4/10 Poor
Michelle N.
9 September 2021
Liked: Check-in, location
Disliked: Cleanliness, communication
Stars for location
I was looking forward to staying at Mary Ellen's place for August. I saw the property prior and it was an outdated beach house with an unbeatable location, so I decided to book. When I arrived, I found that the kitchen was filthy, in the drawers, on the shelves the pots, spices corroded. I had to clean everything myself, but didn't want to make a big deal out of it because the location was great and I wanted a quiet escape on the beach. I put the dirty stuff in bags and put it in the garage and bought new pots. Overall, the home needs a DEEP clean, new pots, general upkeep especially if there is consistent turnover/wear and tear. Regardless, I was making do. I wound up sleeping on the sofabed because of the damp carpet upstairs. As a host/property owner on another platform, I know that regular maintenance and upkeep is required, and did not see this during my stay. Still, I continued to make the best of it. Then almost 2 weeks into my stay, noisy construction started on the house next door. There were 15-20 men there. The house has NO blinds, I was alone and didn't feel safe at all. The noise was deafening. I chose this area because it's gated. Mary Ellen didn't tell me there would be construction, and from my understanding later on, they are required to tell the owners. The construction crew needed to put ladders on the side of the house, so with no blinds and being a woman alone, while men are around the house, I didn’t feel comfortable or safe. I reached out to her to explain my concerns. After a few messages, she wouldn’t work with me. I wanted to leave, since the drilling and construction was all day. I rented the home to have a quiet vacation on the beach.I sent her messages but there was lack of response. When I sent her a video of the noise she replied "I don't understand why you sent me this”.As a paying guest, I felt that she had no consideration for the disruption.I contacted VRBO, who saw the videos and said it was inhabitable to live with that noise and not feeling safe and they wanted to relocate me. I have traveled the world and rented homes, and understand that not every place is perfect, and trying to work it out with her she responded,"why should I be responsible if my neighbor wants to make home improvements".This was massive construction at a beach home during peak time/prices, she should have worked with me to leave early but she refused. Overall, it is a great location, but the house needs general upkeep and to be cleaned.
Michelle N.
Stayed 31 nights in Aug 2021