Sun Dancer and Spirit Dancer Lodge

My family stayed at Sun Dancer in early December and everything was WONDERFUL! The lodge was super and the pictures do not do it justice. Everything was clean and fresh including the hot tub which is really fun on a cool evening. After the hot tub, you can sit by the fireplace and roast marshmallows. The living area has gorgeous views and the bedrooms are tastefully decorated and the beds and warm comforters provide a lovely night’s sleep. I highly recommend this lodge as a delightful escape.

My family and I stayed in Sun Dancer Lodge for a week this summer in Etlan, VA, which is in the heart of the Shenandoah Mountains. First, the positives: the location was beautiful and very accessible to hiking, wine tasting and several other great summer outdoor activities. The actual house is nice and very spacious. The negatives: the place was FILTHY. As a family, we decided to tolerate the filth so we wouldn’t ruin our family vacation, but as the week went on, it became more and more annoying to accept how dirty it was. After our week-​long stay, I contacted the owners and forwarded them a list of issues we found as well as photographs to document the condition of the house. We made it clear that we were not asking for any money back (although if we pushed the issue, I certainly think we would have been entitled to it). I also raised an issue with their ridiculous policy for the OCCUPANTS to wash and fold all of the linens before a noon departure on Sunday, which is totally unrealistic. This policy forces occupants to get up extra early on their last day of vacation to do something a paid employee should be doing. After the second attempt to contact the owner, the response she provided was that she forwarded my email to the cleaning lady. No apology. And No indication that she really plans to address it in the future. For this reason, I am giving it a one star rating. If she had sent back a different response, I would probably be giving it at least a two star rating. If cleanliness of the property is important to you, this place will not be satisfactory.
List of issues:
— Beds were unmade and the sheets were from the previous occupants (ewww)
— I swept a large pile of dirt in one of the back bedrooms my grandmother was staying in
— Mouse dropping in the back bedroom
— Spider webs in closet
— Overgrown lawn
— Dirty stove, oven, toaster and refrigerator
— Dirt, chips and crumbs in the couches
— Hot tub smelled like urine and several jets were broken
— Ashes in the fireplace
— Mildewed towels in the linen closet (my Mom took all of the linens, washed, folded and put them away because previous renters put away wet towels, due to the ludicrous cleaning policy — but made the entire closet really stink)
— Dog hair on the linens and couches, even though the owner claimed her grandchildren are deathly allergic to pet hair
— Remote controls did not operate
— Playhouse (pictures on the website) was a mess and had a lot of dead bugs and spiderwebs
— There was uneaten popcorn in the popcorn maker. My Dad spent at least 30 mins scrubbing it out before we could use it