Blindsided
It is clear that the owners take great pride in their cottage. It is extremely well maintained, exceptionally clean and well stocked with every amenity you would need.
Unfortunately, for my daughter and me, that's all the positive feedback we can offer.
In 30 years of renting on Nantucket (13 in the same house), we have never met the owners, so this was a first. When the owners informed us that they would greet us upon our arrival, we took that as a red flag. They showed us around the cottage and demonstrated how to turn on a stove, a TV, a washing machine and air conditioners, nothing we clearly didn't already know how to do!
During the tour, they told us we could NOT open the windows and had to keep the air conditioners on at all times, so as not to damage the woodwork in their home.
We were totally blindsided by this and speechless as there was no mention of this in the lease agreement. We are lovers of fresh air, cross breezes, especially on an island surrounded by salt air. We did not heed that request and would never have rented this cottage had we known about this in advance. This was major for us. I actually started to look for another place to rent. I was willing to lose my money.
There is a shared driveway so they must pass the cottage every time they come and go. They drove very slowly past the cottage to make sure the windows were closed (we are certain of this because of the text messages I received about closing the windows which I ignored).
We closed them when we left the house, but immediately opened them upon our return.
They also have a huge garden next to where you park your car, so they are walking past the cottage to tend to the garden which is a few yards from the house. This set-up does not allow for privacy at all!
The house is dark. If the sun shines through, it's not when we were there, mornings and early evening. The cottage is surrounded by several trees which provide a great deal of shade. Bottom line, if you love fresh air and sunlight and complete privacy to come and go as you wish, without feeling like the owners have an eye on things, then do no rent this cottage.
There are so many rules that you feel you are being micromanaged. No shoes allowed, (not a biggie), absolutely not one grain of sand allowed inside, must shower outside after returning from the beach, no wet clothes allowed indoors, no windows open inside. We were stressed to the max. It was a high anxiety experience and almost completely ruined our long awaited return to the island.
As for the location, Tom Nevers is like a corn maze made up of streets that look exactly the same. You can drive around and have no idea where you are going or how to find your way back. It offers total isolation, which during Covid, was the only reason it appealed to us. It was our first time there and definitely our last.
The owners left a note on my car the day before our departure, reminding us to be out by 9am and that they would be there at 8:45am to say goodbye. Just what we needed when all we wanted was to pack up our car, tidy up the house, be on our way and never look back.
Experience with homeowner:
Return to rental or recommend to friend:
Date of Stay: August 2021
Date Submitted: September 2021
Owner Response:
We are so surprised and bummed out by your negative review and to read that you were so terribly unhappy with your time in our cottage and the area of Tom Nevers. As you point out, we take great care of the cottage, it's super clean, well stocked, and we take pride in its surroundings and the amenities we offer.
Rita, I had multiple interactions with you during the 5 months before your arrival in August, as I do with all the potential guests by phone call, email and text. The lease detailed all conditions and considerations and invited any questions and concerns. We enjoyed meeting you and your daughter, baking you some welcome cookies, telling you a little about the Tom Nevers East area and sharing our tomatoes, cukes and basil from our garden. On the few occasions we encountered you, it was fun to hear of your beach days at Fisherman's. We were grateful to also have my husband, Bob be able to help you immediately when you locked yourselves out of the cottage!
For the past 8 years, our practice of taking time with our guests, meeting and greeting them, and being close by and available if needed, as well as reviewing the quirks of the house, the appliances and systems, has worked well for our us and our visitors. Almost every one of them has told us they were so appreciative of this, and we feel these interactions are why the cottage has consistently received 5-star reviews.
Our lease agreement does have line items of special considerations such as the understanding of wet towels on furniture, sand in the house, outside showering after beach, etc. For many this could be their first beach or island vacation. We feel it is important to explain how our septic system works, why having windows open is problematic when it is wet and humid out, how to operate the Smart TV, etc. This information and follow through impacts the quality of our guests' stay as well as that of subsequent guests. I need to point out that your vacation week was when Hurricane Henri was bearing down on the island with thunderstorms, lightening and some gloomy, cloudy mornings. Poor weather can be a disappointment and a fright for so many and we were particularly solicitous of your and the property's safety.
We can only say we are sorry you were so dissatisfied in the offerings at our cottage and for your having feelings of micromanagement and a perception of us slowly passing the cottage as if we were spying on you is so very unfortunate. But I can't account for someone's feelings or anxiety however I respectfully acknowledge them. Your thoughtfulness at checkout was so very much appreciated. I hope your next Nantucket Rental will be a dream spot.
I have confidence that potential vacationers will look closely at our previous reviews, read what this particular reviewer had to say and determine if our cottage is the right fit for you. We hope it is!