2
Echo Lake is more like Echo Big Pond
We stayed in Aug. 2008. The house was private. I wish I could give it a good review, but there were just too many problems and when we pointed them out to the owner at the end of the vacation, he acted surprised. There was plenty of space for 10-14 of us (family members came & went), although a few had to sleep on the couches, that was fine. The bedding & beds were ok. Only 2 rolls of toilet paper (the ones on the holders) and that was not enough for all of us obviously. The air conditioning worked in only 2 of the bedrooms and when we were there, it was rainy & muggy. We went and bought a few fans. The owner lived next door but we didn't see him the whole time we were there. Behind the building next to ours, which I assume is owners garage, it looked like Sanford & Son...tons of JUNK. Not the kind of thing we wanted to look at while on vacation. The amenities were all there, except no blender. The amenities did not all work. Could not get cable tv to work in living room or downstairs bdrm. because there were no cables. The microwave did work correctly, after 5 minutes, mac & cheese should have been more than lukewarm. Echo Lake is NOT what we consider a "lake". It's more like a big pond. There is a kids camp directly across the "lake" and they can be noisy but it really didn't bother us. The "stairs" going down the small hill to the water were backwards and small. Very awkward to try to walk on. The hammock was ripped, so my husbands butt fell to the ground (pretty funny & got a good picture out of that). The small dock from was broken going out to the water. There is a floating dock, but it's hard to climb onto, at least for us weaklings. The owner let the garbage cans out front go until the day we left. Luckily we didnt have to see them because most of the time was spent in the back of the house. I realize this was the owners 1st year renting, but people had rented the house just weeks before we did and I cant imagine at least some of these issues weren't brought to his attention. Hopefully, this year, as he raised the rent for 2009, he will spend some of that money fixing some of the above problems. Additionally, this is NOT suitable for disabled persons.
Owner's Response: I am honestly shocked that the first review I have received is a negative one. I remember these renters and recall only a “thank you” and them telling me what a wonderful time they had. Although 2008 was my first time listing on HomeAway, it was not my first time renting this property. I have been in the business of renting for approximately 20 years. During these past 20 years I have come to the realization that you cannot please everyone – it’s just humanly impossible. I could reply with a rebuttal to every negative comment made, but 2 wrongs don’t make a right. I work very hard to make my renters’ stay a pleasant one. I am always quick to respond to any kind of problems that arise and to try to rectify them as soon as possible, as long as I am notified of the problems. The house is always stocked with everything that is supposed to be there. I own a business in town (part of which is an antique store). The “junk” in the garage are antiques to be refurbished. “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.” Echo Lake is a very well-known “lake” in the area. It is evident from the pictures on my site that it is not a “pond”. I regret that these renters did not enjoy the time they spent here. This is a beautiful area to vacation at and I like to make it as positive of an experience as I can for my renters. If I had known they were having all of these problems while they were here or before they left, it would have been nice to be able to speak with them about it and rectify the situation.
Helpful votes: 14/18
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