Perfect

Guest: L.M. (Russia)
Date of Stay: 12/29/11 Review Submitted: 01/29/12

We've spent a week over New Years in this lovely home. 4 adults with 2 teenagers. Lower bedroom was perfect for the teenagers, as they had their privacy and we had our peace upstairs. The House fully matches the description. It was very clean. Everything was there, nothing missing. Very well and comfortably furnished. As it got a bit chilly in early January, the hot tub was a welcome feature. All dealings with the owner were very fast and professional. I'd recommend to rent bikes as there are many bike paths in the area. The house was all we expected and more. I would definitively rent it again and recommend it to friends.

Recommended for:Sightseeing, families with young children, pet owners, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers.

A much need vaction

Guest: JP (Jacksonville)
Date of Stay: 07/18/11 Review Submitted: 08/15/11

My wife and I spent a week at the beach retreat and we are still talking about the times that we enjoyed. The house was in a great location. I recommend renting kayaks or a boat to get out on the water. The house was well stocked and we had everything that we need to cook. The master bedroom was amazingly comfortable and well furnished. The coconut palm supplied fresh coconut milk for our many pina coladas. The jacuzzi was not working during our visit but it was 100 degree and was not on the list of must have.

Recommended for:Families with young children, romantic getaway, families with teenagers, tourists without a car.

Why am I being penalized?

Guest: Keys Traveler (Dallas, Texas)
Date of Stay: 06/13/11 Review Submitted: 07/23/11

Upon re-reading the reviews posted, I notice the most recent one is more than a year old...that should have been my first warning. Our family rented this home for approximately 3 weeks in June, 2011, paying all fees well in advance. When we had to shorten our trip by pushing it back 3 days, we didn’t even ask to renegotiate the price. However, upon arrival (3 days later than the date originally booked), we walked into a house that was filthy. There were no sheets on any of the beds, bathrooms and floors were dirty, soiled towels were hanging out of the washing machine that was housed in a filthy, unkempt laundry room. The downstairs bedroom smelled of cats. Needless to say I was disappointed. Calling the owner I found her very apologetic. She claimed to have a new cleaning service, that ‘good help is hard to find’ and promised to have someone come clean it the next day. That very day, our family found the Hampton Inn a few miles away and decided to stay there for the duration of our trip. Because the owner had broken the original contract by not having the house ready at the promised time, I felt justified in finding alternate accommodations and requesting a refund. Again, I believe I went the extra mile in asking to ‘work something out’ and offering to take less than the full amount already paid. She flatly refused any refund stating that it wasn’t her fault that the cleaning company fell through and that she had spent a lot of time working to find someone who could come clean the following day on such short notice. While the discussion of fault could go on and on, I can say with 100% certainty that it was through no fault of my own that the house I had contracted to stay in and paid for in advance had not been cleaned at the time of my scheduled possession. Why should I be penalized? And is it really okay to throw in my face the fact that it took effort on her part to find someone to ‘clean on short notice’ when that was a result of not finding someone to clean in the first place? Shouldn't I expect fair and reasonable treatment? My advice to potential renters: do so at your own risk.

Owner response:We have rented our home through VRBO since 2004 and this is the first negative review we have received. We take the rental of our home and our relationship with VRBO and our renters very seriously and always endeavor to do the right thing. That is what we did in this case. Prior to the renters arriving, we painted the interior of the home and replaced 3 sets of sliding glass doors. We were there a few days before the rental contract was to begin. The home was in great shape. It just needed a general cleaning. We hired our normal cleaning service to do this. The renter called us in the late afternoon of the day of check-in and advised us the home was not clean. We were shocked. We called our “son and mother” cleaning team at once. He apologized for not getting the job done. He said his mother had been very ill. He went to the home immediately and cleaned it thoroughly. By 8:30 p.m. that same day the home was clean. We apologized profusely to the renter for the mix up by the cleaning crew. We told her the home would be cleaned right away and would be clean by, at the latest, the next morning. As it turned out, the home was clean by the night of check in. The renter told us she did not want to make the beds herself and that she would stay in a hotel that first night only. We apologized again and told her we would work out a solution to compensate her for that night. We were very surprised when she later advised that she would stay in a hotel for the entire stay. We tried to change her mind. She then demanded a refund. We never refused to provide any refund. We offered to try to rent the property to others and to pay her the full amount of any other rental income during the term of the contract. We ended up not being able to find any last minute renters. We also offered to refund her the prorated equivalent of one night’s stay. We have sent her a check for this amount. We felt this was reasonable and fair under all the circumstances. We corresponded with the renters at length by phone and email in a courteous attempt to resolve the issue. We cleaned the home fully that same day and gave the renter a partial refund. We have handled an embarrassing situation in a timely and fair manner and will continue to so act with all of our renters. We will do whatever we can to make sure our future renters have an excellent experience at our home.

