Emerald Island Villa : My Review

[tbrenk]

We rented a villa for 8 nights. The home itself was very nice and was located on a cul-de-sac not far from the club house, so location was perfect. It was nice and quiet.

Emerald Island is so close to the parks. We used the Sherberth Rd. short cut and we were at the parks in no time. I loved having so many places to eat when we got tired of the fried Disney food.

The house could have been kept a bit cleaner - the floors looked like they haven't been cleaned in awhile., the towels were paper thin and old and there were not many there, esp since the home has 6 bedrooms. Other than that it was fine.

We had a problem with the refridgerator. It wasn't keep our food cold, so we had to go out and buy an ice chest and fill it with ice to keep perishables cold. They did come the next day and fix that problem.

The one major problem we had was the pool. We paid for pool heat. We contacted the Management Co that the owner uses and was told that they had problems with the past renters. They said that they would have to by pass the system (whateer that means). I feel we should have been notified.

The first 3 days, the heat was not working and the pool was freezing even with the cover on during the day. We called and was told it would be fixed. Then on Wed, when it was close to 90 degrees, we couldn't wait to get back and use the pool. When we got home, the water was so hot. My husband went and bought a thermometer and it turns out that the water was 99 degress.

I emailed the owner that lives in England and he said he was told by the Man Co. that they monitored the temperature of the pool daily and that the temp was safe. There is no way that was true. You couldn't even get in and enjoy the pool.

I asked for a refund for the pool. We rented a home with a pool to enjoy it, not sit there and look at it. When you are at the parks all day in 90 degree heat, you want to come back and enjoy the pool. I haven't heard back from the owner yet, but I hope that he will be fair.

 

[mbb]

Gald that you liked the home, and the location!

But that's too bad about the pool
Ugh.

That's my biggest obsession when it comes to choosing a rental home..
How is the pool heated?
And do you trust your MC?

Because if the pool heat isn't right, then the vacation dream of lovely evenings in your private oasis is down the tube...

Sadly, there are many owners that just can't get to their homes that often, and really have to rely on the MC to be their eyes and ears, and have that high standard of service when it comes to looking after a vacation home.

It's not that they're "bad owners", they just have to rely on the info provided to them...and the MC is the primary contact for them.

I hope the owner is fair to you as well. Passing along a portion, or all of, the pool heat expense is fine...if it works.

If it doesn't, and they have had experience in the past that it's not working properly, then why wasn't it fixed..???

Let us know how it turns out...

 

[SondraC]

Thanks for the review!

I hope everything works out for you. We are in the process of trying to find a villa for our trip.

Keep us posted.

Sondra

 

[isla bonita]

I am glad you like Emerald Island but am also sorry that you did not have a great experience in the home.

They are all owned individually so the differences vary a lot. Things happen just like they do at the homes we all live in. It is how we deal with the problems that make a difference.

Recently I had a guest call and say the freezer was not keeping the icecream cold enough. Called our M/C they checked it out. Called Best Buy had a new one later that evening. Our guests I am sure were not happy about their ice cream melting but they also knew I was on top of things as I could be. They were not left hanging to fend for themselves.

Please do not judge all home owners as you do them. There are many of us who go the extra mile and try to do the very best for our guests. Things will happen that is life it is how you handle them that makes the world of difference.

 

[mareed]

The house could have been kept a bit cleaner - the floors looked like they haven't been cleaned in awhile., the towels were paper thin and old and there were not many there, esp since the home has 6 bedrooms. Other than that it was fine.

What is it with the rental places not having enough towels?! I've had to call the mgmt. company for more towels at the last 2 places we've been (townhomes at EI and WP). I think each place had 2 hand towels for either 3 or 4 bathrooms. The first mgmt. company did bring more towels including hand towels the next day. The second one brough more towels, but they brought 2 different sizes of bath towels, and still no hand towels. We ended up just using the smaller bath towels as hand towels.

I know to bring my own wash cloths now at these places, but I assumed hand towels would be there.

Did you call the mgmt. company to ask for more towels? For 6 bedrooms, I'd expect at least one and possibly two sets of towels for each person, so between 12-24 bath towels.

 

[isla bonita]

Just a suggestion.

Ask the owner what is at the home. I think that will give you and idea how stocked the home is.

Also I would mention to the owners that there are not enough linens for the size of the home in an email when you retun. Also if the home is lacking anything else. Let us know what you really, really want. Not all people vacation the same way and the requests will help future guests.

