We rented the place expecting a cottage on a beautiful lake from which we could comfortably come and go to the local attractions. The lake and area was wonderful. However the cottage was a shocking experience and we ended up having to cut short our stay due to massive concerns.
The first issue is the security of the unit. When we arrived the patio and side entrance we unlocked, and as we discovered this was because the front door does not lock with the key. We were unable to lock it on several attempts throughout the week.
The second issue was safety. There are numerous concerns here. First is the main bathroom, which from the first shower did not drain properly. Before the shower was hot, it was backed up. We could not bathe any children in that main bath and had to have 5 members use the small "cedar tot" bathroom. Making this difficult was the main walkway and back walk being dangerous. The front was uneven and broken rocks, the back walk was full of debris and dirt. Twice kids fell after showers, at night, because we couldn't use the main bath.
Also in the main bath, the light fixture fell on my head when I simply shut the door. It was a clip on, and popped off onto my head. This was before I could try and sponge bathe in the shower that we couldn't run.
Screens with holes and windows that did not open also caused concern. Also massive gaps in window framing was letting hornets in. I killed 5 in 6 days.
My primary concern actually was the cleanliness of the unit. This started with with our arrival. The "tot" cottage was unmade, half cleaned, and dirty linens and towels sat on the unmade bed. Sand sat in the bath. We called and someone came to finish the job not done. She was great. However we later discovered a mop bucket of dirty water in a closet, the floors and shower filthy [and backed up], kids snacks strewn about the drive that brought birds all day, and dishes still not clean in cabinets.
The worst of all cleanliness concerns, and that which caused our day early departure [we left at 930 Friday instead of Saturday], was a severe rodent issue. We found steel wool and stones blocking rodent holes, rodent droppings all over the master bedroom floor, and more droppings ON THE BOX SPRING.
When my wife noticed this she became physically ill having slept in that room with our two youngest. We packed up and left. This is totally unacceptable for a vacation rental.