybe quality of sleep on the beds and the lack of coffee for me to enjoy on the back patio). I'm giving it a 4 out of 5 because it's got the right start, it just needs a few details to push it over the top and make it top quality... in our opinion.