Absolutely terrible experience -- DO NOT rent from Sandcastle Realty…read more After years of wonderful vacations in Bethany Beach, our family's trust in this company has been completely shattered. We've rented from Sandcastle for many years, always taking pride in leaving every home spotless and following every checkout instruction. Yet in recent years, we've faced repeated problems getting our security deposits back -- endless delays, vague accusations, and outright lies about the condition of the properties. This past summer was the final straw. After a storm from Hurricane Erin, we reached out several times to have the pool cleaned. We were ignored for most of the week, leaving the pool filthy and unusable for our kids. Still, we cleaned the house thoroughly before leaving -- wiped surfaces, swept floors, scrubbed bathrooms, and made sure everything was in better shape than when we arrived. We even took photos and video as proof. Months later, we were told we wouldn't be getting our security deposit back because the house was supposedly left a "mess." That claim is completely false -- and honestly insulting. Our family includes members with health conditions that made us extra careful about cleanliness. The whole experience has felt dishonest and exploitative. After decades of happy memories in Bethany Beach, it's heartbreaking that Sandcastle Realty has made it stressful to come here. Based on how they've handled our last few rentals, it feels like the owner, Doug, is running a scam -- taking people's deposits under false pretenses and violating Delaware law. To anyone thinking of renting from this company: beware. The home might look lovely online, but the peace of mind and trust that make a vacation special are long gone. What a sad way to end so many years of family tradition.

We have rented from Sandcastle Realty for many years and unfortunately experienced unethical…read morebusiness practices our last couple rentals. Despite taking pride in how we leave the properties in accordance with the check-out instructions and leaving it in immaculate condition we have experienced difficulty getting our security deposit back the last few years. Too many delays and lies on why the security deposit was not refunded has resulted in our conclusion that the owner Doug is running a scam operation taking tenants security deposit based on false allegations and in violation of Delaware law. To those reading this review and considering renting a house from this business ... BEWARE! The security deposit you pay is most likely to become a donation to Doug unless you want to retain an attorney and file suit to get it back.

Left a review for a home in Rodanthe, NC and when I checke on it, Vacasa only posted the positive…read morecomments. Seemed very misleading. Rented a beach house right on the ocean, which was great, but there were a lot of issues with the home. The pool was constantly full of sand and it was very dirty when we arrived. The pool serviceman didn't clean it until the next day, so we lost a day using it. Also, the pool serviceman told us he would be back to clean it again midweek, and on Wednesday, he hadn't showed, and we had to call Vacasa for service to clean it and it took until midday Thursday for it to be cleaned again. Big problem of ants in the house. We arrived and found ants on the kitchen counter. Throughout our stay, we repeatedly found ants in the kitchen (including cabinets and the microwave), and in bedrooms and bathrooms, floors, etc. throughout the house. They were everywhere in the house. We had to buy ant spray and additional ant traps in order to keep deal with them. The beach area right behind the house is very small (assume due to erosion), and while we were there, a lot of debris (wood beams, metal wires, concrete blocks) washed up right on the beach in front of the house. The amount of wood and wires laying on the beach made it a safety hazard and practically impossible to use the beach. People from the town came to check it out, bt now one removed it. Additionally, the beach sand was very dirty (black) for some reason. We basically could not use the beach by our house during our stay. Finally, the house was not cleaned well before we arrived. We found dirt/track under furniture. Don't think I will use Vacasa again.

We stayed at Mallard Lakes (158 Cardinal Ln) managed by VueStay and had one of the worst vacation…read morerental experiences we've had. We couldn't get into the property for almost two hours because the electronic lock failed. During that time, over $40 of frozen food spoiled while we waited outside. Guest Services repeatedly said they were "opening tickets" but could not actually contact the local representative or provide meaningful assistance. Once inside, the condo smelled strongly of cigarette smoke, the enclosed porch smelled heavily of marijuana, the dishwasher was full of dirty dishes that had clearly been sitting for days, and dirty bed linens were left in an upstairs closet. We ended up buying cleaning supplies, dishwasher cleaner, bleach, and odor-removal products ourselves just to make the condo livable. We spent approximately six hours of our vacation dealing with problems that should have been addressed before check-in. The local contact returned only one missed call, left the same Guest Services number we had already been calling, and never followed up despite repeated calls and texts. The biggest disappointment wasn't just the property's condition--it was the complete lack of ownership from VueStay. Every representative could only "open another ticket," but no one was empowered to solve the problem. We have contacted the property owner directly to make them aware of how their home was presented to guests. Based on this experience, I cannot recommend renting a property managed by VueStay.

