OYO Family Ranch at Melbourne FL

The owner was so sweet and welcoming, it felt like I’d known her for years. My honey and I had a really peaceful stay. The room was clean, and having access to the kitchen was nice. I’d left my luggage at home and they helped me out with a toothbrush and toothpaste. The kitchen smelled amazing, and offering some of that Jamacian food for an extra charge could be a nice idea. We added a night. We like trying different places in the area, so I’m not sure we’d come back, but it was memorable. Thanks for making us feel welcome.

We arrived to find notes on the door telling us not to knock and to call a number. A man then gave me a long explanation, about four minutes, before saying they couldn’t accommodate me because they hadn’t taken bookings since January, even though we booked in February. Later, someone from ‘management’ called and said they had only just found out, 30 minutes earlier, that a health situation meant they couldn’t host us. Those were two completely different explanations. I had to contact the booking agency myself to arrange another place. The whole thing felt very wrong and cost us hours.

I was in town for work and had booked for over a week. My reservation said check-in was available until midnight, but when I got to the ranch, I knocked and waited four times, then called. Nobody answered. I tried for 35 minutes. I could tell people were home, but they wouldn’t come to the door. If covid-19 meant they weren’t taking guests, they shouldn’t have listed themselves as open and taken payment. I ended up five hours from home, alone in the middle of the night, with nowhere to stay. Melbourne has a high crime rate, and this put me in a potentially dangerous situation. I was terrified, stuck in my car for three hours while I tried to find somewhere safe at the last minute. What if someone had assaulted me? They had a duty of care and could have canceled my reservation ahead of time. It’s a shame because I ride often and would have been a repeat customer. The horses were beautiful. They came over and stayed by me for 20 minutes, even though the people wouldn’t answer. The horses seemed much more caring.

The listing never said the room had a shared bathroom. After we arrived just after 3 to check in, we saw a “do not disturb” sign with a number to call. The person who answered seemed surprised and said they’d call back. A few minutes later, they apologized and said we couldn’t stay because the other person using the shared bathroom was sick. We booked through Hotwire, which was a mistake. This place is just a house, with no name sign out front. It felt like a total scam, and I plan to report it to the county. It’s also troubling that booking sites list it. We were lucky to arrive early enough to find somewhere else without much trouble. I agree with the other reviews: don’t stay here.