Great Cape rental

Guest: Penny (Brooktondale, NY)
Date of Stay: 07/24/10 Review Submitted: 09/08/10

We stayed at the house the last week of July. It was a perfect fit for us because we had family coming and going and the floor plan allowed for that. Plenty of room for eating and we had some great big dinners with our family staying in another house nearby. The deck and view of the salt marsh were absolutely beautiful and sitting on the deck in the early morning is my favorite memory of the vacation - so peaceful and relaxing. The house furnishings were comfortable, very clean and provided plenty of room. It was convenient to be able to use the linens and beach chairs at the house. The air conditioners and fans, not to mention the lovely breeze off the marsh, made it very comfortable during a very hot week. The walk to Hardings Beach was fine for us with all adults, especially with the sidewalk for most of the way. We brought bikes and being close to the bike trail was convenient - one of the best things about the Cape besides the beaches. We really appreciated being able to have our daughter's dog to stay for a couple of days and it was perfect for him too. We had a wonderful time and would definitely like to rent this house again. The owner was great at answering all my questions ahead of time and I felt that he would have helped us out if we needed anything. Thanks for the wonderful vacation!

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

Wonderful retreat for large or extended family

Guest: Christina (East Providence, RI)
Date of Stay: 08/28/10 Review Submitted: 09/07/10

We just completed a nine-night stay and loved every minute of it. We were 6 adults and 1 toddler, three generations. My parents began renting in the Cape each summer when my sister and I were infants, and we've picked up the tradition again in recent years as adults with husbands and my niece added to the mix. We found this house to be bright, clean, spacious and convenient to the beach and the town of Chatham. It doesn't have a typical "beach cottage" feel that some may seek, but is instead a home suitable to all seasons, but with amenities and a location that still make it beach-friendly. Hardings Beach is beautiful, and the walk is quite reasonable, but we found it made sense to buy one weekly car pass (only $60) to ship down chairs, coolers, baby gear, etc., while most of us walked. The bedroom layout fit all of us comfortably and with a good amount of privacy and quiet to put the baby to bed or to sleep in. The garage was very convenient for storing our bikes and beach chairs. We ate breakfast on the deck nearly every morning, and sat out while grilling dinner most evenings. The sun porch makes a nice, breezy space to sit and read or just enjoy the view. An added bonus was the ability to bring our two dogs with us, which we prefer to do rather than board them when we can. The stipulation that they be crated or left in the basement when unattended was entirely reasonable and gives both tenants and owner greater confidence that nothing will be damaged or soiled. The basement is clean, dry and safe - we just brought their dog beds and water dish down for them. The property owner was always responsive and helpful with questions we had in advance. All in all a wonderful spot for a family vacation.

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

Great Family Vacation

Guest: Life-long Cape Cod renters (Fitchburg, MA/USA)
Date of Stay: 07/10/10 Review Submitted: 07/22/10

Just a note about this true "cape cod home". Our family from NY joined us for this week-long vacation. We had a wonderful time! Our daughter-in-law, from upstate NY really enjoyed her first visit to Cape Cod and loved the coziness of the house. The walk to the beach is a bit long, but was great exercise for walkers. Hardings Beach is always wonderful. The new deck is both attractive and comfortable; the new windows on the enclosed porch made that space the perfect spot in the house, overlooking the marsh while enjoying morning coffee. The wi-fi connection kept all of us in contact when necessary Our granddaughter throughly enjoyed herself. The raised hearth made a perfect home for her American Girl doll and furniture. The comfy couch provided a perfect reading spot for her, as well. Although we rented during the "heat-humidity wave", (which accounted for excessive dampness) there were plenty of fans and air-conditioning. The washer and dryer were such a terrific amenity, as well as the outdoor shower. Bathrooms were clean and tidy. The kitchen was bright and utilitarian with dishwasher, not to mention the gas grill which was used often. Thank you for sharing your house with us. Life-long Cape Cod renters

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, age 55+, pet owners, sightseeing, families with young children.

Great Vacation Home!!

Guest: Mark (Massachusetts)
Date of Stay: 07/03/10 Review Submitted: 07/13/10

My family recently spent the week of the 4th of July at this house with another family (totaling 4 adults and 4 young children) and this house was a perfect fit!! The house was very clean and more than spacious enough for all of us. It ended up being a relatively hot week, however we were very comfortable in the air conditioned bedrooms. The deck on the back of the house overlooking the tidal inlet is absolutely amazing. It is also worth noting that the owner of this property is very good at getting back to emails regarding any questions or concerns you might have. He also called during our stay to inquire if we needed anything. I would definitely recommend this vacation house.

