There were two main issues with the house, both of which are serious deal breakers for my renting of any property. I will provide a fair and balanced review, and let the HomeAway community judge for itself.
First, the house was not thoroughly cleaned when we arrived. The floors on the main and upstairs areas were gritty, there were dust bunnies everywhere, the dining room table was sticky and grimy, and the utensil holder in the kitchen drawer was disgusting. We had to start wiping down the floors before everyone else arrived. The Lysol wipes were almost black everywhere I used them. Note, that we don’t wear shoes inside the house, so maybe someone who wears shoes indoors wouldn’t feel it? Unsure, but still, the house was not in acceptable condition. While beautiful, I wouldn’t have eaten on that dining room table with the dirt, nor should the kids. The bathrooms and kitchen were generally clean except that the condition of the drawer utensil holder caused me to think that the utensils were dirty too. More cleaning.
The worst of the cleanliness issue was on the ground floor/basement. There were TENS of dead bugs and many live ones. It’s possible that the grit on the basement floor was from the fumigation spray that the owner told me was used the day before, but why would we be left to clean up a bunch of dead bugs? Don’t you spray and then clean up the mess? Bizarre. When I contacted the owner, she told me that there is a millipede infestation in the area and that even though the house is secured, these bugs get into the house. I understand that when you’re surrounded by trees and nature that you’re going to get some bugs, but when a renter has to sweep up multiples of tens of bugs, then the live ones continue to crawl (yes - I even found a dead one in one of my bags when I got home), and you’re forced to not use the full downstairs where there are two futons and a pool table??? The whole vacation living situation changes. Kids had to sleep in the living room.
We still made the best of our time. Here’s the fair and balanced part - the house itself is very pretty and good for a large group (except for the cleanliness and bugs). The location to Tanglewood is unbeatable. You can actually hear certain concerts from the patio. Views are spectacular. Central AC. Good appliances.
Given these issues, the owner only refunded the housekeeping fee, but nothing more, despite the “infestation” (her words, not mine).
Your call.