Secluded Albany Escape, Pet Friendly w/ Fee

Reviews

• Not what is mentioned in the description

  1/5

  Upon arrival I had to contact the owner to get the code for the door. He called me back and I opened the door with him on the phone and gasped from the terrible smell that met me at the door. It smelled like marijuana, smoke and must. We opened all the doors to air it out. We went outside to look around the property and enjoy the outdoors after a long drive. We closed things up and left to meet some friends for dinner. We returned and the smell was still terrible. I contacted Evolve who said they couldn't help me until the next day. I heard from the owner the next day who was apologetic and said they would get an ozone machine in the house. Unfortunately it smelled like people were smoking for awhile. We found out the previous people were there for 2 weeks so there is no way the ozone machine would work in a timely manner so we decided not to stay. We were refunded part of our money but not all of it because they couldn't rent it out that day we left. Truthfully they shouldn't rent it out until it no longer smells and sometimes that is the cost of doing business. We should not be penalized for what the previous renters did and a good business person would build this into the cost of doing business and to make things right. I am also a business owner so I understand the loss of income but we are looking for a place to stay for the next few years while our kid is in college and this definitely won't be the place. We got out by 10:00 am the day we informed the owner and Evolve so they could try to get things cleaned and maybe rented (but like I said they shouldn't rent it out until the smell is gone). In addition to the smell the sheets had dog hair in them and we did not have a dog. I know they allow pets but they should have sheets that are for guests not bringing a dog and sheets for guests that bring a dog. Finally, it was acknowledged that they knew the previous guest had been smoking and left earlier the day we checked in. An owner should have had the integrity to contact us before we checked in to let us know and offer a solution. We honestly should have left as soon as we walked in but we didn't want to mess with somebody's income. We just couldn't stay. Even our college young adult who isn't bother by much was grossed out by the situation.

• Smelled of Cat urine

  2/5

  The house was large and in a nice location. I was told the house was pet friendly, but I did not expect the smell of cats in the master bedroom and on the sofa in the living room. I’m highly allergic to cats and the smell in the back bedroom was overpowering. After staying in the house for about two hours, my eyes and nose started to swell and run. I had to leave after I started having trouble to breathe.

  If you are not allergic to cats, the house is ok. However, a professional cleaning is required to get that cat smell out of the house.

  I will reach out to get me refund.

• 1st time VRBO travel.

  4/5

  In a beautiful location. Couldn't get any warm water in kitchen sink, water pressure low in showers but at least had hot water. Could have used a few more cooking utensils and some hot pads to remove items from oven. Washed dishes in dishwasher but not sure if the water ever got hot.

  *This review was originally posted on Vrbo

  Manager's Response:

  Owner's response: "Cynthia, We are happy that you enjoyed the location, we're sorry that you had a couple of issues.
  
  - We have not had any issues with the water not heating up, you have to make sure that it is pointed towards the wall.
  - We will be adding more hot pads to the kitchen as well as extra utensils and dishware.
  
  We truly go above and beyond for our guests, and we are confident that future guests will have excellent stays! We will continue to deliver the 5-star experiences we are known for and will continue to enjoy the guests who can enjoy our home."

• Spacious house and yard

  5/5

  We enjoyed our stay at the farm house. The large fenced back yard was great for our toddler. We were visiting family in Albany and the house location was convenient.

  Manager's Response:

  From the owner: "Thanks, Kim! We look forward to hosting you and your family in the future."