Our accommodation was great as we had 3 families. The pool was great to play and have fun with everyone. The spa was amazing. My 3 month old granddaughter loved her first experience in the spa. Her second time, she was so relaxed she fell asleep. Loved the open plan living. Loved being connected with everyone, no matter where we were. A few things need updating. A new umbrella is definitely needed. Especially when it go so hot near the pool. The smaller one also wouldn’t stay up. In the bathrooms there needs to be more hanging space for towels. One ladder is not enough in each bathroom. Especially when you have 12 people staying. Other than those few things. Our holiday was amazing.

I booked 3 weeks accommodation through Stayz and asked for a tax invoice so I could get reimbursed my almost $4000 outlay. Stayz/Vrbo support advised they don’t issue receipts other than for their service fee even though they are the recipient of my payment on my credit card statement. I was advised to contact the host for the invoice but the host refused to issue anything either. It’s a piece of paper, maybe 10 mins to whip up on a computer but too much effort apparently. Stayz/Vrbo is happy to take your money but there is no accountability and even less care factor. I’m not even sure about the legality of not providing a receipt in these circumstances. The whole experience and “service” model is disgusting. My issue was raised to the support supervisor but no one seems to communicate there and now I am receiving multiple emails daily asking if my issue has been resolved satisfactorily or telling me that I’m not responding to their emails. I certainly am responding to these emails as the issue has not been resolved at all. I’ll never book through them again or recommend them to anyone. Following this negative experience I booked accommodation through their competitor and was immediately automatically issued with a complete receipt. I can’t wait to complete this trip so I can delete my account and the app.

Dear future holiday makers, please save yourself the hassle of booking something here, as I was mislead in May/Early April by a listing in St Kilda, Melbourne. The team essentially said, “Its up to the discretion of the owner/poster to decide if they will offer you a refund, we cannot guarantee anything. Please contact them directly.” This means that they have policies that prevent them from taking any responsibility for their clients’ mistakes/any issues which may arise. This company just doesn’t sit well with me. If you see reviews for the property, read all of them. I ignored the 1 stars for my property due to needing something last minute, and having a dog with me. Also ensure the communication for keys etc isn’t just a copy pasted link from another website, and that if there is parking advertised, that they ensure you will have it. I also ended up getting a ticket which I haven’t yet paid, because there was no advice on local area, and a tree covered a sign (I arrived at 11pm after driving 10hrs..). It’s just the little things. Just be careful.

I am not sure how this app has such a high rating, having used it several times. Perhaps people vote based on their holiday experience, rather than the app?In any case, I've used the app over two years and it hasn't improved much over that time. It is plagued with refresh issues that make booking information unavailable, or randomly available. Inexplicably, there is also no way to change a verified email address, either in the app or on the website. In the case of a redundant email address (as in my case) this really leaves you at the mercy of the site/app messaging system, hopeful that a property owner is monitoring it. The site operators are also notoriously difficult to contact, which doesn't imbue confidence when you're being asked to part with money.I think there's lots of room for improvement in the way this company does business and the tools (like this app) provided to customers.