We are all close to 70 years old and in our own homes, one in Lunenburg and the other on the Northumberland Strait. As beautiful as the Summerville view is, it was not the primary draw.
We met, as we do every year, to celebrate shared birthdays. The rate, which came to roughly $400 a night would imply that the property was comfortable, clean, and furnished with quality and comfort in mind.
By that I mean; good quality appliances, dishes, towels, knives, a place to sit and dine…all the things that one would expect at the rate charged. Quality toilet paper; a refrigerator that has shelves on the door; hooks on which to hang damp towels; blinds on all the windows; careful repairs; good knives (unchipped); knobs on the cabinets etc.
Repairs were done haphazardly. The cheap screens were taped to secure against drafts and/or summer insects and was peeling away from the frame.The toilet paper dispensers were shabby and cheap, falling off the walls which displayed unpainted poly filler. Rusty corrosion spotted them.
We had to squeeze side-by-side at the raised kitchen counter in order to dine and that our view was the kitchen with our used cookware and a window that featured roadside power lines.
When we texted to inquire about these things the only response was pushback and the repeated statement that we received what we saw in the pictures. Somethings cannot be communicated in pictures.The smell of smoke from the basement, for example, can’t be photographed.
We were offered a different property but were disappointed that the “offer”of the other property was withdrawn almost immediately.
Burnt-out lightbulbs were not replaced. Cooking in the kitchen with no lights except for the very dim basket hanging lamps with ksubstandard cooking tools was beyond frustrating, and, in fact, dangerous. To be told repeatedly to continue to try another switch verged on insulting. One of our party is a retired radiation oncologist who is well accustomed to understanding and overseeing multi-million dollar medical equipment. My tendency is to believe her when she suggests a bulb is burnt-out.
The refrigerator was very small with no shelves on the door and not sufficient room to store ingredients for five meals.
The large bathroom was a shared utility with access from each bedrooms. The doors were opaque glass. There was no sense of privacy when using this facility. The second bathroom was barely a powder room, again with the toilet roll in the process of detaching from the wall.
One of our party has a significant spinal injury which makes walking difficult. One would have expected that the caretaker would have been there in the morning to clear the steps of slushy snow.
In one of the less than flattering online reviews, the hosts responded by suggesting that had the guests only communicated the problems, they would have been able to rectify them. We did communicate many times only to receive total push back. For the daily rate, one would expect a response like this: what can we do to fix this?
To expect guests to strip the beds and sort the recycling is not on. This is the housekeeper’s job, as is the folding and storing of towels which we found in the dryer in the basement.
$400 a night? Mid-winter, with the outdoor facilities inaccessible (barbecue and hot tub) therefore unusable? Expectations are raised when taking this into consideration. What one does not expect is: a money-grab; complete disregard to our concerns; cheap renovation; uncomfortable living and dining arrangements; substandard equipment.
Shameful....
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