Mildewy House, Weedy Lake
Review Submitted: September 5, 2008
Date of Stay: July 2008
The description and photos of this cottage are accurate, except for a few vital missing details: 1) the cottage is infused with mildew and mold; 2) the lake is choked with weeds; 3) the lawn is always soaking wet.
When we first walked in, on a hot July evening, the mildew smell hit us immediately. Airing out all the rooms and/or running the a.c. helped a little, but not nearly enough. It was hard to sleep in the bedrooms because of the mildew smell that persisted during our entire four-week stay. My daughter, who is prone to respiratory illness and has allergies, woke up sick and coughing our first morning there, as did my husband, son and I. After about a week and a half we fled home for a few days to get away from the mold and visit our doctor, who told us we were "allergic to the house." She gave us some advice as to how to cope, and we returned, because we didn't want our summer vacation to go to waste and because we love the Lenox area.
The entire place is carpeted, with lots of fabric everywhere (curtains, upholstery, wicker porch furniture, etc) and you can actually see blossoms of mildew here and there. The white wicker porch furniture is so permeated with mildew that it is speckled black--we covered the table with a tablecloth and the chairs with beach towels. The screened-in porch is the best part of this house, but because of the mildew, it was hard to fully enjoy it. The living room was tolerable once we threw sheets over all the upholstery. The kitchen was fine.
The lake, meanwhile, is choked with weeds. My husband, a swimmer, was unable to swim because when he tried he became entangled in the tall weeds, the tops of which you could actually see above the surface of the water. The children however were able to enjoy playing in the shallow water.
Another problem was that the lawn between the cottage and the lake was always wet, regardless of the weather. For a few days after every rain, you would sink ankle-deep in water if you stepped onto the grass. Because the grill sits on the lawn, we never used it. Even when the weather was dry for days, the lawn never dried out.
I'm sorry to be so negative. The owners of this cottage seemed like lovely people, but they ought to clean up the mildew problem. My family was relieved the day we left this cottage. I cannot recommend this place to anyone for their vacation. Spend a little more elsewhere and get a better, cleaner house that won't make you sick.
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Helpful votes: 4/22
