Summer in Portland with Family

Guest: Eric (Denver, CO)
Date of Stay: 06/19/10 Review Submitted: 02/03/11

I was fortunate to spend the summer of 2010 on sabbatical in Portland. We rented this beautiful home for two months in June and July. My wife and 2 children, ages 13 and 16, joined me as did all the necessary gear for weekends camping and four bicycles to explore the city. The house is beautiful! The bedrooms had plenty of storage, the beds were comfortable and the neighborhood was quiet. There is a beautiful backyard that was wonderful for a relaxing dinner at the end of the day. I rode my bike to downtown Portland for my work, about 4 miles. My kids enjoyed taking the light rail downtown, which was about a 10 minute walk away. Alberta street in North Portland was close by, with its fun artist stores and restaurants. On the way home from work I would stop at a small beer store off of Mississippi Street and ask for a recommendation, bringing home a new local brew to try. The house is well kept. The kitchen is very nice with plenty of storage. The upstairs has only one bathroom, which meant the four of us had to plan a bit for showers. The owner came by occasionally and was always available by phone. The neighbors were nice, we felt very safe in the neighborhood. Grocery stores and restaurants were all close by. We strongly recommend the Wygant house for your visit to Portland!

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

Be careful!

Guest: Kothesa (Port St. Joe, FL)
Date of Stay: 05/17/07 Review Submitted: 06/11/08

The main reason I am writting this review is to tell you NOT to pay with your credit card. The house in a nice restored Craftsman home. We went there with our son and his two year old daughter. The owners live down stairs. We got a call the first night, telling us not to let our grand daughter run around his recently refurnished floors. I tried my best to keep her still, but when my husband and I went shopping my son got another call complaining that she was running again. We had to keep her still after that -which was very hard with a two year old. I have restored old homes myself, and know what needs to be done to get them in shape. After the first call we left our shoes by the front door, so that we would not damage the floors. When we left the house it was clean, and we even washed the towels as he requested. Every thing was just the way it was when we arrived. You can imagine my surprise when I found out that the owners deducted $325 from my accout- without first informing us. I called my credit card company, but they told us that they already gave him the money, and that I would have to file a formal complaint- which I did. If you decide to rent from him, my advice to you is not to use a credit card as he can take the money without your consent. This to me is dishonest. We rent houses every time we visit our son's and have never had this happen. Don't let it happen to you- don't use you credit card. I wish you the best.

Owner response:We’ve been renting our homes to families coming to Portland from around the world since 2005. The feedback we’ve received has been overwhelmingly positive, although we haven’t been very comfortable asking our guests to rate us on this website. We’ve rarely charged anyone for damages, but when said damage is avoidable and substantial, we expect our guests to take responsibility. In this guest's case, there was substantial damage to the wood floor and stairs, and a baking-sheet-sized melted area on a large rug in the kitchen. Manager, owner, and cleaners all confirmed that this damage was not present before the renter’s stay. As is our policy and as stated in the signed rental agreement (in a specific line we have renters sign separately to be sure they agree), we charged their card for partial replacement cost for the rug (we covered the rest), and a small amount to defray cost of refinishing the floor. They were immediately informed with a note and a detailed invoice via email. The renter’s account leaves out several important facts: - The renter agreed to have her credit card held for damages/theft in lieu of a cash deposit (we’ve since changed our policy). We have the signed agreement to prove it. --Before arrival, the renter had been asked that the child not be allowed to run/jump/roughhouse in the house, and that they take reasonable precautions not to damage the floors. She replied that would not be a problem. --There seemed to be no effort to restrain the child.Within just a few minutes after each reminder was given, the very loud noises began again (we occasionally stay in the well-soundproofed basement apartment), and continued it seemed, as long as the family was in the house and the child was awake. --We ask that guests report any damage or breakage that occurs during their stay, so that we may replace or repair before the next rental. We know accidents happen, and have forgiven accidental damage when reported. The renters did not report the damage, nor have they denied it. We take great pride in our beautiful homes, and work hard with guests when issues arise. We have a long track record of providing excellent hospitality; our guest books are full of comments from new and returning guests reflecting their enjoyment of our house and of our hospitality. We respect our guests, and hope to host in Portland for some time to come. Thank you. We hope you have a great trip to our beautiful city. Michelle and Steve

Recommended for:Age 55+.