Beautiful setting, but not worth the price

Guest: Jessica White (San Jose, CA)
Date of Stay: 07/30/11 Review Submitted: 08/12/11

This house is in a beautiful setting, surrounded by vineyards and a 10 minute walk down a gravel driveway to a beach. However, we were disappointed with the interior appearance and amenities. Towels and sheets were old and torn, carpet was stained and patio furniture is being used inside. Air mattresses with holes are piled in a corner upstairs and many of the fun 'toys' (beachy toys, electronic dart board, basketball, grill) were broken. Day trips to Niagara Falls and Chautauqua made the stay memorable, but we actually packed up and left a day early. Again, the setting itself was lovely, but for the high weekly price, this house did not meet our expectations. However, after sharing our concerns with the owners via email, they were very apologetic and assured us that the house is usually left in better order.

Recommended for:

Disappointed

Guest: Tim & Wanda Collins (Mt. Clare, WV)
Date of Stay: 06/18/11 Review Submitted: 08/04/11

Review is the opinions of 6 adults who stayed at this property.We were disappointed upon arrival.The home and amenities were not clean and well maintained.There was dirt,dust,cob webs,dead bugs,ants,and etc.We spent the first 2-3 hours cleaning.Bedding had to be washed due to odor.During our stay,we found the home did not live up to the "live like a millionaire" advertisement.Furnishings were not new as advertised and most were of poor quality.Patio furniture in 2 bedrooms.Gas fireplace was turned off.Legs on the ping-pong table were broken.No controllers for the game console.Board game pieces were missing.Cooking utensils were rusted with holes and unclean.Floor to ceiling windows leaked in 3 places when it rained.Ash/cherry floors were significantly scratched/stained.AC vents were filthy.Inside of the gas grill was filthy,severely rusted, and burner tubes clogged.2nd kitchen in basement & poor quality.No entry/exit from the deck.Washer/Dryer crammed under stairway to loft.Grass not well groomed and soggy all the time.Camp chairs broken.Raft,fishing poles,yard games,and water accessories were piled under steps like trash.Raft had a big hole in it and everything else was dirty & not well maintained.Ants in pet food twice.Upon arrival,we attempted to contact the owners to report the lack of cleanliness,with no success.Tried again next day & left a message.On 3rd day,the owner answered the phone & acknowledged receiving our message but had not called back.We reported the unclean conditions & the owner advised us to email a list for the cleaning crew.Owners made no effort to address our complaints.We emailed owners our concerns & asked them to consider a partial refund.Owners replied stating our claims of the home not being clean were ridiculous.Owners then accused us of not returning the keys to the lock box and for damaging one of the deck chairs.They charged our credit card $1,673 stating that since we broke one chair we had to replace the whole set.New set is more expensive.Two adults verified the keys were in the lockbox when we left and we had no knowledge of the broken chair.Owner accused us of trying to scam them,called us opportunist & threatened to sue for slander if we posted this negative review.Recommend that anyone interested in renting this property research who they will be renting from.Judge for yourself.Recommend potential renters so some research on what a home in the area should cost.Our online research determined price was too high.

Owner response:We want to clearly say the allegations in this review are not only patently false, but preposterous. This is a simple vindictive response to our denying the tenant's request that we reduce the rent. The tenants informed us that they have regularly demanded and received discounta from other VRBO landlords. When we refused to give them discounts the result was this review. They took the keys to the home with them when they left (resulting in our cleaning staff having to call al locksmith to open and re-key the locks), they broke deck furniture (which they first denied, but when we sent them pictures they agreed to pay for the damaged furniture), and personal items from our home are missing which we cannot prove were taken by them. We have rented this home for years to many people and have never had anything but glowing rereports either personally or on line. In all the years and all the tenants this is the first and only time we have had to charge anyone for damages. The home is professionally cleaned after each tenant leaves. The lawn is cut each week and we leave our personal beach chairs and beach toys in a closet for our tenants to use. The fact that this tenant denies taking the keys, goes to their credibility, or lack thereof. The cleaning staff has no reason to lie about this, which actually caused them a great inconvenience having a delay while waiting for the locksmith, which shortened their time to clean for the next party. We do not live in the state where the property is located and were not present or available to the cleaning staff when they discovered the keys had not been left by the tenants. Simply put, the taking of our home keys, breaking the deck furniture and writing this false review are all in response to our not giving in to them and giving them discounts. We rent this home beacuse we do not have the opportunity to use it as much as we would like, and we would rather see people occupy and enjoy this great property, rather than have it sit empty. Our only defense to these outrageous claims is to identify the motive behind them. They were first upset that we would not give them discounts and then that they were being charged for changing locks and damaging our property.

