Natural Retreats — Local services in Whitefish

I might have left a higher rated review, as my dealings with the property managers were mostly good, in spite of issues we had with the house. But knowing that I would leave an unfavorable review, they chose to NOT send me a link, leaving me no option but to post one here. The bottom line is that the home we rented was in horribly under-maintained condition and ultimately, property management didn’t resolve several of the issues we experienced. To be fair, I’ve tried to accurately describe problems we experienced and how they were dealt with by Whitefish Escapes.

We rented “Scouts Retreat” for 17 nights and problems began the first morning after we arrived. Thereafter, we encountered several serious impairments, discovered certain inexcusably cheap practices and ultimately, left with the general impression that the owner(s) of this house are simply milking it for maximum profit without consideration for the best guest experience or even basic consideration for sanitation or cleanliness. What follows is not exaggerated, and I have photos that document everything noted:

On our first morning, both the coffee maker and blender proved to be non-operational. To their credit, property managers replaced both with new appliances that afternoon, but our breakfast plans that day were way-laid.

On three occasions, the water heater tripped its breaker. Unfortunately, the first time was overnight, so we had no hot water the next morning. Fortunately, our group included construction and engineering professionals, so we were able to find the breaker on the water heater and re-set it. On the other two occasions, we quickly re-set it, then called the property manager. A repair tech later found that it was set at the maximum temperature (by others, we never touched it) and was tripping itself.

There was a broken toilet seat in the downstairs bathroom. Although we reported it to the property manager on the 2nd day, it was never repaired.

There was only large (and wet) firewood, no splits or kindling and also no hatchet. To their credit, the property managers let us borrow a hatchet and there was a LOT of firewood, so we resolved that.

The “instructions” for the home are mostly rules and protocols for check-out, with no accessory info about how stuff works in the house. The two TV’s have different generation Roku remotes, which may not be an issue for those who know Roku, but we had NO idea how to use it. Thanks to YouTube and an on-line user forum, we figured it out. The hot tub controller was also a challenge, although I have to say that the hot tub was NICE and used it every night.

The owners are so cheap that there is no Kleenex in the house and no mattress pads on the beds. The only thing between you and the hundreds of previous guests is your sheet… don’t think about that too long because it’s actually disgusting.

The rental listing shows a very nice BBQ grill. We found that the pipes feeding the burners were so corroded that they had cracked and gas poured out of these breaks. When we tried to adjust the hose, gas came hissing out there as well. The grill was both a fire and explosion risk. The property manager said they had asked the owner for permission to replace it but hadn’t heard back. How can you rent a house for $3,500 per week and not IMMEDIATELY authorize the replacement of a dangerously damaged gas appliance??

On our 3rd day, we noticed water dripping from the ceiling in one of the downstairs bedrooms. A plumber was called, a hole had to be cut in the ceiling, and the wax ring under the master bathroom toilet was replaced. 4 days later that same toilet backed up and poopy water poured out all over the toilet room floor. The same plumber was called and the toilet repaired (again). BUT… nobody cleaned up the poopy residue and we came back from skiing to a hepatitis colony and it was bleeping disgusting. A cleaning person came DURING DINNER that night to clean it up.

Rent this house at...

The condo itself is beautiful and I have no issues with that at all . And great location .

Here what needs to be fixed and ASAP!

The attitude and approach of the management company and or owner .

What’s being run here is what I call a “jail” BNB.

They run it as if it’s a motel 6 level place or jail , and you are a criminal immediately assuming you will steal their 10 dollar silverware etc .

Read the material they send to you by EMAIL prior to your arrival . I think they know it’s wrong and know people wouldn’t book if they read all these ridiculous policies and arbitrary fines before booking , which I’m not sure are even legal to impose .

Here’s just a few of the items they note - They will not provide anything beyond two rolls of toilet paper and 1 tiny bottle of shampoo and conditioner each, which is not enough for one person for more than one day . And 2 miniature soaps and body lotion and bath wash - very tiny like motel 6.

This is while you are being charged 390 dollars a night for a one bedroom one bath location. Yes One queen bedroom and one bath.

If they think about it , you will get repeat business and can actually increase your price and it costs you little to nothing to properly outfit the home with toilet paper and paper towels and tissues and soap and shampoo and conditioner .

And even Motel 6 gives you daily supplies, not one time one day level for entire stay.

This place really angered me as they have gone a step further than most jail bnbs, and hence made me write this review , with telling you that you are responsible for taking their garbage out , and if you don’t they will fine you 50 dollars !!!

We also paid them for cleaning the place , I think 200 dollars or so, and they have the nerve to tell me to take their garbage out .

I’m surprised they didn’t tell me to also clean and prepare the home for their next guest or I would be fined 300 dollars .

