mmkelly@mindspring.com

Guest: Marcia (Willow Spring, NC)
Date of Stay: 11/23/11 Review Submitted: 11/26/11

Thank you so much for allowing us to stay in your house. It was a great Thanksgiving spent with our dearest friends. The house was so charming and we managed to prepare a wonderful and bountiful Thanksgiving meal! The weather was perfect so we spent most of our time on the beach. Our dogs had their first beach experience and they absolutely loved it. Thank you again!!!

Recommended for:Pet owners, families with teenagers.

Fun in Folly Beach

Guest: Jill (Georgia)
Date of Stay: 06/01/11 Review Submitted: 06/05/11

Thanks so much for letting us rent your house. We had a fantastic time w/ absolutely no problems. It was so sweet of you to give us a bucket filled w/ goodies. My adult kids, their friends, dogs, husband and I loved being so close to the beach and being able to walk to everything. Your house was so nice...with being able to make meals, walking to the beach, sitting out on the shaded back deck area & relaxing on the front porch, this was what my family needed and wanted. There were plenty of chairs/space to sit & relax outside and plenty of room in the house to relax & read or play a game at one of the tables. The kitchen was stocked w/ all the essential tools/dishes to make meals, so we didn't have to spend money to go out for dinner, but when we went on evening walks we realized how many restaurants, shops, etc are within walking distance. If we ever go to Folly Beach again we'll be looking to see if your house is available to rent. Thanks so much for adding to my family's memories of a great time in SC.

Owner response:Thank you for your comments, Jill. So glad your stay was enjoyable. Hope to have you back again soon.

Recommended for:Age 55+, pet owners, adventure seekers, tourists without a car, girls getaway, romantic getaway, families with teenagers, families with young children.

If you want the Hilton,,,,, stay in Charleston,,,, If you want beach life,,, here it is.

Guest: Paul & Patti (Asheville, NC)
Date of Stay: 03/03/11 Review Submitted: 03/05/11

We wanted a quick getaway and we found it with this charming little beach get-a-way home. Over-all,, it was a fun place for us and our teens. Yes,, we had our issues,,, but I am pleased to say the owners,,, were fabulous!,,, They were caring in the way they worked out issues (some of which were completely beyond their control). We read the reviews and considered the bad ones before our family and best friends arrived. When we drove up, the outside foliage does appear to camouflage the house a bit, but when we walked in,,,, the charm of the home was an instant pleasantry of surprise, and we were anxious to unpack. So I will ask anyone who has rented or leased a place for short or long term,,,, Won't you find something to complain about if you look hard enough? Even if you stay at the Hilton?,,,, Hey remember,,,it's rental property, what can go wrong will,,,, And if the owners aren't aware, how can they address issues? But for the price, convenience of the beach being so close, and the walking distance to the town of Folly,,,,, we all had an adventurous enjoyable stay. We even contacted the owner and informed them,,, we'd be back. So for us, we would like to thank the owners for the affordability of a beach house and the willingness to work out a last minute trip that left us with wanting to stay longer and return more often. Your hospitality will be remembered. And your place is certainly recommended.

Recommended for:Age 55+, pet owners, adventure seekers, sightseeing, tourists without a car, families with teenagers.

Fabulous Beach House Steps from the Beach [#176177]

Guest: Bert (Charlotte)
Date of Stay: 08/14/10 Review Submitted: 10/13/10

What a great house. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in this lovely home. Very clean, recent upgrades, wonderful location. We hope it's available when we schedule our 2011 vacation. I highly recommend this house!

Owner response:So glad to see your comments. Thank you.Glad you folks had a good stay.Looking forward to your next visit in 2011.

Recommended for:Age 55+, sightseeing, romantic getaway, families with teenagers, families with young children.

