Knickerbocker Estate: Elegant 9-BR Getaway in Naples. Enjoy Private Pool, Outdoor Dining, and Expansive Grounds, Experience Tranquility with Easy Access to Naples' Best

For the good parts, it’s a large house that can work well for a 20-person reunion, with two dishwashers, a great fridge, and a great washer and dryer. A maintenance guy came out that day and cleared some of the green from the pool. We had a mini family reunion, though, and there were a lot of problems. The pool wasn’t screened in and the back door had been kicked out, so flies got into the house. Garbage and recycling were already full on day one, and the garbage wasn’t taken out during the four days we were there. It ended up full of maggots. The pool was green and cloudy, and the hot tub wasn’t hot. Water used to fill the pool smelled like rotten eggs and stank up the whole area. The tap water tasted briny. There weren’t enough forks or enough toilet paper for 20 people. It looks like recent groups have had the same or worse experience. Knowing that, I’d suggest not booking it.

There are 12 private ensuite rooms, each with a large walk-in closet, while everyone shares a beautifully appointed kitchen, living room, dining room, and pool. It’s a really fun place for older singles and professionals to live. The property is beautiful, and I’m sure it would be lovely for an event, too.

The pool looked like this in an unfiltered photo, and this was its condition for our entire stay. We were told it was safe to swim in right after it had been shocked, but I paid a premium to swim in a pool, not a chemical bath. We were also charged the extra fee for pool heat and weren’t refunded it. Other things were wrong as well, including unhinged doors and a sewer smell from the sprinklers every evening. Management stonewalled me, so I’m posting this as a warning: you may not get what you paid for, and shouldn’t expect management to step up and make it right.

The worst part was how Naples Florida Vacation Homes handled the problems. We were told the pool would be fixed several times, but nobody came the first day or the next. After I called again, they promised to refund the pool heat fee and send someone later. Neither happened. Someone finally shocked the pool on our last day, while we were at the wedding, and we found out afterward we were supposed to stay out for a day. No one had mentioned that. Their replies were either another promise that someone was coming or a broken link to their review page. They say they answered every inquiry, but that doesn't match what happened. The pool was a murky green when we arrived. They called it a “chemical reaction” and said it was safe to swim, but it looked like an algae bloom. A few of us tried the hot tub, then spent hours trying to wash off the swampy smell. We didn't try again. There were fewer proper bedrooms than advertised. Three sleeping spaces were crammed into windowless areas intended as closets. One was so tiny they had removed the door to fit two beds, and it opened onto the master bedroom, so privacy was limited. The well water wasn't filtered and smelled of sulfur, and when the sprinklers came on at night, the odor seemed to be everywhere. The rooms also had very little furniture for their size, and the echo made it hard to hear someone standing right in front of me. The photos gave a very different impression. The cleaning crew was still finishing when we arrived. The floors smelled so strongly of bleach that we had to open the windows. The place itself was reasonably nice and comfortable, but more like a two or three star hotel than anything luxurious. We booked it for our wedding party instead of reserving a row of hotel rooms, and paid about what those rooms would have cost. This is the first negative review I've ever written. I used to assume most were from people who were hard to please or had an agenda. We didn't hold our wedding here, thankfully, because it would've been a disaster. I didn't get what I paid for, and Naples Florida Vacation Homes didn't seem to care. Saying you're sorry you made a mistake is an apology. Blaming someone else or saying you're sorry I feel that way isn't.