And this one is a laziness thing. They tell you no early check ins or late check outs ever ! This is just laziness on their part as they don’t want to manage knowing what’s going on , so they can tell their client it’s free to access early .

It’s about making it easy for them , not caring if you are exhausted and need to access early . As we waited until literally ten minutes before 4 PM we never heard from them about how to access the place .

They keep it a secret until literally the last minute I got a text at 359 pm after I called them at 350 pm asking what’s going on .

In today’s tech - you can program door locks to open at set times , so no need to wait until last minute to tell me what my door codes are .

I could also tell the place was ready way in advance . You should always let clients know you get a place ready early and they really appreciate that !

I also know successful air bnb’ers that let clients check out later than 10 am when their next client is the next day . They tell them this ahead of time.

And they don’t have a policy that says we NEVER do these things . Ridiculous and lazy .

I’m sure this is a management company pushing their profit level by doing these unacceptable things! The owner probably doesn’t even know what they are doing as I can’t imagine an owner putting out a policy like this .

I tell you I’m tempted to not take the garbage out and just challenge them to try and charge me 50 dollars .

They also have the nerve to treat you like a criminal and say they have counted all their silverware and items etc , and will charge you if anything’s missing .

Are you kidding?! They made 2500 from us in 6 days and you are going to charge me for lost and broken 1-2 dollar items !

These people are going to charge me if they think a spoon is missing while making 400 a day?

Behavior like this needs to be challenged and changed ASAP .

I expect and demand a response from this group eliminating this nonsense from their policies , especially the threats made like the 50 dollars if you don’t take their trash out .

I’ve had enough of...

32 NELSONCREST – JULY 9-16 My wife and I entered the property at 3:45 on July 9 to be welcomed to a sauna. Literally! The living room temperature was 81 degrees. That was with the AC running, as well as three portable AC units and many fans. And that environment existed for the entire week. At some point each afternoon it reached 84 degrees! Not until the sun went down and we opened windows (those that could actually be opened) did the house start cooling down. By morning it was a pleasant 68 degrees. That lasted for a few hours until the sun again blasted through uncovered windows. I digress, the lower level kids bunkroom NEVER cooled down, without sufficient flow-through ventilation and no portable AC unit. The massive decorative windows might be a plus in the winter, but hardly in the summer. SUPPLIES/ FURNISHINGS If the house is going to be advertised as sleeping eight, there needs to be linens, extra towels, glasses, plates, and seating for eight. Two rolls of toilet paper per bathroom and then you must buy your own. Really? There were THREE glasses in the kitchen. Coffee mugs do not count. Tissue box in master bath had two tissues left. No extra box found. The house accommodates eight but the dining room table seats only six. Patio has plenty of deck chairs but no table. No bathroom wash cloths. No kitchen towels of any kind. One remote clicker only way in/out of garage. No button inside garage. Keypad outside garage but we were not provided code. Rather inconvenient. REPAIRS Lower level kids bunkroom – torn wallpaper. How difficult is it to fix that? Burned out light bulb in master bath. Some doors need door stops to keep door from hitting wall. Faucets in master bath and main floor bathroom need tightening. Several windows need attention. We worked on the mechanism in three windows so they would open more easily. All should be looked at and serviced. Deck surface will become a safety hazard. First, the deck covering is torn in one location, thus allowing water to seep below and damage whatever is underneath. It is already evident that water may have already affected the subsurface. Just walk on it and experience the give in the flooring. One day someone may just fall through. The toaster over is disgusting and should be discarded. Would not always cut off. Gas Grill – side burner and infrared worked but could not make main burners work. Infrared would not cut off so I turned off gas intake. Replace accordion shades with real curtains. Please, at least cut the pieces to the height of the windows. More importantly, several windows could not be opened because the pieces of material could not be rolled up. And a great view of the lake from the kitchen window was hidden by shades that could not be rolled up. We also noticed that in the on-line house photos, none of these paper shades were shown. But then, neither did you show the portable AC units or floor fans. The central AC unit might as well not exist. Even when running, it put out virtually no air. It would still take a lot to counteract the brilliant sunlight, but a new unit would certainly help. Several light switches seem to control nothing? Portable AC units are not thoroughly sealed at the window. The hot exhaust hose does not help the room temperature either. Maybe insulated hoses would help? Major odor in kids bunkroom. We think it might be coming from the fireplace. It was noticed by everyone and nobody wanted to sleep in that room. This smell alone was almost reason enough to cancel the rental. It was almost unbearable and another potential health hazard. The deck railing is a safety hazard and should be fixed immediately. Any weight pressed against it and the rail will fail. This is especially dangerous with young children running around. The deck would not pass any type of inspection. I pity anyone else who has to ensure even one day at 32...