Up and Down - Nice Property but Nothing is Perfect
Submitted: March 21, 2013
Stayed: March 2013
Nice property in a gated neighborhood about 2 blocks from the beach. Fairly typical vacation rental, starters provided for soap, paper towels, toilet paper, etc., so don’t forget the necessities.
We ate out a lot, but did cook in too. The kitchen is well equipped, but had to wash all the dishes, glasses, cups, and silverware before using, caked on and dried food. Annoying, but some people consider that a usual practice. The dishwasher is really lousy, realized after using why the dishes were dirty. Even a small load didn't clean well. Hand washed everything before putting in dishwasher so they would come out clean.
Beds comfortable. Baths: Master was great, the other smaller, but adequate. Lots of living space, Apple TV installed so lots of different programs to access.
Nice patio, small pool. Property info indicated solar heated, anticipated would be warm enough to use with the days in Destin warm, cool nights. The property management person was pretty clear, advising don't adjust any of the pool controls. I am okay with that. There was a waterfall on a timer running morning to evening. The pool was freezing and never got warm enough to use. The day we left the booking agent sent an email asking me to put the solar cover on the pool, the pool company wanted to turn the heater on! Duh, now I know why it was so cold, the heater was not engaged and there wasn’t a solar cover on the pool, found it in the garage, went ahead and put it on the pool. The water was wonderfully warm. Suggest you follow up prior to arriving with the booking agent to make sure the heat is on or the pool will be useless.
The agent is sort of surly and makes no apologies. She puts responsibility on the renter to make sure things are right for the next person. When I advised the pool situation, there were no apologies, just a message asking if I could go ahead and cover the pool. Boo!
Gated neighborhod and the gate is problematic. Not functioning correctly while we were there. Finally a repair, and seemed better. Called the booking agent and she said the gate is a problem, that is why she bolded and put instructions in red. I am not sure how that helps when she is 900 miles away but the evening I called she advised she would notify maintenance the next day.
Trash: You get 1 can to use. If you exceed, you are supposed to take extra with you. Dump it at McDonalds or check as luggage on the plane? Out by 10a, but wash and fold all towels. Better hurry if there are 7-10 of you!
Owner's Response: We are glad you enjoyed you stay and will address your concerns. Dishwasher is new in Nov 12 and high end, not sure why dishes had not gotten clean, we tested the dishwasher in Dec and it ran just fine and it had very high customer ratings when we purchased it. Sorry you had that experience. Pool is solar heated and is equipped with solar cover which is stored in the garage when not in use. The rental agreement states the use of the solar system is weather dependent and in the winter, early spring, and late fall air temp will chill and cool the pool off quickly. The rental agreement offers use of electric pool heater for an additional cost during the cooler months, however the guest didn't request its use. We recommend requesting the electric heater during the cooler months. The guest following you requested the heater, with that being said, the pool guy turned it on the day before they arrived so it was ready for them to use. Security gate works and is very helpful to keep traffic from cutting through our neighborhood, there was a maintenance issue with the gate this particular week and was resolved quickly by the HOA. There are three trash cans for guest use, but out of respect for arriving guest, we ask that the guest leaving only use one of the three when departing so the arriving guest have a place to put their trash. There nothing worse then to have the prior guest leave an overwhelming amount of trash for the arriving guest. We do request if you have excess trash to take it with you. If guests put out the trash for pick up there should be no reason for them to use all three trash cans provided. I the owner, live in MD but I'm very customer service oriented and can be easily reached via email, cell or text during your stay. I also have local full service property manager and wonderful neighbor who helps when necessary. I'm sorry you didn't have a better experience while you were at Ravens Nest.
Helpful votes: 1/1
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