We enjoyed our week-long family reunion (July, 2022) at this wonderful property on Lake Blaisdell. The area is beautiful, the lake is clean, we enjoyed the plentiful boats, and the comfy common areas. It has some pros-cons that savvy guests should anticipate. My family was charged the damage deposit.
Pros:
1. Very responsive host, left candies for the kids on arrival, which was a very appreciated first impression.
2. Large common space areas
3. Large modern grill on the balcony.
4. Paddle boards and kayaks available for use.
5. The house is set away from the lake up a short hill, which we considered a plus, as it is much quieter than properties directly on the water (loons can be loud, so can the occasional power boats).
6. The bunk room is perfect for four kids (two bunk beds) as it is set off on one end of the house away from the living room.
Cons:
1. One bathroom. Not a big problem.
2. There is an impressive antique stove setup, but my sister ended up singeing a small section of the adjacent countertop because the temperature and flame was difficult to regulate. This was a cause for our damage deposit to be retained, a justification we disagree with.
3. There are knick-knacks on every shelf in every corner, everywhere. The decor is beautiful and charming to look at, but impractical for renters especially with children, as you may get charged if you move anything. We had four young children who immediately dove into the boardgames and the bags of legos and other toys (who wouldn't?!). It took us parents 3 hours the evening before, and 4 hours on check-out day to find and clean everything, but the host still charged us for extra cleaning services. The charge is significant, and made us feel like we could have better used those seven hours of our vacation. But our family really takes pride in cleaning up: We had every single plate and cup cleaned, every sheet and towel down at the laundry station, every floor swept and vacuumed, every kid's toy back in its original basket or box in its original room, all the lake side boats and life vests organized, all trash and recycling collected, bagged, and deposited in bins... I mean, one really needs to prepare for a major cleaning effort, and even then, it might not be enough for this owner. The owner will no doubt offer a long list of damaged property to justify retaining the deposit... it's up to renters to decide if the risk is worth it.