In July, we decided to take a last-minute family vacation to Door County. Those who have traveled to the area before know that properties are booked months in advance and can be extremely hard to come by at the last minute. And luxury properties are...well, non-existent. But that's alright - we were willing to "rough it" for a few days for the sake of having fun at the beach with the kids. I sent my fiance several available properties that I found on the web site airbnb.com, and asked him to call to see what was still available, as many property owners don't update their calendars regularly. The first call he made was to Sharon at Dreamland Vacation Rentals, who convinced him to forget about the rest of the properties on his list and make the smart choice by booking a recently renovated mobile home in Sturgeon Bay. I'm going to be quite clear about how I feel about Sharon here - I feel like this seemingly sweet little lady conned my fiance into taking a property that he was not interested in by offering him a "low" price. When he expressed concern about the pictures on the web site, Sharon told him not to worry - the entire property had been redone and was brand new and beautiful. She said she would send him pictures just as soon as she could, but he should book immediately to avoid losing the property. She actually told him that if he was looking for "luxury," he would find it at this property. In fairness, the property did undergo quite a bit of work - it appeared there was new carpeting and we knew the bed linens were all completely brand new. But when we arrived, it was missing several things Sharon listed on the web site, including a DVD player (we'd brought movies), cable television, wireless Internet, a fire pit, and a grill. When we mentioned this to Sharon, she blamed the homeowners, saying, "I told them to have all of this ready." At one point, she actually admitted that the homeowners had just had cable installed the previous day (and in my book, that means Sharon shouldn't be listing it on her web site a month prior). In the end, the homeowners brought over a gas grill, called the cable company about why service wasn't working (and got it to work), and ran over to Walmart for a DVD player. They weren't able to do anything about the wireless Internet, but we were able to plug our laptop into the modem for a direct connection. And the property itself was absolutely fine - the homeowners, by the way, were wonderful people who went out of their way to ensure we had a good time. Sharon, on the other hand, never called us again. I would avoid using this property company when booking a vacation in Door County. I don't believe that what you see (online) or hear (via telephone or email) is necessarily truthful, nor do I honestly believe this company has your best interests/vacation needs at heart. read more

My family and I stayed at a property in Sturgeon Bay last weekend and had a great time! The cottage was situated right on the water with a small sand beach with a volleyball net, swing set, three row boats, grill and fire pit. Everything the listing advertised was correct. More importantly was my experience after our stay. After returning home from the trip, I could not locate my wedding & engagement rings (and a pair of earrings, less important). I searched for the better part of a day, then called and emailed Dreamland Properties to let them know I believed I left them at their property. The cleaner was scheduled to clean the property the next day; but instead of having her look for the rings, Debra (I believe the owner?) personally went out to the property to search for the rings. She called me later the same day to tell me SHE FOUND MY RINGS!!! She sent them priority and insured. I offered to send her the money to cover the shipping/insurance prior to her sending it, but she sent it right away trusting me to send her the money after the fact. I have already recommended Dreamland to one of my colleagues, and I will again to anyone who asks for a recommendation in Door County. Our overall experience was incredible, but it's also nice to give business to good people. read more

My husband and I and our two adult children stayed at rental property managed by Dreamland properties last month in Egg Harbor. We also stayed there last summer. The cabin is right on Lake Michigan which makes for a beautiful setting. The cabin is nice and comfortably fit the four of us. Here are my issues: the rental agreement specifically stated that the security deposit is returned within fourteen days. Well....we checked out of the cabin on August 15 so we should have received our deposit back by August 29. On August 28, I called Dreamland and the person I spoke to said she would check and contact me back. I did not receive a call/email back so I sent an email. The postmark of the check, when it finally came, was August 31 ( I wonder if I had not called if/when I would have received it??) The check arrived on September 3 which is five days past the maximum date I should have had it. The point is that I made sure my payments in renting the place were sent in well ahead of schedule; why do they not follow their own contract which says fourteen days for the security deposit to be returned? They do tell you the number of garbage bags, etc. that come with the rental. We were there for three nights and we had four people. Two garbage bags did not cut it, so we had to go buy our own. The sponge left behind to wash the dishes was almost in "ready to throw out" condition. We used it and due to the condition it was in, we went out and bought our own. And yes, I guess it said that no bath soap/shampoo would be provided, but how terrible would it be if they collected the hotel shampoos/soaps to have them there. We paid over $350.00 per day with tax for three nights. For that amount of money, the things I mentioned should have been provided. We should not have had to buy garbage bags and a sponge during our stay. I wondered if the cleaning crew is not checking the status of the very few supplies left there for guests? Again, the setting is lovely and the cabin is very nice. I think with more attention to detail it would be a top-notch rental! read more