 

[5mins2disney]

Sometimes you get what you pay for too...you find a place that seems super cheap..and it isn't well stocked or equipped. Our home has 3-4 sets of towels in every bathroom, tons of pool towels as well, and tons of all kinds of extra little amenities, VERY well stocked. There's a big difference sometimes in quality of the homes, the furnishings, amenitues, that sort of thing from home-home, but yet, some people absolutely try and beat me up on price because we charge $5-10 more per night than some others...go figure!

 

[KayR]

Glad you enjoyed Emerald Island, but shame about the problems you encountered.

The pool heat issue is certainly annoying and I understand how pivotal it can be to a vacation.

Problems can arise in any accommodation, but often it is how the problem is handled rather than the problem itself.

I would certainly recommend letting the owner know the issues and facts. Sometimes owners rely on their management companies and also guests to give them feedback about what is not working (both in the home and sometimes with the management company). I know I would want to know if any area of my home were not performing correctly. Firstly it would allow me to rectify the problem ASAP, secondly it would allow me to provide any corrective measures with the guest and lastly it would let me know how my management company is performing.

If it were my home, I would be considering firing my management company and refunding you the pool heat charge. Not all problems can be avoided, but they can be handled appropriately and in a fair and courteous manner.

I hope you do get a refund of your pool heat. Good luck and let us know how you get on. We hope you will be back to Emerald Island at your next visit.

-Kay

 

[tbrenk]

Sometimes you get what you pay for too...you find a place that seems super cheap..and it isn't well stocked or equipped. Our home has 3-4 sets of towels in every bathroom, tons of pool towels as well, and tons of all kinds of extra little amenities, VERY well stocked. There's a big difference sometimes in quality of the homes, the furnishings, amenitues, that sort of thing from home-home, but yet, some people absolutely try and beat me up on price because we charge $5-10 more per night than some others...go figure!

We paid $1900 for the 8 nights, so it wasn't cheap. Having enough towels for a 5 1/2 bathroom home isn't alot to ask for. I could have had more towels at a budget hotel.

 

[tbrenk]

I am glad you like Emerald Island but am also sorry that you did not have a great experience in the home.

They are all owned individually so the differences vary a lot. Things happen just like they do at the homes we all live in. It is how we deal with the problems that make a difference.

Recently I had a guest call and say the freezer was not keeping the icecream cold enough. Called our M/C they checked it out. Called Best Buy had a new one later that evening. Our guests I am sure were not happy about their ice cream melting but they also knew I was on top of things as I could be. They were not left hanging to fend for themselves.

Please do not judge all home owners as you do them. There are many of us who go the extra mile and try to do the very best for our guests. Things will happen that is life it is how you handle them that makes the world of difference.

I never said I would judge other owners on my experience. I wouldn't hesitate to vacation again in Emerald Island.

 

[tbrenk]

I know all owners are different. I would never judge people that way. I also would vacation in EI again.

What is bothering me is that the owner is acting like we are making it up. He keeps saying what the management company said. All I know is we had 5 kids that were very upset that they could not swim the whole trip.

 

[tbrenk]

Just a suggestion.

Ask the owner what is at the home. I think that will give you and idea how stocked the home is.

Also I would mention to the owners that there are not enough linens for the size of the home in an email when you retun. Also if the home is lacking anything else. Let us know what you really, really want. Not all people vacation the same way and the requests will help future guests.

I inquired about towels and he said they supply bathroom towels and not pool towels. It never occured to me to ask how many. I thought with 5 1/2 bathrooms there would be ample supply.

 

[5mins2disney]

I inquired about towels and he said they supply bathroom towels and not pool towels. It never occured to me to ask how many. I thought with 5 1/2 bathrooms there would be ample supply.

I've heard of homeowners that don't supply pool towels, and it just amazes me! First of all, it's a pool home, right!? So, you want your guests using your bathroom towels for swimming? Bringing their own? (NOT!)

In Windsor Hills, for instance, what are they going to take to the clubhouse pool if they go over there? We never want people to feel like they need to bring ANYthing with them other than their clothes! We probably err on the side of having too much stuff here.

It's too bad the owner is acting like there's no issues, maybe that's what the MC is telling them. My SIL/BIL rented a home in Four Corners last week, and the pool heat was broken. They called the MC to look at it, and the MC started yelling at my BIL because he had mistakenly locked the screen door to the pool lanai (he didn't know not to...but really...YELLing at a guest!?). He of course didnt' stand for this, and they got in a nice heated argument! LOL

They commented the home was "dirty"....the linens and towels all need replacing, and there weren't enough, and the bad MC just capped it off. They stayed with us last year and wished they had stayed with our MC in WHR again, they said they were very sorry they hadn't, night and day difference in the quality of the homes, and the MCs.

I told them to let the owner know about these things, nicely, in an email. If the owners don't get guest feedback, they can't fix it. Now, if they get the feedback and choose to ignore it, that's another matter altogether of course.

Rental homes take a LOT more wear and tear / abuse than a normal home,
things need constant maintenance and replacing. I spent 2 hours touching up painted walls yesterday for instance!

Anyhow, gotta run, off to Disney MGM this morning!

Cheers!
- George

 

[KayR]

I inquired about towels and he said they supply bathroom towels and not pool towels. It never occured to me to ask how many. I thought with 5 1/2 bathrooms there would be ample supply.

In my mind that is a basic necessity - a certain number of towels (we work on 2 bath towels per guest which is 32 bath towels in our home, plus hand towels and face cloths). Towels do go astray sometimes, but a good manco and owner should be on top of things with regular checks.

George - as far as pool towels, we don't provide them because IF guests leave all the towels in our home for cleaning, we would have 32 thick fluffy bath towels, plus numerous hand towels and face cloths for washing. It takes a LONG time to get everything ready in a 6 or 7 bedroom home and as you know we only have a few hours to get the home turned around. It is slightly different for a town home as there are less towels & linens to launder. There are a number of things that we would love to do/provide, but have to find the best way to handle them.

tbrenk - What home was this you rented?

--Kay

 

[tbrenk]

In my mind that is a basic necessity - a certain number of towels (we work on 2 bath towels per guest which is 32 bath towels in our home, plus hand towels and face cloths). Towels do go astray sometimes, but a good manco and owner should be on top of things with regular checks.

George - as far as pool towels, we don't provide them because IF guests leave all the towels in our home for cleaning, we would have 32 thick fluffy bath towels, plus numerous hand towels and face cloths for washing. It takes a LONG time to get everything ready in a 6 or 7 bedroom home and as you know we only have a few hours to get the home turned around. It is slightly different for a town home as there are less towels & linens to launder. There are a number of things that we would love to do/provide, but have to find the best way to handle them.

tbrenk - What home was this you rented?

--Kay

Kay...do you mean the address of the home?

 

[KayR]

A URL for the home, or the home name, and the owners name. I just want to see if I know of the home and or the owner - I can also ask other owners at EI to see if they know of the home/owner

--Kay

 

[5mins2disney]

In my mind that is a basic necessity - a certain number of towels (we work on 2 bath towels per guest which is 32 bath towels in our home, plus hand towels and face cloths). Towels do go astray sometimes, but a good manco and owner should be on top of things with regular checks.

George - as far as pool towels, we don't provide them because IF guests leave all the towels in our home for cleaning, we would have 32 thick fluffy bath towels, plus numerous hand towels and face cloths for washing. It takes a LONG time to get everything ready in a 6 or 7 bedroom home and as you know we only have a few hours to get the home turned around. It is slightly different for a town home as there are less towels & linens to launder. There are a number of things that we would love to do/provide, but have to find the best way to handle them.

tbrenk - What home was this you rented?

--Kay

Yes, turnarounds are tough on the cleaners, but the MC says they just have to get it done, and it CAN be done! You wouldn't believe how many towels we have here! LOL My DW just informed me she's planning on going to Walmart and buying even more tomorrow too! LOL

Do your guests just use the bath towels in the pool then I would imagine?


We would rather they have dedicated pool towels I guess...I don't know..the linens, decorating, furnishings, that's all DW's end of things! ROFL I do the website, bookings, MC and guest stuff...more than enough to keep my busy!

I will say this though...I feel it's important that the owners stay in the homes they own regularly. We notice little "detail" items each time we're down for instance, that we improve upon, and they're things we would never notice if we weren't here regularly. For instance, we noticed when we first bought the home there weren't shower hooks anywhere near the master BR shower... a trivial item for sure...but sure nice to have a towel handy!

At the moment, I'm about to throw out our coffee maker too as it keeps being problematic, and buy a more reliable unit. An "absentee" owner would never notice such a thing, and more likely tell a guest like the OP that it's "not a problem". Oh really!? Have you been there recently and used it yourself!? LOL