Deeply disappointed with the house and management

Laura K. ()
Review submitted: January 18, 2013   Date of arrival: November 18, 2012

We were extremely excited about renting this house for a family Thanksgiving reunion. However our expectations quickly deflated after arriving. Even more frustrating was the property manager's dismissive and condescending attitude when we tried to request an appropriate refund for the laundry list of issues we dealt with during our stay.

The house does have great views but is older and needs some serious repairs. I would not recommend this house. It's definitely NOT worth the rental price.

The following is a list of the deficiencies we found while staying at the rental:

1. Small baggie of marijuana was found by my two-year old daughter in the centerpiece on the dining room table.
2. Leaking water in downstairs bathroom (filled half the bathroom with approximately 2" of standing water making the toilet unusable). Also resulted in a musty smell in the downstairs area.
3. Unshielded heating air vents at the base of the wall that became so hot they caused 2nd degree burns on the hand of my 9-month old nephew when he touched one. The episode resulted in an ER visit.
4. Stained and filthy carpet
5. No lights along the outdoor stairway leading down to the house
6. Dead bugs caked all over the exterior of the front door
7. Damp clothes in the washer upon arrival
8. Damp clothes in the dryer upon arrival
9. Inadequate number of towels for the house and kitchen
10. Inadequate hot water. Only one person at a time was able to take a shower with warm water.

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Helpful votes: 14 / 14

Traveling again!!

Lorna (Denver)
Review submitted: November 16, 2011   Date of arrival: November 10, 2011

My in-laws don't like to travel and rarely leave their hometown in Colorado. I convinced them to try this beautiful home in Seattle right on the Sound. Before the trip was over they asked me to bring them back again, a HUGE accomplishment. The house was perfect, beautiful and comfortable. We had everything we needed and the owner was very helpful in getting us familiar with the area. The fireplaces on the patio and in the family were used every night and it felt like home away from home. Thank you!

Recommended for: adventure seekers, families with young children, families with teenagers, girls getaway, sight seeing, romantic getaway

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Helpful votes: 0 / 0

Perfect, beautiful, and cozy!

Fire (Spokane)
Review submitted: April 11, 2011   Date of arrival: April 1, 2011

My husband just retired from the military after 22 years of service. We had traveled but never taken a real family vacation. Washington is my home state and I wanted to show our kids the other side of Washington. We looked into hotels, bit with a family our size (6kids ranging from 1-18) staying at a hotel didn't fit our needs. This house fit us perfectly and then some! We loved the views, the comfort of the house, and the proximity to downtown. Driving in and out of downtown was easy! We were able to see everything we planned and more! We even had time to just relax. The TV was only used once and that says TONS with our kids. They loved the beach when the tides were out, watching the boats, and they even got to watch the coastguard practice a water rescue!! The manager and owner were wonderful, professional, accomodating, helpful, and great to work with! The house is comfortable and cozy. The amenities were great and we can't wait to come back! Our kids rated this spring break the best ever! Thank you for helping us give this trip to our kids! I am running out if space or I would go in and in! We LOVED this house and would definitely do business with them again!

Recommended for: adventure seekers, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers, girls getaway, pet-friendly, sight seeing, tourists without a car, romantic getaway

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Helpful votes: 1 / 2

Fantastic beach house!

Kim (Memphis, TN)
Review submitted: March 30, 2011   Date of arrival: March 9, 2011

We stayed at the beach house with our 4 kids (ages 7 - 10) for spring break and it was exceptional! The house was exactly as it was advertised and the pictures don't do it justice. We arrived very late at night and everything was ready and waiting for us. The owners were very responsive and provided good information on local activities. I'm a runner and found the little "village" of Magnolia a great place to run. We also enjoyed the easy access to great local restaurants and downtown Seattle. I've recommended this house to several of our friends who visit Seattle regularly and the kids insist that we stay there again next time.

