Jewel By the Sea was a very nice cottage, but we had a few issues during our stay that were not handled efficiently by the management company, Sanctuary Vacation Rentals. I had some basic questions prior to arrival that I had to email a couple times in order to get a response. During our stay the lack of communication continued - I had two "concierge" property managers but my emails bounced around and I got out of office replies and no answers, despite cc'ing both managers and the office. I eventually did get responses, but they were not timely nor very helpful. The 1st night of our stay the oven did not work, and the gas stovetop was usable, but not functioning properly. The 2nd day of our stay we realized the freezer also wasn't working. We were a group of 7 and trying to cook most meals at home, so this was a challenge. The stovetop was fixed after a couple emails, and we fixed the oven ourselves by googling the instructions after not getting a response from the manager (turns out this brand of oven literally won't work if the clock isn't set - it's not intuitive at all). The freezer was eventually fixed towards the end our stay, and the manager gave us a small refund, though I would have been happier if they had simply been more responsive.
We could only operate one of the the 3 heated bathroom floors. The Nest thermostat was preprogrammed to drop the heat in the afternoons and overnight.
Home was clean, though the carpets were stained and some basics were missing such as washcloths & extra items in the kitchen.
Beds were adequate, though without headboards or comfortable mattress toppers I've usually had at higher end homes.
The location is great (aside from the neighbors displays of signs against short term rentals) - within walking distance to many restaurants, a playground, and the beach. The layout of the house is nice - it has great curb appeal.
This could definitely be a 5 star property with a few tweaks of the amenities and a better management company. I can tell the home is well loved and it has some great features, so I was disappointed we had some hiccups during our stay that weren't easily resolved. Turns out the Guest Relations Manager was out of town during our stay, so hopefully next time he's on spring break (as we were) the guests will be left in better hands.
