overall representation of villa - it was obvious from first walking in to the property that the photographs used on the VRBO web site are well out of date and in some instances very misleading:-
• there is a photo of the lanai with a bbq - in reality is there is no bbq available
• the photo of the pool area shows a sunlit area with a small hedge in the background - in reality the whole area is now completely overshadowed by two fully grown oak trees, meaning little sunlight in that area and all the associated detritus from the tree making the lanai and frame permanently dirty.
• the furniture in the lanai is rusty and dirty and does not look like it has been replaced since the original photos were taken
• the upholstery in the living room is 'tired' with one of the sofas needing additional makeshift support under the seat cushion
issues we raised with property management
• general cleanliness - about a dozen dead caterpillars on the floor throughout the villa
• en-suite toilet flange leaking
• laundry found in the tumble dryer
• pool light not working and pool floor unclean
• front right element of cooker not working
• oven light not working
• hairs on cooker and in fridge
• insufficient bedding for a two week stay
• the sheets available on the bed my wife used (the Queen bed) were threadbare
• the landline telephone only held charge for 2 minutes
The issues outlined above were bad enough and we feel that the VRBO listing gives a false favourable impression. However, the experience during the hurricane was extremely worrying and not acceptable.
We have vacationed many times in villas along the gulf coast and this was the first one we had stayed at that had no first aid kit, not a single torch, nor a folder with essential emergency information.
On top of this we had no support or advice from property management in the lead up to, or during the hurricane. This despite me emailing them, ringing them numerous times and leaving voice mail.
It was left to my wife and I to best secure your villa, including moving the heavy lanai furniture into the property. However, with no boarding on the windows we felt highly insecure.
Three days post the hurricane strike, property management surfaced to deal with a broken garage door spring we notified them about, and the electronic door lock not working. The pool was also unusable for the week after the hurricane and we had seen no pool maintenance people since arriving up to the day we departed.