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Guest: Bryan & Krista (Jacksonville Beach, FL)
Date of Stay: 02/27/08 Review Submitted: 02/27/08

Our stay at the lake house was an idyllic experience. We felt like we were part of a romantic script with breathtaking views of Lake Erie while in midst of lush green vineyards. The sun would set directly over the lake, giving me and my wife a perfect view from the deck. During the day we could go fishing along the shoreline, visit nearby vineyards for wine tastings, or go for a walk and enjoy the scenery. However, for the most part, we didn’t want to leave our 5 star accommodations at the lake house and the gorgeous setting that surrounded us. We were truly impressed and would gladly recommend the lake house to anyone.

Recommended for:

Guest: Scott Wiley (Lakewood Ranch, FL)
Date of Stay: 02/23/08 Review Submitted: 02/23/08

A private drive winding through the vineyard, choruses of crickets gently chirping, the home magically illuminated by the setting sun casting its warm glow across Lake Erie--this is what greeting me as I arrived for the first time at this spectacular home. I have stayed at many lovely places from Door County,WI to Hilton Head,SC to Vancouver Island, BC and elsewhere. No place is more memorable or pleasant than this. On a scale of 10, it's an 11. We'll be back--again and again.

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Guest: Lauri Toler (Plant City, Florida)
Date of Stay: 02/18/08 Review Submitted: 02/18/08

This was the perfect place for our family to vacation. There was plenty of space to "spread out" as well as room for all of us to come together. The kitchen is incredible and afforded us the opportunity to have some wonderful family-style meals together. It was also a very easy drive to Niagra Falls where we spent the day. I would highly recommend this home for your next family vacation.

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Guest: Mike41 (Tampa, FL)
Date of Stay: 02/14/08 Review Submitted: 02/14/08

What a pleasant time with extended family. This place accomidated everyone comfortably, and I think we had at least 25 people. All the kids crashed upstairs and all the adults had their own beds. Between the private beach and bonfires at night, to exploring all the wineries, it was a pleasant time had by all. It's a very quiet, peaceful and relaxing atmosphere, even with 25 people at the house there was somewhere to go if you needed space. I won't ever forget the size of those enormous pancakes at the restaurant down the block, incredible. I have the size of my stomach to prove that lasting memory. Fishing charters for Lake Erie are nearby as well, which was nice. Very positive experience.

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Guest: Wanda Dearolf (-)
Date of Stay: 02/14/08 Review Submitted: 02/14/08

Our family had the privlege of staying at this magnificent property/estate last summer. It was the perfect location for our family reunion! The home is beautiful, and accomodated 20 of us comfortably and effortlessly....there was ample room for many more if we had needed! The furnishings are beautiful, the amenities diverse, and the panoramic view of the Lake and vineyard from the 360 degree deck are breathtaking! The private beachfront on the shores of Lake Erie provided many opportunities for family fun. The nearby towns offer quaint shops, restaurants and historic sights. The numerous vineyards and winery's within 30 minutes of the property were awesome as well. No matter what the season, this beautiful corridor along Lake Erie is the perfect spot for relaxation and fun! I would heartily recommend it for a family, family reunions, or even a corporate retreat. We intend to return every year!

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