Ponderosa House Large family vacation rental

I have rented many very nice VRBO houses. This was the worst! It’s hard to describe how disappointed my family was with this listing. We arrived and the house had a pervasive cigarette smell, as if someone had stayed there and smoked with the house closed up. It was so bad that a pair of jeans placed on the bedspread picked up the odor. The sheets were not clean in some of the bedrooms, with hair and stains and, in one case, a can of deodorizer made into the bed. The dryer didn’t work so, after washing the sheets ourselves we had to go to the laundromat to dry. There was a pervasive odor of dead animal in the kitchen and rodent droppings in the upstairs shower. One of the showers upstairs ran constantly and the other one had no cold water. The barbecue was so dirty that it blazed when we tried to use it. The fire extinguisher was empty. Overall the house is dingy with peeling paint and rickety stairs. The upstairs deck had broken furniture on it and looked unsafe (we didn’t attempt to go out there). It did have a hot tub which was clean, and there are a lot of bedrooms. However I would NEVER stay here again or recommend this house.

Upon arriving at this property we discovered some glaring issues. Of note: 1. Driveway falling apart; Lots of broken glass around it. 2. Needs paint badly!!! Exterior paint was chipping/peeling. 3. Front steps disconnected and wobbly. Difficult for older people. 4. Debris, glass, bottle caps, etc. in yard. Unsafe for kids!! One boy cut his foot on glass. 5. Paint was chipped and water damage on walls and ceilings. 6. Breakfast bar and cabinets were sticky. 7. Fridge condenser constantly leaking water onto food, etc. and collecting on the bottom. 8. Cabinet drawers and doors falling apart. 9. Some window screens were missing and/or warped, torn, etc. 10. Blinds were dirty and cords didn't work right. Many were damaged. 11. Many towels, linens, mattress covers, and sheets were heavily stained. Some towels appeared to have been used to wash cars, etc. and one had blood on it. 12. Bathrooms were moldy and had water damage. One upstairs shower was continually running. Bath mats were missing. Shower curtains were disgusting!!!! Stuck together and desperately in need of washing!!! 13. Air hockey table needs maintenance. 14. Back yard: Broken glass. bottle caps, etc. all over. Furniture was falling apart. Corner looked like a junk yard!!! Why wasn't this stuff just hauled to the dump. Hot tub cover was disintegrating and leaving plastic bits in the water. Does not look inviting or even sanitary. Fence boards are falling off. Needs completely rebuilt. 15. Garage was filthy! Termites and rodents were seen. Insulation was falling down. A tarp appeared to be used to catch leaks. Floor was deteriorating! 16. Bedroom by the kitchen had a window that wouldn't lock. 17. Carpet was disgusting!! It turned people's socks and feet black. 18. Outside stairs to upstairs balcony/deck were treacherous and unsafe, as was the deck itself. The furniture was a disaster and safety hazard. 19. Fire extinguishers need recharging. 20. Many other small issues caused by long-term neglect were noticed. This property has potential and would have been fine for our purposes had it been properly maintained. It should not be on the rental market in its present condition. We would strongly suggest an inspection and intensive maintenance.

The 17 year old boy scout in charge of planning and leading our ski trip and I were both delighted he found this house to rent for our ski weekend at Heavenly, because it sleeps 20 and had a price within his budget. There were enough large bedrooms so that the girls could have their own room, the 18 year old scouts could have their own room and adults could have their own rooms. Lots of room to spread out to prepare and eat meals and relax after a long day of skiing. The owner set clear expectations about noise restrictions, which we were able to abide by. The owner was wonderful in reponding to questions. There is room to park 6 cars on the property, which we needed. The photos and comments provided accurate expectations about the condition of the place. It is as advertised. Our group plans an annual ski trip. If the scouts decide to return to Heavenly Ski Resort, I would recommend this house again. Our adults had private rooms and beds and our scouts brought sleeping bags, which worked perfect.

We booked this property in South Lake Tahoe for a group of 4-5 families coming to celebrate New Years. The trip happened to coincide with one of the most significant snowfall events that Tahoe has ever seen. So when we arrived, the cleaning staff had not been able to come due to road conditions - however, as soon as the roads were passable that same morning Mike had his crew come over urgently and get the place cleaned for us. He apologized profusely and offered to make accommodations by extending our stay if we wanted. He was prompt and responsive whenever we had questions about the house (like where to find things). Overall it was perfect for what we wanted - a warm venue to gather with friends and family with proximity to stores/food and skiing. The fireplace was excellent, and we loved hanging in the hot tub (after digging it out of several feet of snow!). I agree with the previous reviewer - if you are looking for a 5-star luxury house that requires no DIY troubleshooting (like placing buckets for the aforementioned leaks), this isn't it. But this place is quite homey, the kitchen has everything you need, there is plenty of fridge/freezer space available (one in the kitchen and one in the garage), and is a great value for large groups. We had no problems with the neighbors because we followed the rules, didn't get in the hot tub after 10pm, and didn't make lots of noise outdoors. We made some great memories here, and hope others get the opportunity to do the same.

No good He's not good neighborhood we have out ste ady and the property it doesn't looks good we have a water leaking from the roof so it's not good experience and this situation

If you are looking for an affordable place that can accommodate large groups look no further!! This place was absolutely perfect for what we wanted!! Everyone from 2-60 had fun!! I have read some of the other reviews and I just want to say... yes, there are nicer places...so if you find that staying in a posh place is your priority book with someone else. If you are looking for a place to just have fun and create memories...this is the place!! I have a feeling we will be back!! Thank you Mike!

I was very exited for my stay. I paid over 2k for this house because it has a hot tub. The first day we noticed that the hot tub would shut down on us so I contacted the owner he gave me instructions and it continued to shut off on us. After our stay the owner complained that I had broken the pipes when the hot tub wasn’t even working in the first place. He over charged me after staying at his place for a hot tub we didn’t even get to use once. I recommend you guys get damage protection because the owner is now charging me for something that wasn’t even working in the first place. False advertisement on the hot tub it’s not worth the price he is charging for. Also what kind of house dosent have a mop or broom to clean up. He will over charger you for extra cleaning even after there’s one included in the price when booking the home.

Mike was very nice and answered questions promptly. If you are looking for a spacious place this it!. Very close to stores and things to do in lake tahoe:)

Other than the fact that it was old, the house had a bad smell, the rooms were dirty, stained pillows and sheets with dust almost on everything, no toilet paper, no soap, there was rat poop on the floor and the backyard was worse the tables and chairs were dirty and so was the barbecue which was never cleaned and had no propane either

First of all, I don't understand why i got link for review in Feb 2020 while our stay was in Feb 2019. The main issue with the house were that heater on the second floor was not working. It was freezing cold in the property. We contacted the owner and he sent someone to look into it next day, but we had to spent first night in pretty cold house. Even after contractor came to fix it, it was still pretty cold. Another issue was fireplace. When we fired it up, smoke started coming inside. We think its because chimney wasn't cleaned for a long time, which is a fire hazard. I contacted VRBO for partial refund and filed a complaint but they never called me.