Basswood Lodge

Our family vacation turned out to be fun after the rocky start at the Rinestone Cowboy. We were stuck outside for nearly two hours when we arrived because the door code failed, and customer service wouldn't answer or call back. It was 7:30pm on Sunday. After several tries, all we got was texting back and forth, which was frustrating while we were stranded. Maintenance eventually came and let us in, and the man was apologetic. Customer service was awful at first. We should've asked for a discount for that arrival day, but just let it go. The rest of the stay was good, and we'd probably rent here again. One thing that would help small families is a sofa or couch in the unit so we can all sit comfortably together. Stay blessed, the Rileys!

Construction next door turned what was supposed to be a quiet mountain getaway into a noisy week. We stayed at The View from 10-30-2022 until 11-05-2022, our third ESR properties booking and second time in this cabin. A new cabin was being built about 30 yards from the front door. For around 10 hours each day, there were nail guns, dropped lumber, a beeping boom lift, people hollering, saws, and more. That disrupted about 42 percent of each day. ESR's site gives the impression of a secluded, peaceful setting, and this wasn't close to that. There was a check-in delay, which I understand, and some cleaning problems: used soap bars in the bathrooms and soiled towels in the tubs and showers. ESR offered to send cleaners back quickly, but we handled it ourselves so we could start our relaxing vacation. When I called about the construction, a friendly woman said she had no information about it, though she could hear it in the background. She said she'd pass our concerns to management and called back within a reasonable time to say management felt nothing could be done. She had also asked them to tell potential guests since the website didn't mention the work. I repeatedly asked management to call, and they never have. After text exchanges, the final offer was about 15 percent off the booking. I asked for 25 percent off a future stay. The poor follow-up and service mean we'll spend our money elsewhere.

Majestic Views was a big disappointment for the price. The three-level cabin didn't have a bathroom on the main floor, and there was very little seating inside or out. An upstairs toilet wouldn't flush. There were no closets, just a bar and metal shelf, so bring hangers. Each room had two pillow covers and about five or six pillows. The kitchen was short on appliances and utensils, and there was no sink stopper for washing dishes. We swept hundreds of tiny centipedes out of the basement at least three times a day during our seven-day stay. We saw what looked like a huge roach and called someone; they said it wasn't a roach and sprayed, but the centipedes returned the next day. The ceiling fan globe was hanging loose when we arrived, though someone fixed it. Floors were sticky and left our feet dirty, and some blinds were broken and unusable.

I expected the cabin to be great, but it was crawling with spiders and other bugs. Something bit my oldest child and caused a bad reaction. We ended up at the hospital during our family gathering and missed a lot.