My family, including a service member and an immunocompromised 8-year-old recovering from stage 4…read morecancer, booked a 3-night stay for $3,600 using the website's pet-friendly filter. The property description gave zero indication that it was not pet-friendly. At no point during the search, booking, contract signing, or leading up to our stay was there any suggestion that pets were prohibited. Our pet is an FHA-certified service animal, legally protected under the Fair Housing Act (FHA), meaning we are not required to notify the property or pay any fee for its presence. Notification would have been a courtesy, not a legal obligation.
Our stay became a nightmare when management attempted to illegally evict us from midnight to 2 a.m., claiming our service animal breached the contract. This was baseless, given the pet-friendly listing, and a direct violation of federal law, as service animals are exempt from pet restrictions. The harassment was relentless, waking our children, including an infant and our immunocompromised 8-year-old, causing significant distress. Management showed zero ability to de-escalate or handle the situation professionally.
Initially, management tried to force us to move to a neighboring house that stunningly reeked of cigarettes, an unacceptable and health-threatening environment, especially for our immunocompromised child. When we refused, they offered a second "accommodation" at one-third the rental cost we paid--a filthy property infested with cockroaches and fire ants, grossly understocked, and unfit for habitation. We requested police assistance to clarify our rights, but the responding officers were shockingly incompetent, admitting they were "irritated to be called out." Instead of upholding the law, they threatened to arrest us if we didn't pack up and leave, despite this being an illegal eviction attempt without formal notice or court process.
Management's excuse? The owner's child was "highly allergic to dogs." This raises the question: what would have changed between 2 a.m. and 9 a.m. the next morning? This justification was flimsy and irrelevant, given the property's pet-friendly marketing.
Exhausted and traumatized, we checked out early after recovering some rest. The entire experience was unconscionable, marked by tactless, selfish owners and utterly inept property management who endangered our family's health and safety, particularly our immunocompromised child.
We are demanding a full refund of the $3,600 due to the illegal eviction attempt, FHA violation, and uninhabitable conditions. I urgently warn others, especially those with service animals, pets, or vulnerable family members, to avoid Sunflower Beach Resorts and Residences at all costs. The owners and management's disregard for federal law, guest safety, and basic hospitality is deplorable. Save yourself the trauma and book elsewhere.