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, pet owners, families with young children.

Great house

Guest: Nate (Boston)
Date of Stay: 06/19/10 Review Submitted: 06/28/10

My family has been renting this house for one week in the summer for a few years now, and we always look forward to returning. The place is clean, decent in size, and comfortable. The view off the back deck is terrific, and though Hardings Beach is too far to walk with children, it's just a couple of minutes by bicycle. We have a dog, so we are very grateful to have found a place that welcomes her. The overall feel of the place is one of privacy and serenity. The owners obviously take a lot of pride in the house--and are very thoughtful about making sure it's got what you want. It strikes just the right balance, somehow: It feels like a home, but you by no means feel, as you often do with rentals, that you're invading someone's personal space. I want to underscore how clean the place is. It's not fancy, but it's very nice in its simplicity and its basic comfort. Also, it gets lots of breeze through its many, many windows. Also, if you end up needing a decent book to read (I didn't bring a second this year), you can always find something good on the shelf. I love that. This is a classy, not a flashy, house.

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, pet owners, sightseeing, families with young children.

perfect house for us

Guest: Kasey/Chris (Bloomfield, CT)
Date of Stay: 08/30/09 Review Submitted: 09/10/09

We just came back from our 9 day stay at this rental property. This house is perfect for adults, an 11 month old child and a family pet. This house was spotless and in great condition. It had everything you would need, fully stocked kitchen (lobster pot and all), outdoor grill, dishwasher, washer / dryer, outdoor shower, two full bathrooms, WiFi, we can't think of anything it was lacking. Although there is a super short walk on the road in order to get to the newly paved sidewalk to Hardings Beach (Hardings Beach is the best beach in Chatham) we had no problems or concerns walking a dog or pushing a stroller on Barn Hill Road in fact we did that every single day we were there. Also, you can take a short walk to Dunkin Donuts, Larry's PX for breakfast, a nail salon and a liquour store. We would love to stay here again next summer. This was the perfect family cape house.

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

Far from

Guest: NMG (CT)
Date of Stay: 07/25/09 Review Submitted: 07/30/09

One of the reasons that we had booked this home was that it stated it was "spotlessly clean". This home is far from clean and we actually cut our vacation short due to the uncleanliness. The floors are beyond filthy and after washing them 2x they were still filthy, the shower curtains were moldy, there was so much black dog hair that whenever you sat down you got it all over you and one of the couches reaked of what we concluded had to be vomit. Another misrepresentation is that it is an "easy" walk to the beach, stores and restaurants. This home is located on a busy road where cars drive pretty fast, there are no sidewalks and if you have young children there is no way that you can safely walk on this road. We were very disappointed and after staying for 4 of the 7 nights we had booked, we decided we had enough.

Owner response:This is a grossly exaggerated and unfair commentary. The house has been fully booked every summer for the past 7 years and I have never had a complaint about its cleanliness. In fact many tenants love the house and return every summer. I take pride in providing a neat and clean environment. The house is cleaned by a diligent professional service before every new tenant and I personally check and attend to any apparent maintenance at that time. However, because of the short turnover period between tenants, I cannot check everything and therefore depend on and encourage guests to communicate with me aboutconditions. I Email every departing guest about their satisfaction and suggestions; but, even more importantly, I live close by and leave my cell phone number with arriving tenants and ask them to please contact me if they have any problems with the house. I was NEVER contacted by the person recording this compaint, either during or after their rental. It has been an extemely hot and damp summer contributing to unusual mold problems. If some were overlooked in the house, a call from the tenant would have resulted in immediate resolution. Communications with the prior week's tenants had revealed no such complaints, nor did they have a dog with them. As for the complaint about the house location. It is on a 2-lane road that ends at a public beach and boat landing, so is busy with vehicles at times during the day. However, there are also many pedestrians and bicycles that share the road as well.

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Liz Flanagan_HAC123131 (Harrogate, North Yorks,UK)
Date of Stay: 01/01/08 Review Submitted: 01/30/08

We had our first taste of American living here in October 2006 and really loved it. It is a lovely house, ideal for a family, and in a beautiful location too. The views over the inlet are gorgeous - they must be spectacular in summer, and we would certainly recommend this property to anyone wanting a relaxed family break. We will certainly return when finances allow!

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