After a really stressful start to the year, I was really excited to enjoy Maggie’s “Perfect retreat” in Austin for some peace and quite and relaxation on the back deck. It was the reason we booked her home… so we could spend sometime relaxing in the sun away from the cold Chicago weather.
Unfortunately, it was one thing after another, riddling the stay with the opposite of a retreat. First, dog poo on the deck, then a sensor light in the backyard going on and off all night, sending piercing light through the thin curtains of the bedroom, and then a consistent 7am wake up from the construction trucks behind the backyard and beeping from the trucks for 12 consistent hours.
The attached “studio” is just a master bedroom space turned into a studio with a blanket pinned to the wall, covering the thin door. You can hear everything her tenant says like you are sitting right next to her if you are in the upper bedrooms. She seemed nice but it was just weird.
Overall, we felt very misled by her posts and pictures and wish she’d have been more transparent with what to expect. I would have gone with something else and she likely would have had better suited renters.
We really didn’t get to enjoy all the space, which was a bummer since it wasn’t inexpensive. The construction took place from 7am to 7pm so we had to stay away most the day because it was so noisy.
The space is cute - they did a decent job on the flip/ home reno and decorating it. It could use some patching in the kitchen, plumbing expertise, an attention to the backyard/ lawn, but all of that could have easily been overlooked had we nor felt mislead about what to expect with the noise/ construction and tenant.
Maggie was responsive and helpful at first, but became a little defensive regarding the construction complaint. Totally understand her frustration as well, just wish to have been able to truly unwind during our needed time away.