The view from the deck of Lake Erie was absolutely gorgeous. My family of 4 rented the property with another family of 4 with kids ages 13, 12, 12 and 8. There was some confusion about check in time because the VRBO site said 4:00 and the email we got said 3:00. This was problematic since we were traveling 7 1/2 hours to get there and did not hear back until halfway through our drive there, which was a little frustrating.
Dave was very responsive when I asked about propane for the grill, he brought it over shortly after we asked and also got the fire pit out for us.
The house was clean and comfortable. Plenty of blankets to snuggle with in the living room, appliances were updated and there were AC units in every room. The sunroom was our favorite place to hang when the bugs came out at night and during the chilly mornings. Lots of cedar waxwings and we saw a bald eagle a couple of times.
Some issues with the house - the downstairs bathroom does not close or lock in any capacity. Most doorknobs in the house don’t turn but there are secondary locks added to help alleviate that problem. If my kids were younger this may have been an issue. The upstairs bathroom (not shown in photos) has not been updated since the 50s and while we weren’t trying for style points, the sink is incredibly slow draining and there is no fan for steam. Some convenience items would’ve made a big difference in sharing this house with 8 people. We were lacking hooks in bedrooms for used bathroom towels so they weren’t all jumbled in the shared space as well as a mirror in each bedroom so one can get ready in the bedroom rather than hog the bathroom. My biggest issue with this house is that the downstairs bedroom, which is clearly for children with 3 beds in it, has no emergency exit. There is a door just outside the room with “emergency exit” handwritten on it, but it is nailed shut. The only window in that room is glass blocks and can’t be opened. I’m not sure how this passed safety codes.
The walk down to the beach is very steep with lots of stairs, both wooden and concrete. This was not an issue for us but certainly would be for young children or those with mobility issues. The concrete was incredibly slippery after it rained. A good pressure wash would fix that problem.
I wanted to give more positive feedback but am only allotted so many words and I felt these points were important. Overall we had a really great trip exploring Buffalo/Niagara Falls.