Recently, my family and I booked this rental through VRBO for a winter vacation in the Lake Tahoe region. The property was situated in a secluded area, making it the perfect spot for a tranquil getaway. Our host was responsive and provided useful information before our trip, including detailed instructions for accessing the property.
Unfortunately, our trip was unexpectedly cut short due to a severe weather system that rolled in faster than forecast. Our drive up to the property was uneventful, but as we passed Sacramento, the weather took a turn for the worse and the route was closed east of Colfax. All traffic heading east was forced to turn around to find alternative routes to Nevada. These alternative routes would have added six to eight hours of additional driving time to our journey, on top of the five hours we had already spent on the road. With two small children, ages four and one, we couldn't subject them to that much additional time in the car. We decided to turn around, cut our losses, and head home, as we didn't know when the roads would reopen. We later learned that the roads opened at 1:00 am on Sunday, whereas we were forced to turn around at 2:30 pm on Saturday.
Throughout this process, we were in constant communication with the host, updating them on our estimated arrival time. When we decided to turn around, we contacted the host to see what our options were. The host offered to extend our booking dates for free, but due to school and work schedules, we were unable to take them up on the offer. We asked if they could provide a refund or credit for a future stay, but the host refused and cited the no-cancellation policy for the weekend. We reached out to VRBO for assistance, but they were unable to help.
The host's lack of flexibility and understanding of the impact that weather can have on travel was disappointing. While we understand the need to protect the property, this strict policy does not take into account unforeseen circumstances that can affect travelers. We ended up losing a significant amount of money, and what irks me the most is that the host decided to keep our cleaning fee, even though we did not stay at the property at all. I would advise potential guests to be aware of the host's no-cancellation policy, inflexibility, and to weigh the risks before booking. While the property itself appeared lovely in photos, our overall experience was greatly impacted by the host's policy.