Unfortunately our multi family West Coast/East Coast vacation was not as wonderful as it could have…read morebeen due to the poor customer service we received by Bethany Beach Home Rentals. Arriving in the lovely 6 bedroom home we were disappointed to find no books, toys or games that were clearly included in the listing. Worse yet, when contacting the rental agent (5 phone calls total) the situation was not resolved. First call had all of us searching for the basement where the toys etc. were located. This home had NO basement... Expecting one of the several calls later that were interrupting our valuable time spent with grandchildren from the opposite coast, disappointment once again. No resolution. Nothing dropped off to satisfy the listed items. I was told to use the toys 15 min. walk away in the Coastal Clubhouse. Could I check them out? NO - they had to be used on the premises. So my son-in-law resolved the situation with a trip to Walmart. The Coastal Club "community" is apparently a community for owners ONLY. Renters are definitely not part of this as we are photographed and reported on by neighbors. As a retired school teacher, I carefully read all rules and regulations (which were many) and shared them with my family. Parking was especially challenging. We had 4 vehicles for 5 families. Seeing the listing for a double garage we expected to be able to put 1 compact car inside. Surprisingly, we found half the garage filled by a golf cart which we could not use. Two cars in the driveway worked, as long as NO part of the car touched the sidewalk. Street parking worked, as long as NO other car parked opposite you on the street. Visitors to our rental, not realizing the parking rules, resulted in phone calls and text messages from Steve, the property manager. (This was the first I heard from him, as his assistant handled previous calls.) HOA had arrived minutes after our guests threatening a ticket but our guests were leaving (15 min. later). Walking in the development we encountered many with dogs and many were friendly. As all of us are pet owners we knew pets were no allowed, so we all had made arrangements for ours. I personally had a housesitter for my puppy awaiting surgery for hip displasia, spending $700 for the week. The week at Coastal Club continued and our extended family, staying at 2 other Bethany Beach rentals, had varying issues with the "community". Leaving the house vacuumed, each bedroom tidy, garbage and recycling outside as rules dictated, we all said our goodbyes. So I was surprised to hear from Steve on Sunday evening. Hoping to discuss monetary compensation for the missing items, it was surprising to hear him ask about a DOG. Apparently a neighbor had heard a barking dog and insisted it came from our house last week. They called the owner and Steve was checking it out. The phone call, lasting 18 min., was nothing less than an interrogation. "Did you have a dog?" "Did anyone in the house have a dog?" "Did any guests bring a dog?" Repeatedly answering NO to each, I was baffled by this questioning! How does one prove that there was no dog? Renters cannot have dogs, but we were surrounded by property owners, who clearly CAN have dogs. Were there photos of any of us walking a dog? My children flying from California clearly did not bring their dogs. Steve was threatening a $500 extra cleaning fee for shampooing carpets and furniture! For my nonexistent dog! So now that my honesty and integrity was questioned and threatened, I was done. Steve was not, however. He requested that I send a note promising that I did not, nor did any of my family or guests, have a dog... This was met with a refusal and disconnection. This property manager needs re-training with his customer service skills. This so called "community" is threatening and possibly racist. We will certainly never be back and advise anyone else to think twice.

From the owner: More than seventeen years of experience buying, selling, managing and marketing vacation homes, 2nd…read morehomes and investment homes in Coastal Delaware resort communities. Through our company, BethanyBeachHomeRentals dot com, we’ve provided enjoyable vacation home experiences to thousands of vacationers. “I’ve learned a great deal over the years and I’d like to help exchange ideas with you and help you to reach your goals.” For Buyers: We are unique because, in addition to helping you find the best investment properties and second homes for you, we also offer you an option to assist in the management and marketing of your 2nd home. After all, just because you have a 2nd home doesn’t mean that you have to take on a 2nd job! For Sellers: We’ll collect information about your home and how it compares to other homes in the area. We’ll show you how to position your home for a quick sale at the best price possible and help determine what smart and inexpensive fixes can be made to make your home as appealing as possible.

We stayed 2 weeks in Bear Trap Dunes, 83 Orchard Glory, and it was very nice place. It provided us…read moreaccess to the pool, bike riding, the beach and many restaurants with in a short drive. Told Wilgus on check out about the water pressure in the shower and they said we should have called and they would have sent someone to fix it. So I hope that has been done.

