To start with the positives, the lake, house and location were wonderful. The house was great and incredibly well stocked. Unfortunately, the water had an oppressively strong sulfur smell. It felt like we were showering in a waste treatment plant. Several of our family members resorted to washing our hair in the lake as the stench was too much to bear.
I reached out to VRBO when Ray, the owner, sent a separate email mandating payment outside the site and a very large deposit via check. VRBO advised this was in violation of their standards and all payments were to be processed through their site. I contacted to Ray to resolve this issue and he berated me on the phone and hung up on me twice. He called me “young and stupid” and told me I cost him $30k since VRBO required him to process payments through appropriate channels. He refused to cancel the booking and pinned us into the trip as we would lose our deposit if we canceled.
Ray showed up at the residence while we were out and my mom was at the house alone. He yelled at her for not recycling correctly. There were no signs, notes or even a recycling receptacle inside indicating this was required. He yelled “can you people (expletive) read!?” and pointed to three recycling bins (of 10) tucked being an AC unit. He threatened that “we would never be able to rent in this area again” and stormed off. My mother was shaken, scared and shocked that an older man would speak to a woman that way, especially by herself.
I have never written a review, good or bad, for any establishment or experience, but I feel strongly that this is something potential renters should know. The lake is lovely, the people in the area are wonderful, but find somewhere else to stay. The only thing more off putting than the pungent smell was Ray’s repugnant demeanor.