Recommended for: adventure seekers, families with young children, girls getaway, sight seeing, romantic getaway

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Helpful votes: 2 / 2

Great location

Rus (Honolulu)
Review submitted: February 1, 2011   Date of arrival: January 18, 2010

Our stay at this home was pleasant and everything was as advertised. The home was very clean and at a good location to get most places we visited in Seattle. Parking was provided for one car with room for more down the hill nearby. The view of Elliot Bay off the lanai was spectacular with one day of sunny weather in January we saw the Olympic and North Cascade range and Mt. Rainier. The living, dining and bedrooms were comfortable. The kitchen was smallish but well supplied and totally adequate for our needs. Took several walks on the small beach and saw many starfish and other sea creatures at low tide at nighttime. Overall, an extremely nice vacation rental home, especially for families. Our 8 year old especially loved it.

Recommended for: age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers, sight seeing, romantic getaway

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Helpful votes: 4 / 4

Wonderful Thanksgiving on the Sound.

ArmyFamily (Nevada)
Review submitted: January 4, 2011   Date of arrival: November 17, 2010

We stayed for a week over Thanksgiving. This is a wonderful home. Beautiful inside and out. One entire side of the home faces the Sound. The first morning I woke up here it was the most breathtaking sunrise right from the bed. The house is very comfortable and has everything you need. There were even a number of condiments and coffee left behind by previous tenants. My only suggestion is to provide some other activities, ie books, movies, and board games. Also personally, I would replace at least one of the mattresses as I prefer a firmer bed, but we just swapped them around. Overall, we all LOVED this house and we were very comfortable. We had the fireplace going nightly and again the views were just breathtaking. It was wonderful just sitting and watching the boats coming and going in the Sound and the gulls waiting to be fed. The patio is very nice too, we just didn't get to use it due to weather.

Recommended for: adventure seekers, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers, girls getaway, sight seeing, romantic getaway

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Helpful votes: 4 / 4

Stunning view

Phil (Eastern Washington)
Review submitted: December 22, 2010   Date of arrival: December 1, 2010

Wow, we loved this house...beautiful views, large indoor and outdoor gathering space for large family, comfortable beds, large dining table...we had a great vacation and had no trouble relaxing in this home.

Recommended for: adventure seekers, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers, girls getaway, pet-friendly, sight seeing, romantic getaway

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Helpful votes: 3 / 3

Great Place for Our Reunion!

Brenda (High River, Alberta, Canada)
Review submitted: December 5, 2010   Date of arrival: October 22, 2010

I met three girl friends at this lovely home in October 2010. We were old high school friends (from the 60's) and decided to get together for a weekend. What a wonderful ambiance to set by the fire on a rainy Seattle day and catch up on many years of activities since we had seen each other. The house was hard to find for all of us (I was in a cab and even the cab driver had trouble). However, once there we had a laugh about it and it worked out great for the rest of the weekend.

What a beautiful setting - we so enjoyed being right on the water and watching the ferries and sailboats go by. It wasn't warm enough to sit on the deck, but the windows surrounding the living room make you feel like you're right outside! We loved the village of Magnolia and enjoyed the unique shops and restaurants there - so much easier than driving into Seattle city, especially after dark!

The downstairs bedrooms and bathrooms were spacious but seemed musty or damp as if there'd been water in the downstairs level at some point. With the proximity to the water when the tide was in, it wouldn't have surprised us at all and we were still very comfortable staying down there.

This would be a great place to bring young children in the summer time to play on the beach and in the water - you wouldn't need to drive anywhere!

All in all a great place to stay!

Recommended for: adventure seekers, families with young children, girls getaway

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Helpful votes: 5 / 5

Great view and location

wareagle (Durham, NC)
Review submitted: October 25, 2010   Date of arrival: October 17, 2010

We had a fantastic visit to Seattle staying at this house. The view was incredible and we enjoyed watching all the action on the Puget Sound. The beds were warm and comfortable and the internet service was great. It was convenient to downtown and we made many trips in and out. We also liked the Magnolia area itself. There were 3 couples and we all felt like we had our space. Would love to rent it again.

Recommended for: girls getaway

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Helpful votes: 4 / 4