Our homes rate between the mid-4.7s and a straight 5.0. That is the number every management company puts on a page, and on its own it tells you almost nothing. The useful part of a review is the sentence where someone says what went wrong, so this post is built around those.
What guests consistently praise
The pattern is boring and we are glad of it. Three things come up again and again across markets:
- Response speed. A guest at Oasis Del Sol in Palm Springs wrote that even before booking, response time was five minutes or less. A guest at King Tide Rising said the host responded within minutes.
- Kitchens that are actually stocked. At Hygge By The Sea, a family who cook a lot found everything they needed to run their own seafood boil with fish from a market down the road.
- The house matching the photographs. At Spectacular Sunset Beach House: the pictures are 100 percent accurate. At The Thirsty Cactus: exactly as you see in the photos.
The highest-rated homes we manage are Brandyapple Retreat in Raleigh at 4.99 across 200 reviews, and a group sitting at 5.0 — Coachella Sol Haus, Heron Landing, King Tide Rising, Soundside Serenity at Cruz Bay, Spectacular Sunset Beach House and The Thirsty Cactus.
Now the complaints
The stairs at City Lights and Rooftop Nights
A guest at City Lights and Rooftop Nights in San Diego wrote that they did not expect there to be so many stairs — stairs to the first floor and stairs to the second — and that this would have been helpful information. They were right. It is a townhome with a private rooftop lounge; the stairs are how you get to the view. If anyone in your group struggles with stairs, this is not your house, and we would rather tell you here.
The dune at Hygge By The Sea
Hygge By The Sea sits behind the dunes in Avon, close to the beach, and a guest noted the dune you have to cross to get there. It is a short crossing. It is also four crossings a day with a cooler and a toddler. Worth it, in our view, but not invisible.
The hot tub at Coachella Casa
At Coachella Casa in Indio, a guest said the only thing they would have changed was the hot tub temperature, which maxes out at 90 degrees. We now say that before people book rather than after.
The bowls at Pickleball Paradise
At Pickleball Paradise in Mission Viejo, a guest loved the court and the pool table and then told us their mother-in-law made soup and the only bowls were tiny, so they had to buy some. They also said it was difficult to get an accurate understanding of what was included. That is a fair hit on our listing, not on the house.
Two seasonal caveats guests raised themselves
A group at Soundside Serenity at Cruz Bay chose the Outer Banks in winter deliberately and still warned future guests that OBX is pretty sleepy in the winter — be prepared. A guest at Tucson Oasis said the neighbourhood is walkable to restaurants and a grocery store, then added: would not recommend walking around in July, too hot. And a bachelorette group at Coachella Sol Haus chose not to heat the pool and found it pretty chilly, if refreshing in 95-degree heat.
Why we do this. Every complaint above is now something we say before you book instead of something you discover on arrival. A guest who knows about the stairs, the dune, the 90-degree hot tub or the sleepy winter has a good week. A guest who finds out at check-in writes the review you just read. We would rather lose the booking than mismanage the expectation, and that is the actual difference between us and a listing page.
Ask us the awkward question first
Before you book anything, send us the question you are worried about. How many stairs. Whether the pool needs heat that week. Whether the house works with a walker, a toddler or a dog. We answer those honestly, including when the honest answer is that a different house suits you better.
More on how we work: meet Al and Elissa, what we stock for families, our pet-friendly homes with honest notes on each, and our cancellation policy in plain English. There is also a longer outside look at how we have grown in this SD Voyager feature.
Frequently asked questions
How are Rather Be Properties homes rated?
Across the homes we manage, ratings run from the mid-4.7s to a straight 5.0. Brandyapple Retreat in Raleigh is 4.99 across 200 reviews, Hygge By The Sea in Avon is 4.98 across 136, and Coachella Sol Haus, Heron Landing, King Tide Rising, Soundside Serenity at Cruz Bay, Spectacular Sunset Beach House and The Thirsty Cactus are all at 5.0.
What do guests complain about most?
Three things recur: stairs they did not expect, an amenity that did not perform the way they pictured, and gaps in what a listing told them. Almost none of it is about cleanliness or communication.
Which home has the most stairs?
City Lights and Rooftop Nights in San Diego. A guest told us there are stairs to the first floor and stairs to the second, and that it would have been helpful to know in advance. It is a townhome with a rooftop lounge, so the stairs are the design.
Does the hot tub at Coachella Casa get properly hot?
It maxes out at 90 degrees. A guest told us so and we now say it up front. If a hot soak is the point of your evening, choose a different house.
Why publish negative reviews on your own website?
Because the complaints are the useful part. A guest who knows about the dune crossing or the stairs before booking does not arrive disappointed, and we would rather lose a booking than mismanage an expectation.
When you are ready, book on our site: no platform service fee, about 10 percent less on a like-for-like flexible booking, and a real person on the other end of the message.
Because there’s no place you’d rather be.
