Tree House Tranquil-A-Tree Romantic Escape

Thanks for your feedback. We appreciate it when guests notify the treehousekeeper or us of any problems they have so it can be taken care of during their stay. For example, we checked and found that the cassette player works just fine. Had you notified the treehousekeeper, she could have helped you with it. We’ve asked our treehousekeeper to take particular note of the toaster and other appliances. Roy went up and checked in person after seeing your comment about “a level of grime on anything you touched,” but did not find that to be the case. However, pots that hang over the stove may start out clean yet pick up ambient cooking aerosols after they have been cleaned, and dishes washed in high-mineral content water will not sparkle as though washed in soft water. We’re glad that your stay was fine, and appreciate your letting us know about the things that need attention.

Thank you for your feedback. Although the listing clearly states caretakers live on the property, we revised the listing to be more clear. For others reading this: Other buildings on the property are a city block or more away; the nearest building has no windows facing the treehouse; and all who live &/or work on the property respect the privacy of our guests. Tree branches had filtered the view from the treehouse but for safety reasons had to be removed. The trees planted to replace the screening did not survive the extreme summer conditions. We have made & installed kitchen curtains so our guests can choose their view while new trees are planted and grow to provide a living screen. It is standard for any vacation house rental to provide “house rules” and instructions about what is expected of guests. Since there are fewer environmental/recycling options in the country, we encourage our guests to help respect and honor our home, the earth. Although guests do have certain responsibilities in leaving the treehouse in good tidy condition, there is a lot more which the treehousekeeper does in preparation for each stay including on-going maintenance. Some guests require more attention than others -- we encourage guests to communicate their needs to the treehousekeeper. Leaving a gratuity is an optional custom. We were shocked to hear about the dog hair. Clean sheets and pillow cases are used for each guest, but it turns out that the sheets used during your visit generate static cling and attracted random hair floating in the air. Our treehousekeeper works diligently to catch things like that, and she adds her apology to ours for missing it. We have removed those sheets from service to avoid this happening again. Regarding poop on the trail: we remove animal droppings when they are found – whether from domestic or wild animals. Although the treehousekeeper patrols the walkway prior to a guest’s arrival, she cannot control when or where wildlife does its business. Respecting a guest’s privacy, she does not walk the area unless requested. While we appreciate your going the extra mile, had you notified the treehousekeeper about the grill brush missing, she would have provided one. We keep spare supplies on hand because the ones left out for our guests’ use have a tendency to disappear. Please let us know the cost: we will reimburse you for the grill brush you purchased. Thank you. We appreciate knowing how we can to improve our guests' experience.

None of this would have happened had not the guest violated his terms of rental instead of asking if he could bring extra guest. The reservation was for 2. Maximum occupancy is 4. Had he asked, we could have explained the accommodation & space limitations in more detail, discussed any concerns, worked out payment for additional guests as well as prepare accordingly. Nothing was ever mentioned even during his call to update his ETA. Arriving after dark with 3 unexpected extra guests, he did not check in with the treehousekeepers. When asked Saturday to confirm the number of extra guests so she could provide extra supplies if they would be staying on, our treehousekeeper was informed they brought their own bedding & towels because they were fine with sleeping on the floor & thought no one would be around to notice. HomeAway advised us as they were in violation of the rental terms that we, the owners, could request additional payment or evict them. Opting to work things out, we gave him the option of either paying cash or via HomeAway for the extra guests. He was also told where on the property he could get a better cell signal (he already was texting or emailing his brother). There was no need to hunt down an ATM. They were not threatened with eviction: they were told only that no additional guests could stay Saturday night without payment for additional guests. The hottub performed exactly as the safety features were designed: when the number, size and/or behavior of those using the hot tub displace enough water that the water level falls below the filter valves, the safety features activate to prevent an unsafe water condition. When notified of the problem, treehousekeeper refilled the hot tub, checked the water quality, ensured the hot tub was working properly, & explained to the guests what happened, how to avoid it happening again, & what to do. That it happened again is a result of continued misuse by the guests. Our guests’ privacy is important to us. Everyone who lives or works on the property knows & respects this. The small child running over to the lower deck with “Bruiser” (the resident dog noted in our listing) was the child of someone visiting another part of property. It happened once. All parties involved have been told this is not acceptable: it won’t happen again. That our treehousekeeper interacted with the guests as much as she did is entirely a result of guests’ actions. Our hospitality was abused, our property misused.