First Impressions.
As we pulled up, the snow was falling, we were in a good mood, it was a beautiful setting. But the parking spaces had not been plowed. There was a layer of ice beneath a layer of snow that had been there for some time.
Long walk from the parking area.
The walk to the property is uphill, perhaps 20 yards to some steps and then another 10+ yards to the door. In perfect weather, this would have been cumbersome with groceries, suitcases, and in this case, Christmas gifts. We all fell on the ice. Nothing had been shoveled or plowed.
Cleaning crew.
The cleaner was still working when we arrived, 25 minutes after check-in. "I hope you all are a lot cleaner than the previous renters!" She told us that it was such a mess that she took 56 photos of the property to show her boss. Her greatest concern and the reason she was still there, was that the washing machine was broken and she had reportedly been there since 9 or 10AM to finish the comforters after a new machine was to be installed. (We received a message several days prior that the washing machine would be swapped out on Monday (three days later) at about 10AM, so she was misinformed.) All I asked of the owner, who was thoughtful enough to message me about the machine replacement, was that he call us when the crew were en-route. He did not. Anyway, the cleaning lady was concerned about the comforters, which were "covered in dog hair!" Her boss told her that it was not her problem and to hurry up and get out. We empathized with her, and told her not to worry about finishing all the floors (after all, we wanted to get started on our vacation). The thought that the cleaning crew supervisor did not care about dog hair on the comforters was a little disconcerting, but we moved on.
Hot tub
We were excited about the ability to use the hot tub, especially after a day of skiing. The hot tub was covered in ice, and 6" of snow. I removed enough to snow to be able to pry open the heavy cover, only to find smelly, green, water, an unfilled tub, and a motor gasping, as it struggled to work without enough water in the tub.
Communication
I messaged the owner "We should probably talk" so that i could tell him about the hot tub and the icy conditions. He told me that he had tried me, and later that he "would try to call" but he never did. Not a single call, voicemail or missed call from him.
Insult to injury
He is now implying that we broke the hot tub and filed a claim. AVOID this one!