1. I never received any word about checking in (where to go upon arrival, which unit I was assigned, getting a key, etc) but since it was a ‘motel’-style situation rather than a home, I just assumed the owner was on-site and would be available. Not the case. After wondering around for awhile I noticed a phone number on the entrance sign. Terry answered right away & said he was at his daughter’s soccer game & had left the key under the mat. I couldn’t help but wonder why he hadn’t simply called or texted me to tell me which unit and the key situation when he knew he wouldn’t be there so I could have avoided walking all around looking for someone while getting more & more nervous. Not another person was ANYWHERE...and as it turned out, there never would be. However, Terry was pleasant on the phone, telling me he had adjusted the heat , laid out an extra quilt and towels. This was our first and last conversation with him.

2. The room was tidy and pretty recently renovated. We weren’t expecting Shanghai La, so we still felt optimistic upon getting into our room but while things looked okay, the ‘easy chair’ was hard as a rock and the bed was equally squishy soft. This became more critical when the weather took a turn and we had to spend way more (uncomfortable) time in the room than we had intended to.

3.MOST IMPORTANTLY, however, was that we felt very vulnerable from a safety standpoint. Let me be clear, we did NOT have any actual scarey incidents. It’s just that the place is located right on a highway, a bit of a distance from town, among lots of trees/woods and has no lighting except the light at the door of each unit. And we were THE ONLY people there. Terry obviously does NOT live there and we were the ONLY rented unit. As 2 older women alone, we felt more and more vulnerable and insecure. I really believe we should have been told this upon check-in so we could have opted to try for something more secure elsewhere or, at the very least, had a reassuring chat. While the stay wasn’t ‘awful’, we won’t be back. Sorry.