Surfside Beach Family Home: BBQ Pit & Beach Access

Reviews

• Great Location, Mediocre Home

  3/5

  The beachfront location and the multiple beds are about the only 2 things this house really has to offer. Nothing is really up to date (including photos) no tvs in the bedrooms (which is fine but I didn’t realize when I booked) The thermostat was set at 77 when we arrived. Very hot and muggy. Dishes still in dishwasher from previous guests. You can just tell the home has had very little Maintenance in comparison to other homes we’ve rented in Surfside. Out of all the homes we’ve stayed in, this one by far has the worst water. Most of our women refused to wash hair or shower as the smell was extremely intense. The write up says they have a water dispenser for drinking and cooking, however it ran out of water during our stay. Luckily we brought our own bottled water (which we also used to brush our teeth). The day of check in the manager texted me around 9:45am and asked if I was already at the beach house. I told her we were excited to be there but not yet. As check in isn’t until 4pm. I never got a response back so I was left wondering all day why she asked that? Felt it was poor communication. There was also confusion on checkout time. Some places stated 11am other places stated 10am. We left by 10 to be safe but again, didn’t really feel like there was enough communication. Overall we still had a good time but agreed we wouldn’t stay here again.

  *This review was originally posted on Vrbo

  Manager's Response:

  Hi Jacey, your review is greatly appreciated, and we're thankful for your time sharing your experience. Upon reviewing your feedback, we've connected with the homeowner, who wanted to address a few points:
  - Thank you for choosing to stay in our Surfside Beach, Texas home and leaving a review, as guest feedback is vitally important to us and the success of our vacation rental business.
  - We regret any inconvenience you encountered during your stay. Regarding the water dispenser, please be aware it's intended for guests to use with their own 2.5 or 5-gallon bottles of purchased water, as outlined in our property description. We empathize with your frustration regarding the water quality and sulfur smell. Despite our diligent efforts, which include reaching out to the city multiple times and implementing measures to address it, the issue persists, potentially influenced by factors beyond our control.
  - Regarding the cleanliness of the dishes, we regret that our cleaning crew missed putting away the dishes left by the previous guests. We have addressed this issue with them to ensure it doesn't happen again.
  - Regarding the communication about your arrival time, our team reached out to address the unexpected presence of vehicles parked in our driveway. We understand this may have confused you, and we apologize for any inconvenience.
  - As for the checkout time, you are correct, it is 10:00 am, and we apologize for any confusion. The checkout time is clearly stated on our website, in the manual in the home, and there is a phone number available for guests to confirm the checkout time.
  
  We are pleased to hear that despite these challenges, you still managed to have a good time.

• Christmas reunion

  5/5

  Our stay was lovely. They had the house decorated for Christmas which made our family exchange time even better. We lived being on the shoreline so we didn’t have to drive anywhere. We couldn’t have had a more enjoyable time.

  *This review was originally posted on Vrbo

• Sewer Surfside

  1/5

  I wasn't going to leave a review but, then I don't want the next family to experience what we did. When we first arrived there was no running water to the toilets, sinks, or showers. I had to finally call Evolve who gave us another number to call and finally got a repair guy to come after a few hours to fix the clogged filters. We thought ok it was fixed no biggie but, then once fixed and for the rest of the stay every time the water was run it smelt like pure sewage. Imagine taking a shower after being at the beach all day and just a raw sewage smell in your nostrils your entire shower. The showers wouldn't drain so you also had a pool of water at your feet. The inside is very dated with rusted kitchen cabinets, holes some barely hanging from the hinges. We asked our neighbors if their water smelled and theirs didn't so can't just be all of Surfside. If you are charging almost $500 a night I would expect a lot better. We brought our own drinking water, Thank goodness because you don't want to brush your teeth with that water there. The beds were stiff and old, blankets and pillows were terrible. My entire family just felt dirty and stinky by the time we left. The owners did call after we had already left and left a message we could stay a night free because of the water. But to be frank we couldn't get out of there fast enough. If we didn't live 4 hours away we would have cancelled the day of the water incident. We have stayed in Surfside many times this is the first time we left with a terrible scent to remember. I would recommend a plumbing overhaul and major updates to the inside and out. Otherwise, charge what it's worth maybe 100-150 a night.

  Manager's Response:

  Hi Dorothy, we're sorry that your stay fell short of expectations. We followed up with the homeowner after reading your feedback, and they wanted to share the following:
  We sincerely apologize for any water issues you experienced during your stay. We take maintenance seriously, and as soon as you reported the problem, our maintenance person promptly addressed it by replacing a filter, identifying it as a potential source of the issue. While water filter changes are typically recommended every six months, this particular filter required replacement after only six weeks. We are also actively addressing the sediment in the water and have engaged with the relevant authorities to resolve this matter. Additionally, the shower drain issue has been successfully resolved. We want to clarify that the water's odor, which you mentioned, is a result of the beachfront location and is not related to sewage.
  Regarding the property's condition, we have recently updated everything, though rust on hinges is an issue due to the coastal environment. The beds and bedding are new, but we apologize if they didn't meet your preferences.
  Thank you for taking the time to share your review.

• Experiences we encountered

  3/5

  Unlocking door was difficult. Water was not useable due to smell. No garbage bags foundHad to purchase toilet paper & paper towels.

  *This review was originally posted on Vrbo

  Manager's Response:

  Bill, we take guest feedback seriously and passed your comments on to the homeowner who would like to share the following:
  "Hi Bill, thanks for staying with us in Surfside Beach. We're disappointed to hear that your stay did not go as smoothly as we would have liked.
  -Regarding the lock, we have a Schlage lock installed that utilizes a number code to enter. We've never had issues with it and the lockbox is only to be used as a backup. If there was any trouble with the locks, we would have been more than happy to assist.
  -We're sorry if you were caught off guard by the water. This is a known issue when Surfside experiences heavy rainfall. For this reason, we ask our guests to bring their own drinking and cooking water and we supply a dispenser for variously sized jugs. When you notified us of this during your stay, my son promptly responded and we purchased chemically treated water filters to address it. I also reached out to our city water department who informed me that the cause was related to the merging of Freeport and Surfside Beach water. We are sorry if this disrupted your stay.
  -As for the essentials, we supply a starter kit for all our guests that consist of 3 rolls of toilet paper in each bathroom, 2 trash bags, and 3 paper towel rolls. This amount has always been enough for our guests and is the standard method for short-term vacation rentals.
  While we do regret our home was not up to your expectations, we truly go above and beyond for our guests, and we are confident that future guests will have excellent stays!"

• 70th Birthday Getaway

  4/5

  We had a nice little getaway. The house was clean. A little small on the main level for our crew. Not enough seating. The house itself is very outdated. Most beds were comfortable, other than one of the beds in the master upstairs, bar in middle is uncomfortable to sleep in. Great location, walk to beach and close to restaurants. House manager was very accommodating, and would stay again if with a lighter crew.

  *This review was originally posted on Vrbo