The morning after arriving we noticed that the washing machine was broken. I contacted the property manager and was informed that they already knew it was broken. I was angry because no one bothered to mention this when they called me prior to check in or upon check in. I was told someone would be out to fix it when a part arrived. So, the washing machine was never fixed during our entire week stay and communication with the property manager was hit or miss for the entire week. If you have ever been on vacation with children at the beach, you know that a working washing machine is essential. Otherwise, I would have just rented a hotel room.
Earlier in the week my daughter made a comment that she couldn't wait for the vacation to be over because she was tired of sleeping on a box spring. I thought she was joking. However, when I was gathering the linens I noticed that she had indeed been sleeping on a box spring the entire week!!
The day after our vacation was over, Kelly, the property manager called me to apologize. This was the first informative conversation I had with someone from Carolina Retreats. However, for me it was too little too late. I had just spent 1 week on vacation with 4 kids, limited clothing, no washer. I had to take time out of our vacation to tackle the laundry at another location. This meant time away from my family as well. When I informed the property manager, Kelly, about the box spring situation, she told me it must have been an accident. Interesting accident, considering that the box spring was covered with a mattress cover. Ridiculous!
Overall the condo was nice. It was equipped with basic kitchen essentials necessary. There was even a crockpot. The property is very near the beach. We walked over each day. I learned that I need to read the small print about the appliances in rental agreements and never book myself into a situation like that again. I will probably never book with Carolina Retreats again due to how poorly the communication was handled throughout the week and excuses were made for poor customer service.