Recommended for:

Great stay!

Guest: JCz (St. Louis, MO)
Date of Stay: 01/03/10 Review Submitted: 04/12/10

We stayed at this listing at the beginning of 2010. It was our first vacation in years and our first vacation with our new daughter (7 months) and the whole experience was great! We did end up in the middle of cool spell, but 60's and 70's were still great weather! Everything was as advertised. Owner was VERY nice! We came only a few hours after another renter and the place was still in good shape. Loved the kayaks (rental was a mile away)! Great workout! Call ahead if you want to fish. Stone Crab is wonderful (and HARD!!!), and there's a great place just north for wonderful fresh seafood. This place has everything! Will go back! Hopefully soon!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children, people with disabilities, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers, tourists without a car.

SUPER NICE VERY RELAXING

Guest: Wheels031799 (Missouri)
Date of Stay: 02/07/10 Review Submitted: 03/28/10

Where else in the world could you enjoy the sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean while having morning coffee knowing all you had to do was watch the colors of the water go from light turquoise to the deep evening blues of the bay, and all you had to do was swivel in your deck chair. If you watch closely in the late afternoon you might even see a stingray gliding in the pristine waters We really enjoyed our time in this Keys Paradise and would highly recommend staying here whether to relax or party in the nearby clubs. The owner's were very pleasant to deal with and absolutely bent over backwards to accommodate their guest

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children, people with disabilities, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers, tourists without a car.

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 12/13/09 Review Submitted: 12/13/09

The location and privacy of this property is wonderful. It was perfect for our family vacation. Our kids enjoyed playing in the shallow waters of the Atlantic, just steps away from the house. They also had a great time playing in the sandy beach yard. The home is comfortable with exceptional views of the Atlantic. We enjoyed the large wrap around deck. We found some wonderful restaurants within a few miles. Our favorites were Lazy Days and Morada Bay Cafe. If you need a fishing guide, Skip Nielsen at Bud N' Mary's Marina is top notch. We plan on returning to Islamorada and renting this property again.

Recommended for:

Guest: Joe8 (Orlando, FL)
Date of Stay: 08/02/06 Review Submitted: 08/02/06

Great Home. Huge Master Bedroom. Views are fantastic. Very large lot.

Recommended for:

Guest: Matthew A. Zabel (Cherry Hill, NJ)
Date of Stay: 03/24/05 Review Submitted: 03/24/05

Everything was as represented. This is the ideal escape from the rat race with both younger and older children. The place is very comfortable and private. It's far enough away from civilization to be relaxing but close enough to all the amenities to make it extremely enjoyable!

Recommended for:

Guest: Ken Volpp (Boca Raton, FL)
Date of Stay: 12/20/04 Review Submitted: 12/20/04

The Keys Beach Retreat was absolutely perfect for our Thanksgiving vacation. The owners were a joy to work with on our rental. The house had every amenity we could wish for and was the perfect vacation home and private location to get away to relax and enjoy the Keys. The private beach was fantastic! We also really enjoyed all the nature that surrounded us during our stay - cranes, pelicans, ducks, sandpipers, hermit and horseshoe crabs, fish, we even saw a baby nurse shark swimming around. It was like our own private Sea World! We definitely plan to rent again and highly recommend the Keys Beach Retreat for your vacation!

Recommended for: