Nice home, some issues
Submitted: December 12, 2012
Stayed: November 2012
The home has a great floor plan, and was very clean! It was in a nice neighbourhood. The issues:
a)The pool is only solar heated, therefore if it is cool or no sun...don't expect to swim in the pool. We stayed for a full week, and the pool was too cool to swim in. I asked the owner about heating the pool (which I would have been happy to pay for), and he said that Floridians didn't swim in the pool in the winter, only tourists. Of course, I am a "tourist".
b) it is absolutely dark in the back of the home at night. I love sitting by the pool with the pool light on, and asked the owner how we turn the lights on at the back of the house. He indicated that because some tourists fare inconsiderate and forget to turn them off, he disconected them! So....no sitting by the pool or the canal in the evening. He proceeded to then tell me how much money he was loosing annually on renting the home.
c) The microwave wasn't working, so I called the owner, who told me he knew from the previous renter, and ordered the part that day. I would have appreciated the courtesy of him letting me know that it wasn't in working order without me having to call him three times before he responded to my vm message.
So, I only gave the home a three star as I wouldn't stay there again due to the above issues. However if these issues don't concern you, it is a beautiful home.
Owner's Response: The property is very clearly advertised as having a solar heated pool which costs nothing to operate. The pool was around 84 degrees when these guests stayed here and that was with a cold front that had just passed and the weather was far from hot. It is true most Floridian's do not use their pools in winter. The solar heating works very well and is popular in many homes throughout Florida. Even electric pool heating cannot heat a pool very well in Florida in the winter months when the temperatures are much cooler. Sometimes even in Florida the temperatures can get down to near freezing at night. No swimming pool will be warm enough to use then. In the Spring, Summer and Fall the pool can reach 90 degrees easily. In the winter, expect the temperature to be typically in the 80’s. Even the local water park in Cape Coral called Sun Splash is not open in the winter because people do not usually participate in water activities in the winter months. The sea temperature in the winter in the Gulf of Mexico will only be in the 60’s to 70’s.
There is outdoor lighting on the lanai/pool deck. The underwater swimming pool light has been disabled because guests left it on 24/7. It is very expensive to run and it can imbalance a pool when left on all the time. An underwater pool light is not that much of an important feature to complain about but these guests did make a big deal about it.
Unfortunately the microwave was not working and had been inspected by a technician the day before these guests arrived. This was unfortunate but a part was on order and the microwave has subsequently been fixed. Now and again appliances will break down in any home. We made every effort to get that matter resolved as soon as possible. That was actually the first appliance breakdown at this property in 7 years. The guests were given an emergency phone number for emergency use. None of the above three problems above were deemed to be a serious emergency for a late night phone call. The guests were called back at the home but they were out. So an email message was promptly sent instead. Every effort was made to accommodate these guests at this wonderful property which they paid just $125 per night for. That's like getting a 4 star hotel room for the price of a 2 star !!! Every other guest that has stayed here has never complained, never had any problems and has had a great time. Some have returned more than once because they enjoyed it so much.
Helpful votes: 2/3
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