1/2-I look at two categories when traveling with the kids: Did the 1) location/access and 2) facility allow for a terrific vacation experience? This property fit the mold very well.
Location: Perfect location. Close to bars and restaurants on Mid Island which were family friendly, but still cool enough for my wife and I to grab drinks. Close enough to North Island to access all the shops, restaurants, the pier, etc. Close enough to the South to access the parks and get around the traffic of North Island to access Hammond Field and Jet Blue Park easily. Close enough to the beach so we could access the house easily for snacks, drinks and restroom stops.
Facility: I’ll start with a few improvements that can be made. First, the cable didn’t work appropriately in the third bedroom. The remote could increase/decrease the volume but did nothing else. I could’ve worked on it, but I’m on vacation. Last thing I want to do is deal with issues. Easy fix. Second, accessing the pool was clumsy. You had to go through the garage using the garage door remote. The other option was to use a key to lock and unlock the pool screen doors. We didn’t find those keys until halfway through the week. The access to the basement is locked off. That would have made life a whole lot easier. I imagine cleaning supplies, security system, the owner’s personal belongings are in the inaccessible areas, but improving this is a must. Third, they could use an upgrade on the amenities. One of the bikes handlebars were installed backwards, the breaks barely worked, and the grips were barely on. The pool chairs were ripped and rusty, but worked. The beach umbrella didn’t function. The beach cart was broken with a wheel that fell off. There was no deck umbrella. It would have been nice to sit on the deck with shade after a good burn. Next, limited privacy. I don’t care about the foot traffic, but if you do, there were always a lot of people walking by during the day. They were very friendly. A privacy fence could help. Lastly, and most importantly, the door lock is an issue. The lock doesn’t work easily or consistently. It caused major delays with leaving for the beach, lunch, dinner, etc. It was probably user error, but I’m a sensible and handy person and this became annoying and avoidable. The management team was very responsive with how to access the house, but the workaround was inconvenient. All easy fixes and none of which would change our mind on returning to this property.
