We had a good time at this house on Marco. It was a comfortable stay, the pool was a bonus, and plenty of space for the 3 of us.
I’ll start with the positives on this property:
-great location
-very comfy beds. Probably the best we’ve experienced on Marco
-property manager was very responsive. Nicki is a keeper!
The cons:
-property is very dated. Was built in the 90s and the majority of the house has not been updated since the initial build (I’m in the building trades so this is firsthand for me)
-the pool area needs to be rehabbed. There’s a 1” lip where the concrete has sunk and it’s being identified by red tape on the ground. Could present a problem if you’re not sure of your footing
-kitchen was not as well stocked as other properties I’ve been at on Marco (this is our 6th VRBO).
-ice maker was not functioning on the freezer and the replacement had been in the home for 3 months. There were ice cube trays, but why not fix it?
The last and the most disappointing was the owners lack of guest service in terms of what I feel as bait and switch pricing. I originally booked an 8-night stay for a certain rate per night (Saturday through Sunday. There was no limit on nights per stay). I was told that I needed to cancel the booking and rebook with a 7 night stay. Ok, understandable because it’s harder to book 6 nights. I rebook SECONDS after cancelling and the price almost DOUBLED. Post-stay, I asked the owner through the property manager to meet me halfway as it was absolutely unfair to charge this only seconds after cancelling and rebooking.
I was told that there’s a market manager part of the app that assigns pricing and the owner was not willing to do anything about it. If I was unhappy with the rate I could have cancelled after I rebooked during my window. In my opinion, this is an absolutely terrible answer on the customers side.
I fully believe that this is terrible guest service and I would caution anyone renting this property to make 100% sure the rate is right because, at least in my case, the owner is willing to bite off his nose to spite his face to retain some money. I gave the owner fair time to adjust based on this bait and switch but he stood his ground, so I am writing this review. Again, I only asked to meet me in the middle and he refused. Absolutely terrible guest service. We make 3 trips to Marco per year and despite the beds and location, I will never rent this property again.