Excellent Romantic Getaway

Guest: Patrick Casey (Lake Norman, NC)
Date of Stay: 09/19/10 Review Submitted: 10/09/10

This cute house was the perfect place to unwind and get away from it all. Living in Charlotte, NC; Charleston and Folly is a short distance (3 hours) away. After years of spending a fortune at 300 year old B&B and the crazy crowds of the Battery, we decided to try a place at the beach. Then commute into town for a romantic dinner or evening out. Folly is such a short drive into Charleston. However after getting to this house, we found we only left the island 2x the entire week!!. This cottage is situated right across from the Atlantic. We spent most of the week, curled up reading, listening to music, sitting on the back deck enjoying the evening Ocean breeze sharing a bottle of wine -- basically unplugging from the day to day of blackberrys, laptops, and stresses from Charlotte. Each time we come here--- by the end of the week, we find that we, once again are curling up on the sofa together, holding hands, and listening to each other. I swear this place is magical!!! The reason i'm writing this is we were logging back in to VRBO to re-book this place and I saw some less than flattering comments. So often, I've found that only those that have negative things to say about something are the most vocal--- rarely do happy customer express their appreciation. After reading the negative comments I felt that it would not be justice to re-book this place without giving this my honest impression. This house was build decades ago and has survived countless hurricanes. No it is not new, Clean-- yes. with out a doubt. But in my opinion, it's just perfect-- quaint little cottage by the sea. isn't that what a beach house is supposed to be like? It's clean, it's safe, everything works. I love it..

Owner response:Thank you for your comments. We feel that this is very much our home and not just a rental. So glad you've enjoyed it and will continue to do so with your next stay. Enjoy!

Recommended for:Pet owners, adventure seekers, sightseeing, romantic getaway.

What a Charming Place at the beach

Guest: IrelandBound (Blowing Rock, NC)
Date of Stay: 08/27/10 Review Submitted: 10/05/10

I booked this place from a recommendation of some friends that have previously stayed here and Loved it. After reading the previous reviews, i was a tad hesistant. But after talking to the owners they assured me it was a vocal minority of sour grapes. So leaning on the recommendation of my personal friend and talking to the owners, we booked for a week. Well i must say, it was one of the most charming cottages i've ever stayed in. The cottage is not "new". But that's one of the things we like about beach cottages. Plenty to do, lots of books and games in the book cases. awesome place to unplug. I have no idea what the previous people were talking about all the overgrown bushes. I rather liked all the foilage. It made the house and yard much much cooler. (have you ever been to Charleston in the Summer? Trees and shrubery are much appreciated!! Well, my family plans in staying there again. We had a delighful time...

Recommended for:Age 55+, pet owners, adventure seekers, sightseeing, tourists without a car, girls getaway, romantic getaway, families with young children.

I'm a regular Tenant

Guest: CharlotteRunner (Charlotte, NC)
Date of Stay: 09/24/10 Review Submitted: 10/05/10

I have been a regular tenant here for the last several years. It reminds me of the cool houses we stayed in as a kid. Very homy, family feeling. this isn't the stucco'd to death McMansion on the beach. This is a quaint family cottage. if that is what you are looking for, you'll enjoy this place. I've gotten to know the owners over the years and have had a "standing reservation" annually for events in Charleston area.

Owner response:Hey, CharlotteRunner. Looking forward to your next "visit". Glad you enjoyed your stay. Per your comments in the guest book in the house, pleased that you liked the new furniture. Think the new carpet worked out well, too. Come back whenever you can!

Recommended for:Age 55+, pet owners, adventure seekers, sightseeing, girls getaway, romantic getaway, families with young children.

