Vacation Rentals by Owner

Home away from Home

Guest: Lourdes V.
Date of Stay: 12/16/11 Review Submitted: 01/01/12

We couldn't have found a better place. This was our first time renting a house and it provided all that we expected after reading the reviews and more. The owner, Art, quickly replied to our questions by email prior to renting and was most helpful. Our daughters (18, 10) both enjoyed our stay here very much. It helped that we had plenty of space to spread out with the great floor plan, while at the same time having the right setting to come together for games at the lanai or livingroom/great room. Our family stayed here the weekend before Christmas and it was just great to see the beautiful Huntington Hills community's homes decorated for the season. It was a relaxing three days and we had all the comforts of home. The beds and pillows were very comfortable and everything was spotless. There were books and current magazines available. We enjoyed walking and riding our bikes (we brought with us) and while exploring, found beautiful Lake Lester with boat access available to residents and renters right on the property..absolutely beautiful and peaceful surrounded by wooded areas. The closets were well stocked with linen, towels and blankets and the kitchen, well, what can I say, it was better stocked than my own. Everything was close by, from Publix Supermarket to Lakeland Square Mall nearby which we went for some last minute Christmas gifts. The days passed too fast and had it not been that new guests were due to check in later that day, we would've asked for an extension. After we left, we thought that we had left a wallet in one of the dresser drawers (turned out we found it in our van some days later). Art went out of his way to inform us by email and phone more than once that his property manager and current guest were searching for it as well. He went beyond our expectations to always get back to us, even in the midst of the the busy holiday season and thousands of miles away. Thank you, Art. We definitely recommend staying in Art and Moira's beautiful home.

Recommended for:

Relaxing!

Guest: rowe0918 (Middletown, RI, USA)
Date of Stay: 07/16/11 Review Submitted: 11/27/11

Our stay in this house was relaxing, comfortable, and most enjoyable. We couldn't have asked for a better place to stay. Sitting outside enjoying the view or hanging inside we felt right at home. The owners were very quick to reply and answer any questions that that we had. We have already booked next years stay in this house. I have recommended and will continue to highly recommend this house for anyone who is traveling to Lakeland FL. Kelly

Recommended for:People with disabilities, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway.

Wonderful experience

Guest: Marion C. (Garden Vally Texas)
Date of Stay: 03/23/11 Review Submitted: 05/22/11

Our family travels a lot and stays in homes instead of hotels. This particular home exceeded all of out expectations. The location is perfect located in a private community, the morning breakfast time on the patio overlooking the lake and golf course was my favorite time. The neighborhood is peaceful. The owners are available to answer any of your questions. We have already secured this property for our next stay in Lakeland. This one is a keeper.

Owner response:Thank you glad you had a successful convention it was nice having you in our home and thank you for looking after it. I am too busy golfing in the mornings but with Moira we enjoy the view from the lanai it is lovely way to relax watchint the sunset and the lovely sky it leaves behind. Thank you for your next reservation. Art and Moira

Recommended for:People with disabilities, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway.

rental

Guest: CC (Indiana)
Date of Stay: 11/21/10 Review Submitted: 11/29/10

Our stay at this lovely home exceeded our expectations. We enjoyed the quiet of the lake off the lanai especially. There were always birds and small lizards to watch. The owners provided excellent service and quick correspondence to all our inquiries. The home is very near to shopping and within 50 miles of most of the theme parks. I will definitely recommend this property to friends and family.

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with young children.

Highly recommended

Guest: stefanie (Lombard, IL)
Date of Stay: 11/06/10 Review Submitted: 11/14/10

We've recently returned from a short vacation and found this home to be everything it listed. Plenty of room, clean, quiet neighborhood with a beautiful sunset view. I'd never rented a vacation home from an owner before and asked plenty of questions prior to ensure it wasn't "too good to be true", but it was. I'd not asked, but I spend a lot of time cooking and managed to cook many meals and serve with all of the tools necessary on-site. We will rent again and again!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, people with disabilities, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Will definitely stay here again

Guest: Melissa (Ohio)
Date of Stay: 10/30/10 Review Submitted: 11/08/10

We just returned from a week at Art and Moira's Huntington Hills home, and loved it! The house is very bright and spacious, the location was great for visiting family in Lakeland and taking our kids to Disney, Tampa, and the beach. The linai was wonderful with a great view of the golf course, pond, and fantastic birds (a huge hit with the kids). The pool and large master bathtub were both excellent (also huge hits with the kids). A large box of pool and beach toys were in the garage, as was a cooler, which we really appreciated. The internet hookup was perfect - - both my husband and I were able to work simultaneously with no problems. We also had no problems with the satellite TV. We met the housekeeper / property manager upon our arrival, and she was so helpful. Art and Moira were also very friendly. The community is lovely, and has a great shared clubhouse, pool and hottub. We're back home in cold Ohio, and our kids are already asking when we can go back to the "swimming pool house." We will definitely stay here again when we return to Lakeland. PS: relative to a previous reviewer's comments about the cupboards, we, too, noticed a sticky feeling on the outside of the kitchen cupboard doors. However, after doing a wipe-down, I can say that the stickiness is not due to any lack of cleanliness. Both my cleaning rags and water remained clear, so I think the finish may simply be wearing off (although you cannot tell by looking at them), causing an odd texturized feeling.

