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January 2024 by Sean Busch
STAY AWAY IF YOU WANT A GOOD VACATION! We spent $15k (~$2k/night; peak rates) to stay in one of their rentals for Christmas Week 2023. We have stayed in over a dozen AirBnBs since 2020 and this is easily the worst place we’ve ever stayed in – 455 Thomas Village Lodge. Here are some key points to the horrible stay.- An incredibly smoky fireplace, to the point where we couldn’t use it without the windows open because the fireplace couldn’t develop the correct updraft. It took us 3 days of trying. We chose this place because it had a wood-burning fireplace. We had 3 young children in our group. It’s a carbon monoxide hazard to have this kind of situation.- The beds were listed as queens. They are full size. We measured them. This is false advertising and again, a key reason we rented this place. How does a primary bedroom have a full-size bed in it???- The beds were the most uncomfortable mattresses we’ve ever had the pleasure of sleeping on. We all continued to rotate beds throughout the house to see if any were better than others. They weren’t. Actually, the basement couch (not a pullout) was the most comfortable “bed” in the whole house. Good foam mattresses are $250 on Amazon. For a $2k a night rental, stop being cheap.- There was a giant pile of dog poop on the back deck from the moment we got there and remained there when we left, despite us alerting the management company the first day. We had the pleasure of walking past it each time we left the house.- I slipped and fell on the icy steps one morning and dislodged their shoddy stone work on the main stairs with my fall. The initial response was that we took out the accident insurance so we wouldn’t be fined for the damage. No concern for my well-being or an apology for not coming to de-ice the steps that morning.- There was a full bag of dirty laundry left in the laundry room upon our arrival.- Not one sink had any hand soap. The containers were there, but they were all empty. Yes, all of them.- Multiple windows were left cracked open upon arrival, which led the house to be quite cold upon arrival.- Multiple dead light bulbs, dirty cookware, and a lack of any general surface cleaning solution.If you think this is unacceptable for $2k a night, the management company offered a whopping $700 refund (total). We pushed back and they said it was good enough. So, we paid $14,300 for a terrible week’s stay.Lastly, it took multiple attempts for this company to even respond to these concerns. At one point, I asked if they even cared about us having a good time … no response.I felt compelled to detail our stay for the general public. On the positive side, it’s likely the worst place we will ever stay in.I hope that others read this and forego a stay with Stowe Country Homes. I wish we did.
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January 2024 by Cynthia Pasquer
Great experience at “Central Park” rental, very close to Stowe Mountain ski resort and to Stowe village. The house was very spacious, super clean and perfectly equipped. We were a family of 5 and all of us enjoyed our stay.
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January 2024 by Julie Miller
The farmhouse apartment was perfect for our Christmas getaway! It was cozy and the kitchen is well-supplied. We will return!!
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January 2024 by Karsten Russell-Wood
Thoughtfully presented homes positioned in the right location to make the most of the vacation experience- professional communication ensured clear checkin and departure , and the caliber of property was unique in character exemplifying the local tradition of design- Stowe Country Homes is your answer to de-risking holiday taking to new places
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January 2024 by nora king
Our recent stay proved to be a letdown, prompting me to reach out to customer service multiple times. While the representatives made an effort, it was done via text and they refused to send tech support.The undisclosed need to physically retrieve keys became a significant inconvenience, contradicting the ease suggested in a review.The unit, unfortunately, showcased its age with an uncomfortable thirty-year-old wooden couch in the living room. This fell short of providing the relaxation we sought during our ski season getaway. Additionally, the promised functional internet-connected TVs were non-operational.Despite our requests, the management company declined to dispatch assistance, offering only an extender for us to set up ourselves to access Netflix. We were left without working local channels on New Year's Eve.Disturbingly, a confrontation erupted within the vicinity, audible on New Year's Eve, further detracting from our experience. There seemed to be some sort of issues a few nights before yet we were out to dinner and didn't hear it but we did hear the one New Years Eve.Safety concerns arose due to the lack of lighting in the front of the unit, leading to a near accident where I almost slipped and injured myself.Access to the pool facilities was denied by the attendant upon our arrival before 9 pm, depriving us of the opportunity to explore the amenities.The most disconcerting aspect was the absence of on-site management or technical support. The entire condo complex, seemingly exclusively used for rentals, displayed signs of wear and tear. Having frequented Stowe numerous times before, I found these accommodations notably disappointing.My primary frustration lies with the lack of effective customer service and the absence of timely callbacks, raising questions about their commitment to support. In all my years of renting in Stowe I have never experienced what took place here.
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January 2024 by Katie Long
Stowe Country Homes is always a delight to work with. They are so professional throughout the whole renting process. When an issue arises, they are on it right away and keep you updated on the status. We had a great holiday renting with them.
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December 2023 by Evan McCrann
Great place, very comfortable.
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December 2023 by Stephen Miller
Great stay and very responsive team. We were there for 30 days and the unit at Red Led via Stowe Country Homes exceeded all of our expectations.
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November 2023 by Elisha Darcey
Excellent resort - loved staying in one of the Villa's. So many resorts now use gas fireplaces so I absolutely loved the wood burning gas fireplace (and the supply of wood). All resort amenities were exceptional including all dining locations, trails, and activities. The staff is amazing. The only possible ding is the wine tasting is more a social event and less about wine education and tasting experience but if you are a casual wine drinker you will still enjoy.
