Not always heaven
Review Submitted: April 9, 2009
Date of Stay: February 2009
We have rented homes internationally. Not sure who voted this place 5* star... probably the owner. The view here is 5-star, but the house is not. The weather was cool, 40-70 F., avg. around 65-70 during the day. The owner only heated the pool to 78 F. (this in not warm!) about 4 days out of 14. Owner gave us a discount for staying 2 weeks, not for an unheated pool. We live in Calif. and Penn., and know that outdoor pools can be heated more than this. The interior of the house is borderline shabby. The couches and comfy chairs are worn and saggy, stained, and were covered in sheets, slip covers, and towels. The "oriental" bedroom had mold on the window sills, ripped, stained "Asian screens" held together with Scotch tape, and filthy rugs.The mattress pads were ripped and very old. I have the pictures to prove this. The 3rd bedroom had pillows behind it to brace it against the wall. Sheets and bedspreads (other than the master bedroom) were very old, thin, & worn. Mattresses are old. Many of the bath towels seem to have come from a local country club, where the owner sent us to use their heated pool. The throw rugs and white bedroom carpets were filthy. We tried to clean them. The kitchenware was old, mismatched, worn, and tired. The sink pads were disgusting. The kitchen chairs had black tape on the bottom, which caused black scrapes on the floor. The 2nd bathroom had mold around the shower doors. It appears that the owner moved out of the property 20 years ago and didn't bother to update, just rent it as is. The closets still had some of the owner's clothes inside. The pillows were smelly. The "fishing gear" provided was old and rusty. This property is not on a beach, as indicated in the"amenities."
We never saw "beach chairs" to take to the beach. The owner advertises this as a "low allergen environment".... this is certainly not the case. There was no cell phone service at the house unless you walked a 1/4 mile down the road. The ad for this property says that it is "in Clearwater Beach"...until you read the very fine print and find out that it is 15 miles north of CB. Location of the property to Anclote Marina, parks, fishing, Tarpon Springs, was good. I have never written a negative review, but felt that the truth needed to be told. The owner needs to spend some $$$ to replace linens, rugs, kitchen ware, couches, bedspreads, and interior design to make this place 5 star, inside AND out. It has that potential.
Owner's Response: The week of the booking our weather was at it's worst with 40 mile winds blowing in off the gulf..overnight the pool would loose 20 degrees. this is noted in the lease that we cannot control the weather. we do not charge for pool heating. we did everything we could to try please them during the cold weather. they told us they are accustomed to swim in 87 degree water in california ....No one is going to get that temperature in winter in Florida.
Travellers would know this and are told when they book the weather is a roll of dice in the winter.
As for the other remarks I can assure my clients this isn't so as per other guests reviews.
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Helpful votes: 8/8
marks the location of the property in Clearwater Area
