Coastal Cottage ~ fire-pit, kayaks, bikes, fenced yard, pet & kid friendly

We are very sorry that this was your experience. I am glad you did enjoy your trip and made good use of the kayaks in the garage and other amenities with your friends while here. St. Augustine has certainly experienced a housing boom in 2022 and our quiet street was temporarily busy with construction, as someone bought the lot of woods at the end of our dead-end street and have put three houses on it. We visit the cottage between guests for maintenance and cleanings and the construction does not to be appear to be a constant. There are days that guys are there working and days where no one is on site. The houses are very near completion, and I'd wager another few months they will be done, as those houses are already listed on the market. We are unsure whether we will sell the cottage at all now. It was listed while this renter was here, but we have since pulled the listing off the market and are re-evaluating. At the current moment, it looks like we may keep this as a lovely short-term vacation rental for the forseeable future. I'm quite dismayed to receive a 2-star review from someone. Our guest book in our cottage is full of sweet reviews of people enjoying their time here and our other reviews on this site and VRBO's competitor site all have glowing reviews. The cottage was renovated and decorated by us with loving care and attention. It is our goal to give everyone a getaway on the coast in a quaint dreamy coastal cottage. Again, I am very very sorry your vacation aligned with the builder's plans. We did not realize that this was the month for them to build the bulk of those houses. As I explained in my personal apologies to this guest already, our own street that we live on is in the exact same state. The same week someone cleared the lots at the end of the cottage's street, another developer also cleared the lots of woods directly across from our own house. We also have had to put up with the temporary disruption of building for a few months. They are just now finished, listed the houses, and are putting in the final landscaping. It appears that the cottage's neighborhood is on a very similar timeline. When you book houses in residential areas of a town, you are a getting a "local's experience." You are living temporarily next to locals who live here full-time and are also having to listen to building sounds for a few months. This is not a vacation resort on a secluded beach. This is certainly a vacation for those who embrace living like a local.