You get what you pay for

Guest: AH (Atlanta, GA/USA)
Date of Stay: 05/22/10 Review Submitted: 09/22/10

We needed a pet friendly place but seems if you want a nice beach house you have to leave your pets at home. We were happy with the price but when we got there my husband's brand new truck got all scratched up from the over grown trees over and around the driveway. The back deck looked dangerous and the carpets looked like someone had been sick on them more than once. We had the overwhelming urge to go out and buy some hedgeclippers and clorox. We stayed in the room with the blue comforter pictured above (which smelled and looked like it needed a good washing) and were awoken 4am with loud crashing of the window blinds falling on my husband. Scared us to death and come to find out the blinds were held up with duct tape (nice touch). Saw roaches in the kitchen (but I'm from Charleston and I can let that slide as long as it doesn't appear to be an infestation) however I can't let slide the giant spiders in the shower ceiling as well as what appeared to be a noticeable blood smear on the inner shower curtain (gross!). I didn't want to stay there and when relatives saw it they offered for us to come stay in their beach rental but we couldn't because of our dogs. The patio furniture looked like you'd need a tetnus shot to sit on. Luckily we brought our own folding chairs and used them instead. You could upgrade to inexpensive plastic chairs from Family Dollar for your paying guests. You should inspect the property yourself regularly and listen to your renters who pay to stay. I cannot recommend this place to anyone and we actually couldn't wait to leave. We're coming back this winter and will be paying extra to stay someplace nicer. Also, I second the comments the last reviewer left. Very overgrown yard. Aside from scratching up your car, you have to walk through spiderwebs linked across the bushes each morning and these bushes should be trimmed back so you don't have to get smacked in the face each time you go up and down the rickety back deck stairs or push limbs out of the way on the path to the back deck stairs. We own a cabin and I would be embarrassed to rent it out in that condition. On the upside it rained heavily when we were in town (downtown Folly flooded) and this house was high and dry.

Owner response:Thank you for your comments. Since your stay and the last guests, the house has been revamped and we have opted to cut the shrubbery back drastically, even though it is as pictured on the website.. We have changed linen companies, as well as the landscaping company. Folly Beach and Charleston are lush with growth and it does require frequent maintenance. Our house is treated monthly by Terminex, but there will always be the occasional bug as it is the Lowcountry. Outside furniture has been replaced, again exposure is considerable and deteriorates rapidly. I can assure you, any maintenance issues have been addressed and repaired.

Recommended for:

Dont bother with this place.

Guest: Kathy (Iowa)
Date of Stay: 09/02/10 Review Submitted: 09/22/10

This beach house is filthy, run down, crawling with bugs ( rather large ones) the bathrooms are a disgrace very dirty and moldy with tiles coming off the walls around the tub. There was mold on the bedroom wall next to one of the beds. The carpets were only vacuumed in the open areas if you looked behind the furniture there was dust inches thick. The yard was over grown with weeds and vines. The day we left someone showed up to mow the overgrown lawn. The only thing nice about the place was its short walk to the beach. My daughter-in-law booked this place with my approval based on what we saw on the web site. It looked real nice in the photos but did not live up to what was shown. I do not recommend this place in any way.

Recommended for:

Shabby chic without the chic

Guest: Lorina (Knoxville, TN)
Date of Stay: 09/17/10 Review Submitted: 09/18/10

The best way I can describe this property is to say that it is shabby. The first impression of this property is the overgrown yard with bushes so far into the driveway that they scrape the sides of your car. The house can barely be seen from the street. The bushes around the steps are so overgrown that the handrails cannot be utilized. The inside of the house is no better. The main living area consists of a couch which is soiled and stained to an extent that we placed a sheet over it to sit on it and two chairs that are broken. There are also broken chairs in the main bedroom in the place of the yellow and green chairs in the pictures. The linens are a mismatched hodgepodge that are also stained and smell musty. The bathroom tiles apparently fell off at some point and were stuck back in place with weather proofing foam. The refrigerator is so hot that our milk spoiled. The air conditioner thermostat does not work and there is a sign that says if a service call has to be made that you will be charged for it. There were also no disposables provided here such as toilet paper, paper towels, trash bags or dish soap. There is also only one drinking glass in the cupboard. That said, the only redeeming quality of this property is great location. You truly can see the ocean from the front porch if you can see thru the jungle and it is less than a mile from the main street of the island. This is by far the most disappointing property I have ever rented from vrbo and I would not recommend it to anyone. This home could be potentially a lovely beach house but the maintenance issues are too numerous to overlook.

Owner response:Not following the "overgrown growth " comments. The picture we have featured on our website page depicts exactly how it looks now. If there were issues with the linens, we would like to have been notified, at the time of stay, as we could have had the linen service return with different linens. We have maintenance service on all appliances, could have had a repair person out on the spot, and the air was just replaced. Checked with the previous guests and they were not aware of any broken chairs. We cannot fix that which we don't know about.

Recommended for: