Cape Charles holiday house

My family stayed in this home (Thurs to Mon) during the 2009 Labor Day Holiday. There were seven of us, including an infant.

The Good: The house has a bay view with two walkways to the water. The sunsets are amazing. The bedrooms are very large. Two bedrooms have a smaller room attached that can be used to set up a baby or toddler. The beds are extremely comfortable.

The Bad: The house seems to be under renovation. There is a large area of sheetrock and mud - about 8 feet in the ceiling and wall between the two sitting rooms that is being worked on. It looks like water damage. In order to close the front door is must be slammed shut. What little decoration there is is nice but there is a lot of bare space and shelving. The gutter by the front porch is loose and constantly bangs against the house. The shower/tub on the second floor does not have a curtain or even a rod. This tub is a whirlpool style – black stuff comes out of the jets when you turn it on. Since most of the space is in the bedrooms – there is little common space. The two living rooms are somewhat together but they are separate from the kitchen and dining room which are separate from each other. Kitchen/cooking gatherings in this house are near impossible. There is (what looks like) poison ivy all around the house and growing up the side corner of the porch. There are ants in the kitchen – on the counter, in the dining room including the table, and in the living area with the TV. Ant traps are in all the rooms on all floors so this was a known problem. I found two fleas in the living area with the TV. I killed one but the other got away. Several of us had numerous bites. The rental company could not find any fleas after we left so they dismissed this complaint and didn't seem concerned about the ants. The house is for sale with a box in the front yard - people in cars and on foot constantly stop to get a brochure.

The bottom line: While I was disappointed in the house we did not let “the bad” ruin our vacation. Overall we had a wonderful time. I think this house could be amazing once complete. At this point I would not recommend it to family or friends. It costs too much not to be “perfect”. We vacation in Cape Charles annually - it is our perfect town for a get away. There are many more rental homes to choose from. Next year we will stay elsewhere and perhaps avoid this rental company.