A BIG Disappointment!
I rented this property for a special occasion with family traveling from both Vancouver and Calgary. I was very impressed from the pictures on the website and booked this time based on both the pictures and amenities described.
When our families arrived after a long drive with two young children we were very excited to see that the pictures matched what you had advertised on the website. However, once settled in we started to notice some things were NOT as they were described.
Upon entering the basement door as marked for the guests there was a huge hole in the ceiling along with many small ones and the drywall was water stained. Not what we expected to find right as we entered into an accommodation described on the website as “discover the serene ambiance of country log living”! It was apparent that there had been a problem and it hadn’t been entirely fixed before paying customers arrived.
Several of us have back/neck issues and after the long drive were very eager to enjoy the hot tub. When we went to check it out and soak away our pains we found it to be ice cold, with rusty metal fittings, a sharp metal bracket sticking out the side, a cover that was broken in two, and a live electrical cord right next to the hot tub! Certainly less than expected, very disappointing, and potentially fatal! We promptly called the person whom had given us her number by email. She was very apologetic and sent out a friend to try and fix the hot tub. When he arrived he professed he knew little about the hot tub and pushed a few buttons. The pump came on but no water circulated. He said the tub was old and probably wouldn’t be fixed during our stay. We were VERY upset!
We decided to wait to see what she could do for us about getting the tub fixed and started to fix dinner to cook on the BBQ. I lifted the lid of the BBQ and it was filthy! Dried cheese and meat remnants cover the grill! Ok, well I guess it wasn’t cleaned by the last user so I figured I would clean it myself. Unfortunately there was nothing to do so with. There were two wire grill brushes on the side of the table but they were worn right down to the wood. I asked a family member to run into town and buy our own wire brush so we could cook. We had not planned on providing our own cooking utensils. On attempt to light the BBQ I found that the igniter did not work and there wasn’t a lighter of any kind to be found in the chalet. Some ingenuity allowed for us to get it lit. Once lit, the burner flared up in large flames in some areas and was cold in others. Some how we managed to cook something edible for our meal. Your BBQ has seen better days and needs to be replaced before someone gets hurt!
The next morning we got up to make breakfast. I opened the coffee maker and was greeted by an old, moldy coffee filter and grounds! At this point I was getting quite upset with what we were paying good money for! I cleaned it up and we had breakfast. The kids wanted to watch TV downstairs in the basement bedrooms however, none of the TVs would bring in a signal. I checked all the cables and remotes in yet, all we got was static. Several of the upstairs TVs did work so we again made due with the TVs blaring cartoons while we tried to visit.
In the afternoon we thought we would try to enjoy ourselves on the beautiful property by playing bocce, badminton, volleyball, or soccer. We normally bring these items along but as you mentioned on your site, they were already at the cabin and therefore we didn’t bother to bring them this trip. That was a mistake! With the exception of a few badminton racquets and birdies the other items were no where to be found. Again, a let down to our stay and plans to relax! We called the number again and explained our situation and she apologized all over herself as she felt really bad that things were going so poorly for us. She later brought out her own belongings for us to use which she should not have had to.
On day two we were accumulating a large amount of garbage and running out of toilet paper. Both are issues that should not have occurred! There were no large garbage bins to put bags into and after having some of the native wildlife come through the yard we knew that putting bags outside would not be smart. Again we called the girl and she came to the rescue and put our garbage in the back of her car so that it didn’t stink up the cabin. We scrounged and made due with what little toilet paper we could find in the lodge and I’m sure there wasn’t a square left to be found when we left!
I feel that these items are MAJOR concerns and should not have been things we needed to worry about. The fact that we were searching for things, cleaning things, and even trying to fix things is not acceptable. These are things we do at home to keep our own homes operating and shouldn’t be doing so when on vacation and celebrating a special occasion! We paid good money for our expected stay and it should have been completely ready for us. We made the reservations far in advance.
Your employee did an excellent job of trying to make things right but could only do so much, as you were out of contact range. I would recommend her to anyone who needs her services! We negotiated with her for an adjustment in our bill and she agreed.
I frequently review accommodations that we have stayed at on our travels and personally recommend them to our friends. Unfortunately my family and I will not be able to recommend your accommodation to anyone! It was far below the level expected by us and described on your website!