Summer rentals at a beachfront location appeal because of a few important things we all (7 of us) were expecting, but didn't get. OCEAN and CROSS BREEZES throughout the house we DID know beforehand had NO a/c units are a MUST. But, if main doors & several key windows don't have SCREENS, they can't always be left open to allow for that, especially at night when all the insects come out. The doors to all the balconies in the house, & some bedroom windows were GLASS, & the ability to enjoy summer night breezes & atmosphere was non-existent. That may have been the worst thing, since it wasn't even MENTIONED in the rental listing, & if we'd known it, we would've passed on the house.
In a way because of that, & the extreme heat of this particular summer, upon check-in, the 3-level house, which had been COMPLETELY sealed up by previous renters and/or "cleaning crew", was an INFERNO, especially on the 3rd floor, and also because the 2nd floor bathroom FLOOR HEAT SYSTEM was left ON for who knows how long, and registered at 97 degrees! We had 2 small kids with us, & an ER doctor who said the 3rd floor was uninhabitable...so for close to 4 hours, we scrambled to open EVERYthing to allow for any measure of comfort as we battled the heat. I called Kendall & sternly explained the horrible situation to her, and she told me no one had ever complained about having no screens before, which is hard to fathom, but did say if I bought more fans (as some of hers in the house weren't working), she'd reimburse me for them...so I did, & she paid back right away. By around 7-8pm, we were all in favor of leaving, but island hotels were fully booked, & we had to stay the week. The weather did get a bit better but the house remained VERY uncomfortable, even after Kendall had 2-3 portable A/C units brought to the house, which then ran 24/7 for the week, as with all the fans. But to add real insult to injury, Kendall NEVER followed up the next day - or at all for that matter - to see if we were ok, or if things had gotten any better at her house. A hinge had also broken on one of the main doors making it not 100% securable. We told her but nothing was done to fix it while we were there, & still no follow-up. The rental cost $8,000 basically for a week in a hotbox. The rental listing has a HUGE omission about comfort but ONLY has 15 glowing reviews over 5+ yrs & not ONE bad experience until now? Seems odd, but ok, there is now. OK house, great location, zero comfort.