Urban Oasis

Guest: Stu (New York)
Date of Stay: 08/14/11 Review Submitted: 09/29/11

My wife and I stayed a week, and could not have been happier. Despite being in the middle of the historic downtown area, once we closed the gate, it was as if we had been propelled to a quiet country villa. The two coy ponds (with some pretty big coy) with a bubbling fountain added just the right amount of soothing noise. We forgot our swimming gear and weren't brave enough to skinny dip; so, we weren't able to take advantage of the pool. We rented a car, but used it rarely, and we were thankful for the offstreet parking provided. The house was spotless, and our hostess was charming and very helpful. We loved the restaurants she recommended. We are definitely coming back next year!!

Recommended for:Girls getaway, romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing.

Lovely!

Guest: R (Charleston)
Date of Stay: 09/22/11 Review Submitted: 09/27/11

What a beautiful villa! It was very clean and kept me relaxed on my vacation. The pool was great to lounge around and the location is superb. We'll definitely stay here next time we're in Charleston!

Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with teenagers, adventure seekers, romantic getaway, tourists without a car, pet owners, sightseeing, families with young children.

not dog friendly / not SUV friendly

Guest: Disappointed Vacationer (Wilmington, NC)
Date of Stay: 08/16/11 Review Submitted: 09/25/11

This place is terrible! It was not thoroughly cleaned prior to our arrival. I didn't feel comfortable walking barefoot, because the floors were so dirty. The property is listed as pet friendly and it was known that my husband and I wanted to bring our dog. When we got there, we were shocked to find that there was not a stitch of grass to be found! Wouldn't this be a consideration for someone that is known to be bringing a dog - it was never mentioned! Where was I supposed to take my dog to do her necessary business!? We found about a square yard of grass (or perhaps weeds would be a better description) a few houses down and were able to use that because the property was uninhabited and blighted. The nearest park was between a half-mile and mile away, which was quite a trek for us and our little dog in the high Summer temps. The parking is also a joke. It is nearly impossible to get an SUV into the parking spot. Getting it out is even more impossible. Also, we would occasionally return to find someone else in the parking spot. The parking was so inconvenient that we hardly left in the car. In the end we left several days early, so the money spent on the place was a total waste. Not relaxing...not dog friendly...not SUV friendly.

Recommended for:

Adorable place!!

Guest: Leni (Greenville)
Date of Stay: 09/02/11 Review Submitted: 09/05/11

My family and I (total of 4) stayed at the Poolhouse over Labor Day weekend and absolutely loved it. The apartment was nice and clean and very airy. The upstairs and the well kept courtyard gave it a lot of charm and character. We enjoyed the privacy outside even though it was surrounded by a few other houses. The location was great as we could easily walk to downtown. The pool was a nice feature and we also enjoyed the pond right outside our door. The bed and the sleep sofa was very comfortable. We were very pleased with the Poolhouse and I don't understand the negative reviews at all!!! The only drawback was that there was no street sign which made it hard to find, and there were no dishtowels to dry the dishes. Anything else was excellent and we would definitely recommend the apartment for other visitors to Charleston.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Very enjoyable in Charleston

Guest: None (Fairfax, VA)
Date of Stay: 02/08/11 Review Submitted: 05/23/11

I had an opportunity to spend a few weeks in Charleston recently and found the perfect place to stay. A small Pool House just a few blocks from the heart of downtown. The Pool House is a perfect place for one or two people (a couple) who want all the conveniences of home combined with a terrific patio where you can hang out in and downtown Charleston to have fun. I will be back.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Complete Disappointment

Guest: platterman (Kansas City)
Date of Stay: 05/01/11 Review Submitted: 05/02/11

This property is not sufficiently maintained nor adequately serviced by a housekeeping staff to serve as a vacation rental. My wife spent an hour vacuuming and cleaning to try to make our stay palatable. (coffee pot had grounds from previous guests) The parking arrangement is so tight that we had difficultly navigating our car into the spot. (partly due to another car parked poorly). The unit has personality but needs attention to deferred maintenance and needs a deep cleaning from a professional service. We stayed one night and rebooked the balance of our stay elsewhere in Charleston.

