This is our third summer vacationing in the Bitterroot Valley, and we absolutely love the area. That being said, this is the first time that we did not enjoy the location that we stayed. On the positive side, house had a nice view of a pond where we got to watch two young families of Canadian geese grow and mature. The house was a little on the small side but worked just fine for our needs. Also, Janelle (one of the owners) was very kind and charming.
On the negative side, we were not aware from the listing that the house was basically a guest house that was mere feet from the main residence of the owners. Normally when we rent one of these places, we do not have an immediate neighbor that is always there watching over us. As we immediately learned upon arriving, Gary (one of the two owners) is always around to monitor everything. His bedroom window overlooks the guest house.
When we vacation, we like to know that we have the freedom to come and go as we please, without feeling like we are being monitored or disturbing anyone. When we finally made it in from Dallas (a long drive), in the initial greeting, which felt more like a test of our worthiness than a welcoming, we were informed by Gary that he was an early bird and was always in bed by 9 PM. This came after I told him that we were night-owls, and preferred to stay up late on our vacations.
From that point on, we spent the entire time trying to alter our normal vacationing patterns so that not be a bother to our hosts. Also, in the process of walking on eggshells we had constant reminders from Gary telling us what he did or did not want. For example, we brought two dogs with us, and he asked us to please walk them in an adjoining field, and then he proceeded to water the field so much that it turned into a veritable marsh, making it impossible to walk there without getting dirty.
Also, while we were there Gary kept trying to get us to buy his house, or have him show us other homes (he is a realtor). He did this even though I repeatedly told him we were on vacation and only wanted to relax.
In summation, I think my wife described it best, vacationing at this house was like staying with an overbearing uncle but paying for it. That might be what some people really love, but for us when we go on a trip, we simply want to relax and be left alone.