We rented this property over the Christmas holiday. Johanna was kind enough to put up a Christmas tree. Very festive.
We had difficulty accessing the property upon arrival, as the instructions provided in the airBNB app manual were inaccurate (more on this later). After a message to Johanna via airBNB message, a text to Johanna's number listed on the airBNB aspp, numerous calls to that number (that went unanswered and Johanna's VM was full) and finally a call to airBNB, Johanna finally called me back. I was given alternate access instructions via a lockbox attached to a decorative section of wrought iron gate near the front door. There were no exterior lights on the property and we arrived about 7PM, so things were a bit stressful for about half an hour (and cold! I live in a warmer part of Texas and was dressed accordingly) trying to talk on the phone, find & unlock the lockbox where I found keys submerged in water all while using the light on my phone to see.... but we finally got in. Once my family was in the house, I was in a rush to make it to a business where I had to pick up a purchase before 8PM, Johanna kept texting me. She sent a screen shot of a L-O-N-G message she'd sent 10 days earlier which apparently contained alternate access instructions, however this information was buried among recommendations, check out instructions, etc. It would've been nice if that vital information had been at the BEGINNING of the message, since it arrived so far in advance of check in, which is when every other host I've ever stayed with has sent area highlights and recommendations. My bad for not giving it a closer look, but since we already had our trip planned, I didn't need any add'l local suggestions and the check in/check out instructions were in the property airBNB manual, I didn't read the entire message. It was extremely unnerving to have her texting me as if she had this need to to be right by rubbing my nose in her screenshot. It was over, I was hurrying to try to reach my purchase commitment in time. I probably wouldn't have mentioned the situation to this degree if not for the exchange afterwards. I rely on the airBNB app on my phone. If instructions posted in the airBNB property manual aren't up to date, THAT is a problem.
OK. Enough. On to the house.
This property has garage parking for one car, which was great! We parked our 2nd car in the driveway so we had no need to try to park of the crowded street.
The house is quaint and nicely arranged. It is a shoe-free property, but there is no bench at the entrance to sit and switch footwear, only a rack to put the shoes/slippers you bring on.
The living room was adequate for our group of 4 (plus one visitor) and the television was a nice size with Roku. Streaming channels like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ or HBOMAX are not included and require your own account login information.
The kitchen was cute, albeit choppy counter space. There is a dishwasher and detergent is provided. There is a full size electric range w/oven. The full size freezer is in dire need of a defrost - the bottom basket is full of partial bags of ice and frozen to the freezer floor by about 2" of solid ice. The top freezer rack had food in it and more partial bags of ice - with our bag of ice there wasn't room for anything else. The refrigerator was spacious and provided enough room for the things I brought that should have been stored in the freezer. There were no local beers or sparkling water, as stated in the airBNB property manual. There are ample dishes, glassware, coffee cups and silverware, pots & pans, cutting boards, a great big salad bowl and even a flat pan (one item almost always missing from the places I've stayed). The table is large (it's actually a vintage door with a plexiglass sheet overtop - nice!) but another chair or 2 would be nice. We brought a corner chair from another room back and forth for meals so we could all eat together.
The sliding glass door off the kitchen leading to the back yard is convenient. The back yard is spacious but absolutely not secure. The gate next to the garage leading to the back yard has a huge gap between the post and the gate itself, which our dogs or a child could easily fit through. We didn't allow the dogs in that part of the yard at all. My daughter's dog slipped under the back fence while I was there watching her. I didn't realize the fence doesn't have a bottom tension wire, so the chainlink easily pulls up from the fenceline with minimal pressure. The back of the property runs along a deep concrete spillway and I was unable to go after the dog because the back gate was chained and padlocked. Fortunately my daughter came out and was able to coax her pooch back into the yard through the same place she got out.
The Primary bedroom has it's own bath and is spacious, with a double dresser and 1 closet. The platform bed with mattress only, makes the bed very low to the floor. The bed itself is quite comfortable, however could pose a problem for some people to get in/out. The A/C furnace is right outside the Primary bedroom wall on the garage side and is quite loud when it kicks on.
The other 2 bedrooms are quaint, each with a comfortable bed and closet space and nice windows for natural light.
All the bedrooms had adequate linens and plenty of pillows.
The property has a washer and dryer, but if you plan on using them, bring your own laundry detergent & fabric softener.
I'm not sure why, but