Cleanliness:
Unfortunately, the unit was not clean upon arrival. My wife and I spent over two hours cleaning the tables, countertops, bathrooms, and floors before my elderly in-laws arrived. We would have been embarrassed for them to see the unit in that condition. I understand it’s a beach property and sand is inevitable, but the floors had clearly not been swept. There wasn’t even a broom in the unit, so we had to buy one ourselves. The box fan in the front room was also caked with dust. Honestly, it should have been thrown out.
Property:
The furniture itself was quite nice. The couch was very comfortable and the beds were above average for a rental. The main issue was that the AC failed for one night. While I understand things can break, the way the issue was handled (covered below) made the experience much more frustrating than it needed to be.
Guest Services:
Two things really stood out here:
1. Cleanliness Follow-up:
A couple of hours after check-in, I received a text asking about the unit’s cleanliness. I replied honestly, explaining we had to clean for two hours. I was told the issue would be forwarded to management, but I never heard back. No follow-up, no apology, nothing.
2. AC Issue:
The AC stopped working one night and the temperature rose to 78 degrees, which made it difficult for my two young children to sleep. I called the customer service number provided and was told to turn the unit off for 45 minutes and that a repair ticket had been opened. I was also told someone would contact me. No one did.
By 6:00 AM the next morning, I called again. The rep said they would reach out to the local team. Later, I got a call back saying the local team only works 9 to 5, but she had some information on next steps. When I pushed for more clarity, she put me on hold and transferred me to someone else, who said security would need to come inspect the issue first before a technician could be dispatched. I waited around the unit for two hours for someone to show up, but no one did.
Frustrated, I went to the front desk myself and they informed me that maintenance would be coming to fix the issue. Eventually, it was resolved while I was at the beach.
The AC was fixed in the end, but the process was chaotic. I spoke with three different people, none of whom seemed to understand the actual repair process or know that local maintenance was available. I spent hours on the phone, missed out on time with my family, and felt unnecessarily stressed. Not because the issue was complicated, but because the response was disorganized and uncoordinated.
Summary:
This will likely not be my last stay at Golden Sands. It’s a great location and has potential. But it will be my last time booking through Vacasa. Cleanliness standards were not met, and the customer service experience left a lot to be desired. When something goes wrong, I expect a straightforward, informed response, not confusion and a runaround.