We booked a 30 day stay and were hoping to extend, but the place had significant issues and felt considerably worse than what the listing and pictures led us to expect. There were multiple cleaning issues as well as work that should have been done on the place before we tried to make it a home. The worst issue though, at least for us, was the smell of cigarette smoke which was strongest in the bathroom attached to the larger bedroom. It seemed to be caused by the downstairs neighbor, but not being a ventilation expert or a smoker, all I can say for sure is that we never would have booked if that had been mentioned, especially with a child.
The Rivers Retreats Properties team was very responsive all the way through. From when we first booked, which was actually late in the day, their typical response was within minutes. On our first night in the place, when we pointed out some of the initial issues we noticed, they didn't feel very empathetic and basically told us that a cleaning and inspection was done, that there were no complaints before, and that if we provided pictures we could get a partial refund of the cleaning fee and a gift basket. Not the best response given the situation, as a few bucks and a gift did not make up for a place where you don't feel comfortable, and telling us others didn't complain in no way changes what we see firsthand. The next morning when we encountered more issues and asked to leave, Shawn got involved and was more sympathetic. He offered to try to fix them (though not clear how that would happen for some, like the smoke, and with Covid we want to minimize folks coming over) and then suggested another place that they manage, which we visited and was in better shape (though still has some issues), but the location and setup were worse for us, which is why we didn't book that one to begin with.
To wrap it up, we asked for a refund, and Shawn said no. We still left after one night, because either way we couldn't stay there, but fortunately AirBnB was able to help. Up until the end, I feel our interactions with Rivers Retreats were fine (which is why we gave 2 stars), but I'm disappointed in the state of the place and the big gap between our expectations from the listing and what we saw in person. I get that the goal of listings is to drive bookings, and that there's always some gap between marketing and reality, but hosts should be aware of and disclose significant issues, especially when you don't get to see the place before you've booked a non-refundable reservation, as was the case for us.