The property is lovely and there are many places for people to gather. That said, the main living area is not well suited for a gathering of 14. We could not eat or watch a movie together without adjusting furniture to make it work. A smaller group should do fine. Dealing with the owners is another matter.
I don't believe there are cameras inside the home, but they are outside, as well as sensors on the doors and windows, and the owner controlled the thermostat remotely (some rooms were cold while others were too hot). I can understand monitoring one’s property; however, the technology, together with the things said, made it clear they were watching during our stay. It made me uncomfortable.
A week later, I got a call from the owner who stated he just arrived at the property and was aghast at the condition in which we left it. Our conversation lasted about 15 mins and I said very little. He unleashed a profanity-laced barrage of insults and accusations upon me. He was angry that we had been in his garage, though is wife offered it to us prior to check in and gave me the code to use it. He was angry that we touched his golf cart, but again, his wife had offered it for our use. He was angry there were pinholes in the wall surrounding the dart board, and that we had changed his TV settings so we could use our Roku and game console, and he was angry claiming that we had misused and broken the garbage disposal. It did leak, requiring repair, however we did not misuse it.
I have gone over the events several times and I really think there were several factors at play. I think this rental is their primary home which they vacated so we could be there. When we came in, we adjusted the furniture and plugged in our Roku so we could be comfortable as a big family. I would not be happy if someone came into my home and did that…which is why I don’t rent it. At the end of our stay, we moved the furniture back, cleaned according to the online instructions, and left by the appointed time. If they did not use a cleaning service (as I suspect), the owners walked into a house that had had14 men, women, teens, children, and babies in it for 9 days…It was lived in, but not destroyed as accused. I know we are a large group of varying ages and that is a lot on a house for 9 days. It’s also why I pay the extra for insurance and cleaning. These owners are not prepared for a large group in their home for that long, and I would not recommend it.