~Newport Beach Spectacular Tropical Hideaway~ in Newport Beach

Our disappointing rental experience

lickhill (Alton, Hampshire, UK)
Review submitted: January 15, 2013   Date of arrival: December 29, 2012

>In May 2012 we booked the rental-to start on Decemebr 27th 2012 to Jan 9th 2013.
>It was to be a family reunion-parents from UK-and daughter, husband and two children from Auckland New Zealand.
>We suspected that, having completed our payments and later requesting further input with no reply to mails, this was suspect customer service. It required two phone calls to eventually get answers to our questions.
>On Dec 26th - 24 HOURS BEFORE BOTH GROUPS WERE TO FLY TO THE USA-an email was sent by David (the owner) to say we would not be able to gain entry to the house on the 27th, as contracted, as the existing renter would not move out. David confirmed when we met that he had known about this for 5 days and decided to try a get a solution- when frankly a telepone call to give us this information would have been better; at a point when we could have reviewed our options. David said he would put us up in a hotel at his cost for two nights-which by the way was about half the cost of what we had already paid him for the two day/nights we were about to lose.
>We moved into the house on Sat 29th Dec in the pm, and in a short while it became obvious that all was far from well. Much of the crockery, cutlery and utensils were dirty so we set about cleaning. David said it was not his cleaners job to check these items.
>Other issues were-outside garden furniture cushions were dirty, two sets of spare linen missing, the fire door front garage to house was broken and thus illeagal, bolt missing on outside doors, the spa would not heat, light in toilet not working etc. David did come twice to try and fix/repair although some issues were never fixed.
>When the spa did work the family used it but to find 6/8 peices of glass in the spa and we were very lucky to have avoided a serious accident.
> After a few days we decided that our time was not going to be spent communicating to the owner and wait for him to come and fix/repair- so we just got on with our holiday dispite the disappointment with the condition of the place.
>Towards the end of the rental I wrote to David listing again the issues, saying that we had been unhappy with the conditions of the house and the general service level and asking for a reimbursement, which he refused. He said we were unreasonable and had exagerated.
>Although I have taken notes and have timed/dated photographs- I have better things to do than spend time writing this. These were our experiences with this rental-not to be recommended

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Helpful votes: 1 / 1

Rental House vs Hotel for Family Vacation…

Review submitted: April 20, 2012   Date of arrival: April 12, 2012

We took the family to Newport Beach last week for a wedding, & while we have stayed in rental homes that belong to my sister’s family before, we have never rented a home from a property management company in lieu of staying in a hotel. For a family of 4, plus my mom, we would have needed at least two if not three hotel rooms, for 6 nights & 7 days. The hotels we found that had availability with conjoining rooms (my kids love to sleep with my mom so conjoining rooms was a must) ran about $280-$350/night minimum, which would have equaled an easy $4k (plus)- for three rooms at that rate. The rooms were around 200 sq ft. Obviously this does not include a gas range to cook, large fridge to keep our favorite beverages, etc. Meals would have been out.

While the beds would be made each day & there may have been a “continental breakfast,” we opted to rent a home. And we are thrilled that we did. As you can see below, the home is lovely, with amenities the entire family can love. My kids loved the pool out back, the playground, & the large living area. For this home, you can expect to pay between $2500-$2900 for a week. It is about 2,600 sq ft, right in a fabulous neighborhood close to everything… beach, stores, cute restaurants, a library… ALL within 10 minutes. We highly recommend this option for families with kids rather than the hotel. This home in particular was fabulous for the relaxation time I needed! The below are NOT my photos, and you can contact the owner for your own vacation by clicking HERE. (Oh, & you can skip Legoland… at $72/person, it was a total rip off. It may have been nice at one point, but it isn’t worth the money.)

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Cozy Hideaway

Bill (Goleta, CA)
Review submitted: February 17, 2012   Date of arrival: January 19, 2012

Our extended family was looking for a quiet and enjoyable 3-day weekend together. As luck would have it, we found this amazing property. Even with the shopping and beach nearby, ultimately we liked the property so much that we spent the majority of our time relaxing there.

From the start, our interaction with the owner went smooth. Check-in and check-out was easy. Beds were comfy and the courtyard was spectacular. The courtyard area was immaculate while the BBQ area and spa were especially enjoyable. There is a nice long-table in the dining room which was great for eating and family games. I was especially amazed that so many our family members could relax in the living room comfortably...and the pool table was a nice touch.

Overall, our family will definitely come back for a future visit. I can honestly say that you won't regret staying here. The property far exceeded my expectations.

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

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Helpful votes: 3 / 3