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

A Relaxing Retreat

Guest: Charlie (South Wales, UK)
Date of Stay: 10/21/10 Review Submitted: 11/30/10

Great central location for Florida to visit the many attractions the state has to offer. A spacious, clean well presented villa overlooking the 16th, in a quite location that is amply equipped with everything you could need. The beds are very comfortable. The pool is of ample size for children to play in and for the keen golfer a good course on the door step with great selection of other courses nearby. The tranqil setting made it very enjoyable to sit out at all times of day, but especially first thing in the morning and last thing at night. I woul dhave no concerns about staying in this property again.

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

Rental for 2wks

Guest: Adele (Lakeland, FL)
Date of Stay: 10/21/10 Review Submitted: 11/05/10

I had family from the UK for 2 weeks and needed to rent them a home. I found this house and it was fantastic! Great home - Great view and in a very nice community that wasn't far from my home or I-4 access. They all had a superb stay there and will be back again! It could not have been more perfect for all of our needs and wants!!

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Kids become fish!

Guest: El Jefe (Atlanta, GA)
Date of Stay: 06/25/10 Review Submitted: 07/02/10

This was a great place to stay. My family and friends all loved it. The kids spent ALL day in the pool. It was pristine. They chased lizards on the screen porch and had a blast. Husband said the golf course was "decent". The evening rate was $17 so he got in a few rounds. The house... caretaker (?) was MOST helpful and went out of her way to help me try to rent it for another night as well as mailing me a forgotten garage door opener (have no idea how it got inside anyway!) Thanks, J! Just a couple of turns to the interstate for easy travel to Orlando or Tampa. About an hour to each. My only complaint about the housekeeping would be the hair wad in the master shower. We enjoyed the home so much that I hate to even mention it. Carpets, refrigerator, toilets, floor and windows were all clean. The wireless network hiccupped a few times but no outages of severe length. The property doesn't have the sparkle of a hotel room; it feels more like a friend's home. If I ever have to go back to Lakeland, I would definitely consider staying here again! My wishlist for the home: Hair dryer Rag tag set of golf clubs for links virgins who want to give it a shot laundry soap MORE trash bags!

Owner response:Will get a set of clubs as suggested good idea thank you. Regarding hair dryers unfortunately they tend to 'go walk about' but we do replace them periodically.

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

great vacation

Guest: chris (UK)
Date of Stay: 06/01/10 Review Submitted: 06/21/10

lovely home on a great complex not a golfer but think I will take it up ready for next year

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

Enjoy Golf, Disney or The beaches this is ideal one stop location

Guest: Rat (Rhoose)
Date of Stay: 05/26/10 Review Submitted: 06/24/10

We have recently returned back from our Florida vacation. We usually stay in Orlando/Kissimmee, however this year we wanted to see other areas whilst still being able to go to Disney & Universal on day trips. Lakeland is ideal for this and we stayed at the Huntington Hills Golf & Country Club under recommendation from a friend. The villa we stayed in was lovely and offerd great views over the 16th fairway and green of this lovely golf course and had it own 30ft heated swimmimg pool shich kept the kids happy when I played golf. There is two much to say about the villa Huntingtonn Hills and the area we were located in this review but with the onsite facilities that included a community pool and superb clubhouse with dining, 50 acre lake and nice country walks etc. We could have happly stayed not site and enjoyed the golf and sun, however with 3 children we also had to do a few days at Disney (30mins from Lakeland) and Busch Gardens (also 30mins). Placing ourselves about midway between Tampa and Orlando gave us the opportunity to not only do the Disney Universal Orlando thing but gave us the opportunity to visit some of the beaches at St Petersburg and Clearwater without having to uproot and change accomodation. This is the ideal one stop location. Highly recommended for those looking to to do a bit of everything or just to play some good golf on a super golfing community.

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with young children, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Repeat Renter

Guest: Linda (Pittsburgh)
Date of Stay: 04/21/10 Review Submitted: 06/25/10

My husband and I have stayed in this home twice a year for the last five years. We continue to stay at this property because our daughter and her family live close by. My husband is an avid golfer and likes staying in the gated community of Huntington Hills on the golf course. We especially like the layout of the house and find it spacious and relaxing. The beds are comfortable and the bathrooms have always been very clean. The pool is professionally cleaned weekly (I am always present when they arrive) and the lani offers a tranquil view of the 16th hole. We will continue to rent this property twice a year as long as it is available.

Recommended for:Age 55+

needs a good cleaning

Guest: dakota 1 (bracebridge ontario canada)
Date of Stay: 03/01/10 Review Submitted: 03/29/10

Location and Layout and golf course great - only pluses. Pool was never cleaned during March or prior to our arrival. Totally disappointed in upkeep and cleaning. Only 3 dining chairs for house that sleeps 6 - outdoor furniture cracked or ducktaped. Had to scrub outside cupboards, shower and floor - so much dust on lamps could write name .

Owner response:We are pleased that the previous client confirmed the location was great the layout was great and the golf course was great but very disappointed re the pool as it is cleaned topped up and and chemicals added weekly as if not then it would have been green and below the skimmer. We had no complaints of any nature from these clients but we found that upon departure one dining room chair had been damaged and placed in the garage there is new patio furniture on the deck but also some older furniture which had been left in the garage awaiting disposal and may have been brought out by the previous tenants. There are no outside cupboards and we refute the comments on the showers etc.

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