While we ultimately enjoyed a nice weekend, the problems we encountered left such a bad taste in our mouths that we will not be back. I hope to leave a balanced review that might help consumers better know what they might expect from this listing, and offer some constructive feedback to our hosts that might save them and future guests frustration, distress, and the panic of a host threatening to cancel our booking the night before.
We rented this property eight months in advance to celebrate a dear friend's 40th birthday. He's a fan of tub-soaking, and the crowning glory of this place, in addition to the stunning wall of cathedral windows in the great room showcasing gorgeous nature, was a sunken hot tub in its own spa room, with another glorious wall of windows. The listing's reviews were reassuring. As one of the hosts pointed out when problems began boiling over, this place is, indeed, a bit cheaper than most Sundance listings of its size. Another positive is its proximity to Sundance Resort; I think it might be as close as one can get without actually staying onsite. We enjoyed a lovely stroll on a lit mountain path to dinner at The Tree Room. Other positives: Beds and pillows were on par with higher-end vacation rentals we've experienced in the area. Also, plenty of good quality towels. Outside of these positives a sense of neglect pervaded. Much of the caulk in the second floor bathroom was missing/flaking, the grout was old and stained. Bathrooms themselves had an RV feel, and some, size - second floor toilet was so close to a poorly placed toilet paper holder that most adults would have to sit at an awkward angle. The switch on the lamp in the loft was broken. We had to borrow forks from neighbors. An insufficient number of wine glasses, despite having checked on this in advance. The dial on the griddle: missing. I'm glad we thought to bring pots and pans, as the coating on all of the nonstick pans was flaking off. The coffee filters were the wrong type for the coffee maker. The outdoor dining table depicted in the listing was missing. Most of the above were annoyances to which adapted, though with with impotent shrugs from our hosts. It was their bizarre and panic-inducing communications the night before our stay involving threats to cancel our reservation that sealed it for us. And VRBO allows hosts to cancel anytime, for any reason, with no recourse to renters. To their credit, they ultimately refunded $400 for our trouble.