On the drive back home I had a lot of time to think about this review. On one hand I don't want to be critical, but on the other hand I have to be honest. The house itself is beautiful and clean. It is situated near the Petroglyphs, Route 66 and Old Town. The kitchen was spacious and stocked well. They even purchased a new grill for the beautifully landscaped backyard. On our arrival Jazmin had yogurt and apples waiting for us. We didn’t ask for those items, but she knew we had traveled a long distance and might be hungry. It was nice to have healthy options rather than the junk food that we usually find at hotels and home rentals.
Unfortunately, that’s where the good part ends. We spent the entire 30 days (yes an entire month) tortured by a barking dog. We never used the new grill which was especially unfortunate because the weather was unseasonably warm while we were there. The houses are very close and the neighbors have a small Pomeranian-type dog with a high pitched shrilly bark. It barked from 7am to 11pm. Jazmin said she contacted the neighbor a few times, but the problem continued.
We had guests over and they couldn’t believe the noise we were dealing with. Jazmin asked in a text what could they do to make up for the nuisance. We didn’t reply right away hoping the neighbors would do something about the barking. But the noise continued, so we asked for a very nominal partial refund…roughly 11% of the entire amount we paid. We thought that was more than fair because most businesses or retail companies offer compensation when a service or item is defective whether or not it is their fault.
Jazmin replied that we could leave early – we only had two days left and they would refund us those two days. That was not a feasible solution as we could not pack, say goodbye to all my family members and change hotel reservations for our trek back on a moment’s notice. When I explained this to her, Jazmin spouted VRBO cancellation policy. This wasn’t about cancelling. The was about a nuisance that she offered to make up for and reneged on. Money wasn't the issue for us; hoping the owners would do the right thing was.
We have several video recordings of the dog. If high pitched barking doesn’t bother you, then the house is a beautiful option. Also to note: the streets are wide but fill up with cars parked on the street instead of their garage or driveway, so they become like a one lane road which is hazardous in the dark.