Stay elsewhere
Review Submitted: July 21, 2009
Date of Stay: July 2009
Our recent stay at this property was our worst experience so far in our experience of vacation rentals. First, there are some positives: The house is centrally located and in a safe neighborhood; Whole Foods, the Santa Monica Pier, Montana Avenue, other attractions and major freeways are minutes away by car. There is on-site parking. The actual structure that is the house and its landscaping are very nice. Now the many negatives: The photos do not show any of the stained, ripped or broken furniture that greeted us on our arrival. After being told by the agent Robert that the bed we would be sleeping on was brand new (we hadn't asked, he just offered this information), we removed the sheets for a washing and discovered a filthy mattress. Personal items belonging to the house's owner such as toiletries, food, magazines, etc. littered the counters, shelves, drawers and cabinets in such abundance that we felt like we were trespassing. It was the sort of disarray that might be okay if staying with a friend or relative for free but not if you're paying for accommodations. The house advertises as a two bedroom. Instead, a bed has been placed in the living room across from the couch. As I told the agent Robert in an email sent after we returned home: Just as I'm sure owners hope that renters won't mistreat their homes, we would hope that our comfort, peace of mind and health are being looked after, too - if for no other reason than that it is the right thing to do. The best places that we have stayed, the places that we would happily return to and refer to others, are places where the owners have done just that.
We would never recommend this house to anyone.
Owner's Response: We are sorry to hear our last guests were unhappy with their recent stay at the Retreat House. The owner just purchased and had delivered a beautiful custom made Japanese style, maple wood bed to match the new maple wood floors throughout the master bedroom upstairs. The House was completely cleaned by our maid, including all linens, and we even left the guests a complimentary welcome fresh fruit bowl and bottle of wine. We believe she did miss cleaning the new mattress cover when it was delivered, but of course the bed linens & duvet cover were freshly laundered. Yes, some of the owners personal items were on several shelves, but there was ample clear shelving for guests, plentiful walk-in wardrobe space, and sufficient empty drawers for short term visitors.
I did advise the guests in advance and it is on our website that the second bedroom listed is actually a separate office / also sleeping area with a cot, which then can be used if so desired as a bedroom. This office area also has a separate full bathroom, new washer and dryer, plenty of linen closest shelving and glass doors which open to the secluded wall / bamboo covered front yard. Guests often use this area as space to work with their computers ( shades are on all windows ) on our high speed wireless DSL service. And there also is large pillow / duvet covered floor mattress in the open air loft living room which many guests have also used for sleeping or watching television.
We've had many happy guests before, but will take these recent guest criticisms in a positive light and will make every effort to improve the House for future visitors.
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