Going Back At Last - Vistaero Question

[pswlrw]

I am about to reserve Vistaero for next May (2013) for my daughter Lauren's college graduation trip (How did that happen???). I have read some things about the pool and hot tub being redone. Does anyone have any recent info on this Villa (I was last there in April of 2009). Thanks and can't wait to have a trip on the books!

[Lindy]

I was there with a group of friends in November 2010 so my information is definitely dated. Where did you find information that the villa has been updated and how recent is the information? When we stayed there MY opinion was that things were a little threadbare. Now that was strictly MY opinion and that of my traveling group so take that with a grain of salt. Other forum members who stayed there several weeks later gave glowing reports. So I guess it depends on how discriminating you are as a renter. That being said...when a property advertises a hot tub I expect that the price includes that amenity and that it will be functioning. The hot tub at Vistaero was not working when we arrived and we were told that a part was ordered and would be received and installed within a few days....that never happened. Now, I do not consider a hot tub a deal breaker so that wasn't a huge issue for ME. The pool was large and I thought it was comfortable but some of the other ladies thought it was too cold. The views are fantastic!! So I give a 10 out of 10 for that. The deck was comfortable although the indoor/outdoor carpeting was pretty worn and was torn in some spots when we were there. The living/dining room areas were quite comfortable, the front garden are was gorgeous. The kitchen was large and more than adequate but we ran out of propane for the stove partway through the week and the microwave died but Destination STJ sent someone right away to rectify the situation. The laundry area was great and the bedrooms were certainly roomy and attractive but I thought the beds were the most uncomfortable of any we'd experienced in any villa. In fact, I slept on a chaise lounge on the deck one night because my back hurt so much from the bed.....I'm in my late 50's and have aches and pains...so take that as you may. I haven't had the same issue in any other villa we've rented so far.... so again, take that as you may. One of the bedrooms had a storage area off of it and the couple staying there complained of a musty smell. My husband and I had the BR above them which was on the back side of the fireplace in the livingroom. One night when we had heavy rains there was water running down the wall in our BR (the flashing on the fireplace obviously needed work) and the water ran into the BR below us and dripped out of the light fixture and pooled on the floor. The couple who complained about the musty smell was afraid that they'd get electrocuted THAT night! I believe that Vistaero was for sale at that time and is STILL for sale so that might explain some of the deferred maintenance. I found a comment on another web site that the owner of the villa wasn't pleasant to deal with directly....we dealt with Destination STJ and have absolutely NO complaints with their service! Even though our group as a whole thought that Vistaero was a little worn out we had a great time there. I believe the price is right, you just need to be aware of what you're going to get for the price and need to decide what's important for YOU. If you decide to go with this villa you might want to ask if some of these maintenance issues have been addressed since I was there.