Overall the house was good (see pros and cons list at the end of this review). However, there were some drawbacks, primarily with the host, that I am noting for those planning to book this place.
1) The pool waterfall and slide did not work on our second day (we got in late Thursday night so we didn't use the pool) The pool service person was not able to fix it until the end of the day. We booked this place because the kids were looking forward to the pool, so it was a big disappointment for them.
2) The smoke alarm kept beeping (likely due to low battery) then went off non-stop for over an hour on our last day. We had to leave the house because it was so loud. Neither of the host contacts answered their phones and when I contacted the host, I was told that maintenance couldn't come until after we checked out.
3) I asked the host for a late check-out so that the kids could swim some more because they didn't get to enjoy the slide as much as they wanted. The host obliged but did not give me a specific time for check-out. We were planning to leave at 3 pm, but because we lost an hour having to leave the house because of the smoke alarms, we couldn't make breakfast and everything was pushed back an hour. At 2:30 pm, the host sends me this message (I'm going to post our exchange for transparency and so those who ask for a late check-out know what to expect):
JUNE 12
Shena 8:51 PM -- Hi Steven, the kids are had a great time in the pool today and sad that the slide wasn’t working yesterday. Can we get a late check out tmrw so they can swim some more?
Steven 8:56 PM -- Yes, we will allow you a late check out on tomorrow.
JUNE 13
Steven 2:29 PM -- Hello Ms. Shena, this is Steven. I am the owner of the AirBnB rental. Your extended stay will end at 3PM. PLEASE vacate the house by 3PM. I will seek an additional day charge thru the AirBnB APP at that time. Thank you again.
Shena 2:44 PM -- Hi Steven, I wasn’t aware of the time as you did not state is yesterday. As you know the smoke alarm was going off all morning so we were trying to figure it out for over an hour and lost time making food. We are not going to be prepared to leave at 3pm. We can leave by 4pm, but I feel that it would be unfair to charge me an entire day considering we did not come upon an agreed time of departure yesterday and that there were things that happened during our stay that took time from us relaxing and enjoying our family time that we had to address and figure out. Thank you for understanding.
Steven 2:58 PM -- That is not an agreement that we will be making. At 3PM we will report your stay as an extended stay, through the AirBnB App. Thank you once again Ms. Shena.
Shena 3:08 PM -- Ok, but as I stated, if you look through our messages, you did not indicate a check out time so it is inappropriate for you to charge me for another day when those were not the terms.
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THE PROS:
- The photos are an accurate representation of the house.
- The pool with slide and waterfall is great.
- The rooms are clean and well equipped with linens.
- The house is spacious for large families.
- There is ample parking in the large driveway.
THE CONS:
- The pots/pans are not really suited for cooking for a big family (they're all small) and big bowls and serving dishes are lacking.
- The house is very loud because it's all concrete and there are minimal rugs to absorb the noise.
- The host was not a good communicator and the contacts were not responsive.