Recommended for:

Nothing Luxurious or Executive Here

Guest: HonestGuy (Vermont)
Date of Stay: 03/15/11 Review Submitted: 04/22/11

After forcing open the dilapidated "gate" to enter the "lush" garden area we were confronted with leaves everywhere. The patio area had not seen any maintenance in some time. A dozen old votive candle holders were strewn in the bushes. Now squeeze thru the 18" wide door into house where the leaf theme continues. The nice tile floor was just plain filthy. An insulting and depressing beginning, and it didn't get better. Haul your luggage up the narrow stairs with dust bunnies rolling down and you can see a nice hardwood floor in the bedroom, but it had not been dry or wet mopped in a long time. A $59 "executive" desk takes up too much space at the end of the bed. The 14 windows are covered with ill-fitting translucent plastic shades that make for bright mornings and incomplete privacy at night. Of the 14 windows 4 have the ability to swing open. 3 are blocked by TV or furniture. One at the head of the bed could be opened 3" but there is no screen and it opens onto a parking lot with blazing mercury and sodium vapor lights. The central air is a joke. You can't get much cold up and you can't get any heat downstairs. If you want fresh air downstairs open the unscreened door. Don't let the incoming leaves and various cats or possum bother you. Someone irregularly puts out a mound of food in the patio. Shower time: enjoy the luxury of this 2.5' plastic cubical with a really flimsy plastic curtain that is 3x longer than the opening and not enough hooks for the eyelets. You know what happens. Yuk. Kitchenette: is hidden behind two large doors that swing into the 13 x 17' living area. Like dancing with doors? Every cupboard is full of something. No room for a box of cereal. Our pantry was grocery bags on the floor. The railroad sink was not big enough to fit a dinner plate. The bottom-of-the-line toaster oven sits above eye level on the refrigerator. Makes morning toast a lengthy guessing game ending with a hazardous extraction. Half-bath (the reason my wife rented here): is tucked under the stairs. The exhaust fan makes much noise but moves no air and the sink is large enough to wash one hand at a time. Neighborhood: a block over from the Top of King St trolley stop. High density college student housing area. Noisy parties until 5 am weekends. Felt comfortable even tho some warned us to be careful. Tulley's Alley is an old bumpy irregular brick affair that is truly challenging in the dark by foot and impassable after a rain.

Owner response:I am surprised to see this review since I did not hear anything from you during your stay about any of issues you raise here, despite seeing you on no fewer than three occasions, and asking you if everything was to your satisfaction. We have a full time maintenance man that works on our properties and he responds to any guest issues immediately. The front door to the Pool House is in fact 36” wide, not 18”. It is a French door with each half being 18” wide. As with any French door, one side opens first, with the other side easily opening thereafter. I’m not sure why you didn’t open the other side, but again, if you needed help figuring out how to open the other side, I wish you had asked. As we always do, we had our cleaning service clean before your arrival, I am sorry the cleanliness was not up to your standard, however I could have easily called the cleaning service and had them come back if I had known about your concern. We have never had anyone complain about the cleanliness of our unit; however, I do take your statements to heart, and have both spoken with the service and implemented deep cleaning more regularly. The stair case to the second floor is 36” wide. This is standard. I’m not sure what you expected, but again, we have never had anyone complain about this, and it is not something we can change. The desk in the bedroom is a small glass top office desk that cost more than $59. I’m sure what you meant is that you think it is a cheap and flimsy desk, which it is not. That you did not like the desk in the bedroom is a different issue. We often have many business travelers and it is important to have a desk there for those travelers. You are our first complaint in eleven years about a desk in the bedroom. There are 14 windows upstairs which adds to the charm of our rental. Each window is 32” wide. There are plastic blinds on the windows, and they do have the option of being open or closed. There are 2 windows, not 3, blocked by furniture. One is blocked by the TV and the other is blocked by the bed. When the windows are open they provide for a very nice cross ventilation in the room, and there is a nice ceiling fan for additional circulation. There is a parking lot behind the house, and a garden including 2 fish ponds, one fountain, and one swimming pool on the other three sides. The parking lot is not close to the windows.

Recommended for: