Overall, the property itself is impressive. The outdoor amenities are fantastic and accommodate all ages. While we had a few issues with the pool and hot tub heating, this was not a primary concern and the service responded promptly to our call. The concerns and rating are related to cleanliness and interactions with the owner on these concerns. Here are 3 specific examples: 1) the most significant concern is that we found hair and cracker crumbs in some of the sheets the first night. This was not a single random strand of long hair but multiple short pieces of hair. Given it was late, we used the extra clean sheets found in a closet. 2) Within a couple hours of arriving, our feet were super dirty from walking inside (not outside) in our bare feet. While it is the desert, it seems highly unlikely that feet would be that dirty that quickly if the floor was mopped earlier in the day. 3) We found a pile of dirty laundry in one of the closets. It is understandable that it would be difficult to complete all the laundry for a property of this size within the 6 hours between check-in and checkout, however it is not acceptable to leave a large pile in a closet accessible to guests.
When I shared the above findings with Robin and even offered to send pictures, the response I received lacked any element of customer service. He stated, "your comments are just wrong and all you had to do is call the customer service number". This is true, we could have called at 10pm and waited for someone to come to change the sheets, however, no reasonable guest would expect to find hair and crackers in the bed sheets on the first night. His response went on to state, “to think it was not mopped or beds not made is just plain silly. Because we are affluent enough to purchase such a lavish estate, you paid the same nightly rate of a 200 ft hotel room at any resort near here. We do get travelers from cheap states like Wisconsin, Minnesota, the Dakotas (where homes are $50-60K) that have no clue the value they are receiving…". As you might guess, I am a resident of one of those states. He closed with "If you are indeed not happy, please leave right now and we will credit the last night of your stay". While the property has great amenities, based on our experience the cleanliness and interactions with Robin have resulted in a lower rating.