Disappointing stay
Submitted: July 16, 2012
Stayed: July 2012
Six members of my family and I stayed in this house over a weekend, all adults. Sad to say, we were disappointed with many features of what we thought was a truly "oceanfront" beach house. Many of these problems were not the fault of the owners or the management company. They were very kind and helpful throughout the reservation process and stay.
Our biggest complaints were:
1) Long distance from the beach: Yes, this house is built on the side of the street that is closest to the ocean, but it is not at all close to the beach! You have to walk through a thick brush/dunes area, many parts of which are very narrow. It would be difficult to bring any supplies with you on this walk. This leads to the second problem:
2) Mosquitoes: There were tons of them. The house is built up against a damp brush area, and while on our long walk to the beach, we were bitten many many times! We did discover bug spray in the closet after the fact, so if you stay here, make sure to use it before you go outside at all times.
This also became a problem inside when the sun came out. The upstairs loft area becomes very warm when it is sunny. It has a sliding door, but no screen to keep the mosquitoes out! My poor relatives were stifling all night, but did not want to risk more bites by keeping the door open. The ceiling fan helps a bit, but a screen door would be a huge plus. Speaking of the loft...
3) Ocean view: The only place in the house you can kind of see the ocean is from the loft, and it is only a sliver of a view when you stand on tip toes. The brush in front of the house obscures a true view. And it was so warm and cramped upstairs that we did not spend much time up there!
These are the main reasons we were disappointed with our stay. The VRBO ad seemed to suggest the house is much closer to the beach. It is also farther from town than we thought, about a 20 minute walk. Also, there was a small BBQ, but no charcoal! We did not know to bring our own. The bathroom was small and cramped.
On the plus side: There was plenty of sleeping space for everyone. Our dog was welcome and there were extra sheets in the house to cover up furniture and things for him. The hot tub was nice and easy to use.
If you want somewhere private for a small family get-away, this might be right for you, if you are not picky about distance from the beach and view. I would not recommend it for a romantic trip. And despite the owner's hospitality and warmth, I will not be staying there again.
Recommended for:
Pet-friendly,
Families with Young Children
Owner's Response: We are sorry you did not enjoy your stay. We try to provide the best value for a private nightly rental house with a hot tub in Ocean Shores. The area in front of the house is a wildlife preserve. The pictures show the view and we have tried to make it clear it is a bit of a walk to the ocean. The drive to town is about 3 minutes and there is a map that discloses the location of the house.
This is an extremely bad year for mosquitoes - no matter where you are!
There are screens on all of the windows of the house and we suggest opening them or the front slider door and then the back slider in the loft to cool the house. There is pretty much always an ocean breeze that will cool the loft. In 20+ years of vacationing and working on our house this has never failed us.
The loft has plenty of room to access the back deck, has a table for games, a double bed, a dresser, book shelf with games and books, a chair and footstool, and a VCR for the kids to watch movies.
Helpful votes: 1/2
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