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November 2023 by Cat Carey
I have been going to Stowe with my family for about 15 years. We have had great experiences up until recently. We rented "Mountain Dream" and it ended up being a nightmare. We were there with 8 adults (including my 80-year old grandmother) and 2 young children (toddler and newborn) and came from many hours out of town. The more time we spent here the more clear it was that this place had not been properly cleaned nor inspected. There were about 10 things that happened during our stay that we documented and flagged to Stowe Country Homes, but I will just touch on the most major for the sake of time. When we arrived, our toddler found a Smith and Wesson knife sticking out from under the bed. This is not just a regular kitchen knife, but a very very dangerous knife. Thankfully, we were just a few steps behind her and were able to grab it before she could pick it up. We decided to overlook that even though it was very unnerving as we had just gotten there. The next day, we opened a drawer in the bathroom to find a roll of toilet paper that was torn apart by a mouse and nested inside/mouse poop all over the drawer. This clearly was not new and had been there for a long time. Under the sink in that bathroom was disgusting and also had mouse poop inside. If that wasn't enough we found mold/grime under the table cloth on the dining table and the dishwasher was not anchored into the cabinetry, so almost fell on top of us when we first pulled it out.We made Stowe Country Homes aware of all of this and they were apologetic. I told them we couldn't be inconvenienced to leave because there were 8 adults and 2 small children and we tried to make the best of it even though the conditions were really below any standard that a vacation rental company should be renting out to their customers. I told them that I would want to come up with some sort of settlement to make up for the 1) Obvious lack of cleaning and 2) Failure to inspect the property for hazards/dangers. I mean the mouse nest in the drawer shows a severe lack of cleanliness and is borderline severely dangerous to the health of their guests. I asked Stowe Country Homes for 1 night off (around $700) plus the cleaning fee of $400 for a total of around $1100. We paid around $3,000 altogether. but they were only willing to offer the $400 for cleaning fee credit. They basically stopped answering me and procrastinated enough that the time/energy spent on it was not worth it to me in the end so I ended up accepting the $400 credit even though I didn't feel it was fair. Ultimately, I was going to try to overlook all of this and book with them again next year but really don't think I can after the lack of accountability and ability to settle on a fair credit back. This was just our experience, and it may be an anomaly but from other reviews I have seen especially on Yelp it it not. Stowe Country Homes lost a loyal customer.
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November 2023 by Kelly Lantefield
First, I want to mention that we loved renting through Stowe County Homes. They were EXTREMELY courteous and helpful, and the check in information they emailed us about a week before our stay was PHENOMENAL! The link was so well laid out. It is rare to see a document/link that was is easy to navigate and so helpful.We loved our stay at the Sterling Treehouse. The views were incredible! The wood burning stove and outdoor fire pit added an extra "layer" of coziness to our stay. The decor was nice. The beds were very comfortable. My only complaints (this would definitely not change my decision to stay here) are it would be nice to have a full length mirror and more closet or hanging space for clothes.Overall, this was an EXCEPTIONAL place to stay! I highly recommend it.
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November 2023 by Rob W
To be clear, I want to start my review by saying that my partner and I have been using short term vacation rentals together for over 25 years. In the beginning even using VRBO, it was direct communication with the property owner and no service fees. Now that is almost impossible. There's almost always a management company involved. Again, we are very familiar with the process and have worked with many management companies. So, my absolute disappointment with Stowe Country Homes is well justified and a bit shocking to be handled so poorly after recently renting one of their properties.The property itself was exactly what I expected it to be and seemed clean upon our arrival. One of the things we confirmed about the rental was that it had a clothes washer and dryer. The photos didn't show them but it was in the list of amenities. The management company confirmed that it had the laundry machines and that they were located in the downstairs / basement. On day 2 of our stay we were downstairs doing laundry and happen to notice a camera placed in the corner near a storage room. That was so unusual and we thought are we even supposed be down here? But then yes we did confirm the downstairs and laundry was available to guests! Now I'm feeling a bit uncomfortable and unwelcome. Are there other cameras inside the home? It's very common to have cameras on the exterior but it could not be possible that the management company would allow ANY interior cameras!After checking out we contacted the management company about the camera. They were shocked to learn about this and confirmed that no interior cameras we allowed. We had also asked for a full refund given the circumstances. They said they would have someone from their team go over and inspect the property and get back to us. They eventually did get back to us and offered a one night refund. We did explain again how disturbing it was to find the camera, that it wasn't properly disclosed and we would never stay at any property that had any interior cameras. We asked for a full refund. Next reply we get from them is that they retracted their original offer and considered the matter closed. We did send a reply to that asking that they consider having someone outside of the company tell them how they might feel if this had happened to them. We never got a reply on that.So that's that. Worse treatment we have ever experienced with a short term vacation rental management company. Until now we always felt like the management companies had the guests best interest at heart.
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October 2023 by michael barch
A beautiful home. Well equipped with everything you need in the kitchen and bathrooms. Very Clean. There is a Shaw's 2 minutes away if you need anything. The grounds were well maintained. Both bedrooms have a Queen bed. My only complaint would be that the master would have been better if there was a King bed.
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October 2023 by Laura Jolley
Wonderful location, close to all that Stowe has to offer. Alchemist brewery across the street. Property was clean and comfortable. The fireplace is gas and very convenient. The kitchen view is wonderful, overlooking trees and in the distance a mountain range. We enjoyed our stay and will come back. Thank you.
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October 2023 by betty rocha
Beautiful place to stay. We have been going to Notch Brook Condos for over 30 years. It is in a beautiful location close to the mountain and lots of restaurants. But we love to cook and they have everything that you would need. We loved our stay.
