Only thing was no washer/dyer to wash clothes. Along with an ant problem in the kitchen other than that we really enjoyed our stay and next golf outing we are thinking of booking again.

After 6 years of positive experiences with another locally-run Sea Ranch vacation rental group, we tried booking through Vacasa this year (transferred to Casago management shortly before our stay). The experience was disappointing for these reasons:

– Undisclosed construction next door. The listing for the property we rented (“Coastal Calm”) made no mention of active construction on an adjacent lot. Construction was ongoing during our whole week-long stay, from 8am to 4pm each day. We know Sea Ranch vacation rentals are marketed based on the access to peace and the quiet of nature, and the listing for this property was no exception: “one of the… calmest locations in Sea Ranch,” “quiet cul-de-sac,” “coastal calm.” We also know that construction near a rental property is standard info to disclose, and other Sea Ranch listings do. This is important so guests know what dates (and properties) to avoid. When we contacted Casago about the construction noise during our stay, the response was essentially that they would “update the website” and they offered no compensation for the stay.

– Property (Coastal Calm) condition didn’t match listing. Description says home is “new” construction (2023), which we believe is true, but quality isn’t great. We noticed buckling synthetic wood flooring downstairs, cabinets that didn’t close fully, and a yard that was noticeably unkempt, particularly in the front of the house where two lounge chairs affixed to the porch look onto an overgrown bush. This didn’t match the nice photos in the listing and the promise of outdoor seating. And, it’s clear this is not an owner-occupied rental. It appeared to us that the home was built on the cheap and with short-term renters in mind, not long-term community investment. This was a bummer since we’ve enjoyed renting homes owned by people who live in the community, and thought this was what the Sea Ranch Association required of STRs, but perhaps not.

– Poor customer service. Errors in email communication. We were sent links to the property on VRBO, told to go to Vacasa for details about our stay and to enter a review, which wasn’t possible. (A Vacasa customer service rep told us Casago was likely routing us to them to limit our ability to review our stay on Casago’s site — hence the reason I’m reviewing the property here.)

Worth keeping in mind if you’re evaluating Casago listings based on reviews posted on their platform.

2 stars are for 1) the property’s true proximity to the Del Mar Rec Center. It was indeed right across the street, and 2) we had access to the Sea Ranch Association’s pools and trails, which are amazing, but also standard for all Sea Ranch rentals regardless of management, so not a Casago-specific benefit. Still, we enjoyed those things, as we always do.

We won’t be booking with Casago (Vacasa) again. We’ll be going back to the other more reliable and community-oriented local Sea Ranch rental management company.

[Adding an edit in response to owner’s reply:]
The property under construction was NOT a roof repair, so the reply is misleading. The neighboring property was a full rebuild, with signage posted on the block noting the on-going construction. Crews were building the frame and siding of the ocean-facing side of the property, which faced us. Clearly an on-going project. Casago’s brief email replies to us said nothing about unanticipated “roof” repair (it wasn’t). Property listing hasn’t been updated.

Casago emails:

“I’m sorry this was your experience. We’re reviewing this with our team to add this to the listing.”

“While we strive to provide accurate information about the property itself, construction taking place at neighboring homes is outside of our control and can begin or change without notice…the construction was not occurring on our property and is not an amenity or condition that we are able to manage.”]

Had a reservation on Airbnb for months for my husband and Is first anniversary which is taking place in one week. I get notified by Airbnb last night (8 days prior to our stay) stating the home owners switched to a new host and Airbnb would help me within the next 24 hours rebook the reservation since the host will have to cancel. Mind you today (less than 24 hours) I contact Airbnb since it says I still have my reservation and a receipt since I have already paid for this stay. I somehow have to get into contact now with Casago properties to ensure that I still have this reservation since on my end it’s confirmed and paid for. Come to find out they have already booked someone with the same dates. And of course they come to blame Airbnb. As this is their job as well I’d expect to ensure the prior commitments they’d follow through with those homes. So now our trip is “canceled” but I cannot get my money back since they actually haven’t canceled our stay and I cannot cancel it to get my refund since we had until April 11th to do so.

I’d expect a property management to be better at communication as well as ensuring a smoother transition for guests when changing a hosts. Best of luck with booking with them! You may be double booked at not know until the week prior when all the other great homes are booked! Great start!

Horrendous communication on their end.