We rented a place at 33 heather lane in Bethany beach June 27 to July 4. They told us when we…read morearrived they were working on a bathroom leak and it wasn't fixed till Tuesday night we couldn't use that bathroom for 4 days. 3 of the smoke detector/carbon monoxide detectors were disconnected and missing. The place smelled like it hadn't been thoroughly cleaned in a while. This place has been neglected for some time. I wouldn't recommend either the rental or the real estate company

My husband and I worked with Jennifer to purchase our first house, and she was such a joy to work…read morewith. She took the time to get to know us and our priorities in a house. We were pretty set on Takoma Park when we met her, but she encouraged us to consider other areas. Ultimately, we did buy in TKPK, but we felt so much better about this decision after taking the time to compare it to other communities. When we did find the house we wanted, Jennifer was great about building a relationship with the selling agent and then helping us crank out an offer letter that Sunday night we saw the house. She kept good track of everything during the closing process and her charming personality helped smooth over the few bumps in the road we had. Her husband is an expert on fixer-uppers, so while our house was move-in ready, he was a great resource as well. She came highly recommended to us by an agent a co-worker had raved about, and we were not disappointed!

From the owner: Jennifer & Mike specialize in helping buyers and sellers across all market types—including luxury…read morehomes. With extensive experience in the competitive Washington, DC market from 2006 to 2019, they bring deep knowledge and a strong work ethic to Bethany Beach, DE, where they have served clients since 2019. Whether you’re searching for a vacation home or preparing to sell, Jennifer & Mike provide expert guidance tailored to your unique goals.

I understand that South Bethany beach is awesome because I've been renting houses here for years…read more The problem is the companies who manage the rental properties. They would make you think that the home owners of the properties they manage are terrible people that have no interest in maintaining their own homes. In just over two weeks of staying in the same house this summer they didn't repair a broken toilet, bring the appropriate light bulbs for the bathroom, offer any compensation for a bedroom that flooded twice during our trip rendering it unusable for days, replace an empty gas tank for the grill, or repair dangerous bunk beds in the unusable swamp room. There maintenance staff is a full blown clown show that doesn't have an effectively communicating manager. How do I know this? I know this because every time some comes to the house they don't know why they have been dispatched to the house. The bottom line is try and find a house rented by the owner directly so if you have a problem you can contact someone who cares, not resort quest who has a ton of properties and don't care if you ever rent from them again.

Booked this resort May and wanted to cancel because of Covid shelter in place…read more No changes were made to their cancellation policy. It stays the same. If you move your reservation to a later date- high season- you have to pay the rates instead of them just working with you. Many times in the case of a declaration of emergencies, rentals will move you to a later date without charging you extra. This organisation only cares about the bottom dollar.

Do not rent any place from Diane Holoka She does know or care about…read moreCustomer service. She left out very important detail about the Sea Colony Condo resort. That you had to pay $40 per person for resort fee and parking pass.

We rented a house that was advertised as 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. It only had one bathroom…read more There was no AC in the bedroom with three beds (you needed to put the two window units in the other bedrooms on max 24 hrs to cool house and bedroom without AC). Musty smell though out the house and it needs a good cleaning under/over/behind. I felt ripped off by Long and Foster who I have used for years for beach rentals.

I did enjoyed it and I loved going their spanding the day at…read moreBethany so i did enjoyed seeing our friends from PN Alantown

horrible service, and a messy room. the room had a unmade bed, dishes in the sink, and beer…read morebottles. by far this is the worst hotel experience I ever had. When we asked for a new room they hung up. worst experience ever.

Had a terrible experience when buying a home through them. The agent steered us to an awful finance…read moreperson, did nothing to shepherd the process and pretty much left us to find our way. The closing was a mess but thanks to the attorneys office, it happened. Turns out one of the forms she gave us to sign paid her an extra $450 at our expense. She told us-- by mistake- that it was required. I'd never use them again, for sure!

Annette Batista at Coldwell Banker in Bethany Beach is a top-notch real estate agent. She patiently…read moreworked with me for seven months in my quest to find the perfect home that supported both my needs for a simpler lifestyle, as well as something that supported my retirement hobbies. She strongly steered me away from properties I initially liked but that would not have been good long term picks for me. And she held my hand throughout the entire buying process, working closely with my mortgage broker, my attorney, the home inspection pros, and the seller's agent. I have never had the level of support Annette provided.