‘This is not a secluded cabin in the woods. It is a man’s walkout basement, the lower level of a home that he will be in while you are there; loudly walking around, opening & shutting doors, hanging out on his deck with other gentlemen, and seemingly being aware of everything that you do while you are there.
When I arrived, it was to find a yard filled with vehicles and the owner and a few other gentlemen sitting on the upper deck. All seemingly watched us as we unpacked our car, while making comments about us (“Is it just the gal and kids?” “Were they both little girls?”) Given that it was indeed just me and my children that day, with my husband meeting us the next day, it was an INCREDIBLY uncomfortable experience and did not leave me feeling completely safe.
Down on the dock and in the water is great. It is a nice shallow area, great for kids wanting to play in the water. However, the steps down to the dock are exceedingly steep and only have a railing on one side, with no railing on the final section down to the dock. While on the dock, the owner was often visible - at one point shortly after going to the dock to swim with my kids, I saw the owner standing in the opening of his patio door, looking down at the water with binoculars. He also took many opportunities while we were down there to yell at us from his dock - really reinforcing that he was always around and always watching. Once it was to let us know that we could use the float mat, another it was to ask to make sure my child didn’t throw any rocks into the water, yet another to let me know that my dogs could be down on the dock with us - his passive aggressive way of letting me know that the dogs were barking in the cabin.
We had a friend and her 2 children over during the day to join my kids playing in the water for a couple of hours. While there, the owner came down to our level to ask whether they were going to be staying (no), and to request that he wanted to be informed anytime that we were planning on having visitors which is not required.
The cabin itself was fine during daytime hours. However, the futon- the 2nd bed option-creaked LOUDLY with the slightest weight/movement when laid out. We were woken up early both mornings that we were at the cabin. 5am the first morning and 6am the second from the owner walking around, his dog barking, and loud guests on his deck at 7am. After the second night we chose to leave the cabin, despite having it rented more days.