We planned a trip to Saratoga to celebrate my 40th bday and to see DMB with a bunch of friends and family at SPAC. The Saratoga Farmhouse suited our needs well. It was close to the venue, and it was spacious enough to accommodate 5 couples, grandma and a couple of kids; the pool was definitely a bonus, even though it is not heated. The property is large and well maintained, with much of the property residing in front of the house. Great for lawn games. At first, I was a bit hesitant about renting this property since the owners live there while you're vacationing, but the homeowner assured me that they would not bother us unless we needed them while were there, which proved to be true.
It shows that the homeowners spent a lot of time and money updating the home, but there are few minor details that I think could be improved for future visits. One was that the freezer was full of food that appeared to be left from previous renters, or the homeowners. Since there is no ice machine in the refrigerator, it was a bit annoying trying to fit our stuff, plus ice, in a freezer that was already mostly full. Another is that the house has central A/C on the bottom floor but does not upstairs. I think that this house could benefit from an entire CAC system, instead of having window units upstairs, especially since one of the window units is wonky to get to work. We were able to get the unit to work upon instructions from the homeowner, but that was after our friends spent a night in the sweltering room; they actually had to remove the unit to open the window to get some air. The grill worked, but the flavorizer bars were completely rusted and one of them broke through while we were cooking, so the grill ran hotter than expected. Lastly, there is a race track not far down the road. On Friday night, we were having a BBQ to celebrate my birthday and it was very, very loud. More than one would expect. The good thing about the racetrack is that it made our party seem quiet :-)
All and all we had a great stay at the Saratoga Farmhouse. It was very convenient to get to SPAC / downtown Saratoga, and even though it is close to a main thoroughfare, you still feel like you are away when you arrive at the home