We had a great overall stay fueled by the location, walks on the beach, and sun-filled mornings on the balcony.
I am going to approach this review from the perspective of a short term vs. long-term vacation rental. From those 2 perspectives, I believe I can better explain our experience and address potential customers' questions.
Great advantages to this unit for short term stays:
Easy 2.5 block walk to the boardwalk and the beach
Easy access to downtown by either walking or driving
Responsive Property Management Team
Southern facing view from the balcony, great for sunrises, sunsets, and morning chats over coffee
Bright and airy kitchen and shared spaces
Nice sized bedrooms
Garage parking
Fridge and a brand new microwave
Cons:
Not cleaned thoroughly: Even though this host agreed to the Enhanced Cleaning Procedures, we went in prepared to sanitize everything ourselves for peace of mind during COVID. We found the floors to be filthy (we went through 1 swiffer pad per room and all came out black) and the coup de gras was urine on the upstairs toilet seat. It made us nervous that the cleaning procedures were not followed well.
Dishes were dirty: we found pieces of food on multiple dishes and on some utensils. We ended up washing everything and cleaning out the cabinets before using anything.
Great Advantages to this unit for long term stays:
All of the short-term advantages listed above
All of the standard kitchen tools are available for cooking
Washer & Dryer
Ample Closet space
Little light pollution from the exterior in the rooms at night, so the rooms are nice and dark
Taking into consideration that the boardwalk rides are currently not open, the area is quiet at night
OMG the magnificently quiet dishwasher!
Cons:
All of the short-term cons listed above
Light sleepers, those with kids, and remote workers should beware that the floors are very creaky
Sound and creaks carry very well within the home (mail slot clank downstairs scared us upstairs ;P)
Some of the kitchen tools are not updated, sharpened, or accounted for well
Remote workers should note there is no dedicated workspace even though the listing says there is
Wifi too weak in the second bedroom for Video Conferencing (had to buy an EOP)
Monday morning trash pickup at 5AM is loud. ‘Nuff said