Wow, where to start?
The gas fireplace didn't work, the maintenance guy tried to fix it and sparks started shooting out like some movie comedy. We decided NOT to use it for the rest of the week, besides it was getting warm by now in July. No probs right?
Only it wasn't funny when we came back the next afternoon to find the fireplace had turned on by itself and there was smoke everywhere.
Smoke detectors right? Er, no. The fireplace has a two-way view into the top bedroom you see so there's no privacy for the folks in there. Our in-laws put a suitcase in front to block the view from the living room and afford some privacy. When the fireplace went on by itself this started melting, hence the smoke. It's amazing the whole place didn't go up in flames. Very scary in hindsight. The central fire\smoke system wasn't working so be aware of this. The place was almost alight when we returned from a morning hike. It was like a sauna with melting suitcases. No smoke detectors went off.
Oh, and the upstairs bedroom bathroom sink leaked all over the place.
And the lights in the downstairs bathroom were almost all out. The last of three bulbs went the day we left and it was dark. By that time we were tired of calling the office and "complaining".
Management was pretty responsive but, and I didn't realize this, each unit is owned by a separate investor; it's not like a "hotel". Ahh. Each one, according to the maintenance guys, has different fixtures, fittings, fridges, fans, fireplaces - so they have to keep mountains of different parts to keep them all running. A logistical nightmare.
I guess no-one ever called in the broken fire detector hanging by a thread in our room downstairs. In fact it seems like none of the guests ever called in ANY of the broken stuff in the cabin over the years. Maybe in Minnesota people don't complain? But it's not complaining - you'd actually be helping the next folks who stay there because the stuff would get fixed and the management was actually pretty responsive. The maintenance guys were there almost the entire second day of our trip.
Other than that it was a gorgeous view, right on the lake. Plenty of biting flies and mosquitoes but the complex pool was great, the towels fluffy and great activities (nature stuff) for the kids to do. The other cabins could be quite different since they have different owners but No. 24 was a veritable mess. I think we left it in better condition than we found it. Most of the broken stuff was fixed (apart from the downstairs bathroom bulbs.) I wonder if the next quests will call it in or just "live with it"? read more
