Two days before we were supposed to check in to a flat we had rented in Plymouth, I went to the listing for it to remind myself of its features and amenities. I happened to see a review that wasn’t posted at the time I reserved the flat back in April. It was a terrible review.

When traveling, or even in our own backyard, I rely heavily on reviews posted by people who have visited the places I am considering. I’ve learned to scrutinize the information; some is honest and constructive, other is petty and mean-spirited. This particular review had some very real concerns: neighbor blasting music at all hours of the day and night and – even worse – singing along, and the police showing up three times looking for two men who had been living in one of the neighboring flats. Then there was the more typical stuff about dirty flat, no cable TV, etc. But when I saw there was no coffee maker – well, that just ripped it for me.

Seriously though, sounded like a rough neighborhood – nothing I wanted to get into for a full week. I tried to get in touch with the property manager on three different phone numbers. No answer; no voice mail. We had less than 12 hours to cancel if we wanted a refund, so we bailed. Then we had less than 24 hours to find a new place to stay.

Long story short, we found this adorable cottage in Cornwall, which is really where I wanted to be anyway. It is relatively new, beautifully built and decorated, and was in the middle of the woods. Lovely!