This is an extraordinarily beautiful house. The architect who designed it has optimised every view from every window, whether that be of ocean, sky or bush. The house is stylishly decorated, well-equipped and very comfortable, and we had a wonderful, wonderful time.
The downsides were minor and they were an aggregate of the kind of things that happen when owners need to outsource the management of their properties. Linen is not automatically provided, including basics like hand towels. (This is a premium property, and that aspect alone makes it seem a bit more like someoneâs beach shack.) Things had run out and not been replaced - hand soap in one bathroom, aluminium foil, kindling, no globe in a lamp, salt and pepper provided but no olive oil. The worst part for me is the email, and the notice on the fridge, which says you have to vacuum and sweep the entire house before leaving and drive all rubbish down to the communal bins. If a cleaner is coming in to do the bathrooms, why would you not pay them to do these things too so that you are not risking the cleanliness of the house on the standards of the last guest, and your guests are not expected to spend a large chunk of their special weekend away doing housework? (We agreed with the letting agent that we would not sweep and vacuum, for which we were very grateful, but the sign was still on the fridge.)
These are minor flaws - the house is exquisite, the communication with the letting agent was very good, the instructions to find the house were both necessary and clear, we were given a late checkout without asking, and it was the perfect setting for our girlsâ weekend away. We hope to return.
