We love the Portal CCC HOUSE. Cave Creek hiking is great! The stars fantastic! However we HATE the packrats that moved in before we got there. We expected the usual remote, old cabin creatures. Unfortunately, their copious turds were in every drawer, over all plates and utensils, in the stove drawer, and behind the refrigerator. They had a comfy nest in one of the upper cupboards. They had freely peed along every wall in every room. We cleaned and bleached every surface. We thought we had conquered the resident wildlife….. Until they brought in their friends for a night party, banging the metal pans and cookie sheets. As they loped along the floor, we saw they were fat, furry, and larger than a size 8.5 fist. They even stopped to gaze at us as if WE were the intruders. We cleaned and stowed all our stuff in the car and left.

We love the Portal CCC HOUSE. Cave Creek hiking is great! The stars fantastic! However we HATE the packrats that moved in before we got there. We expected the usual remote, old cabin creatures. Unfortunately, their copious turds were in every drawer, over all plates and utensils, in the stove drawer, and behind the refrigerator. They had a comfy nest in one of the upper cupboards. They had freely peed along every wall in every room. We cleaned and bleached every surface. We thought we had conquered the resident wildlife….. Until they brought in their friends for a night party, banging the metal pans and cookie sheets. As they loped along the floor, we saw they were fat, furry, and larger than a size 8.5 fist. They even stopped to gaze at us as if WE were the intruders. We cleaned and stowed all our stuff in the car and left.

The house wasn't clean. Whoever rented before us obviously had a dog with long white hair. I swept the house after we arrived but didn't think to shake out the mattress covers or hang them in the sun, and I should have. My husband and I both woke up with flea bites the second morning of our stay, and one of the bites on my leg became infected. The flea was a carrier of a mycoplasma. The infection resulted in months of illness as it was a bacteria that is not common for humans and difficult to diagnose. The experience cost me in time spent with an illness and expense of medical care. I will stick with AirBnB and other house rentals where I know that we are renting a place that is cleaned regularly. The cost of the cabin in Portal was not that much less than a house rental through other online sources - for a few extra dollars I get to know that I am not putting my health in the hands of another renter who does not clean up after themselves or their pets.

The house wasn't clean. Whoever rented before us obviously had a dog with long white hair. I swept the house after we arrived but didn't think to shake out the mattress covers or hang them in the sun, and I should have. My husband and I both woke up with flea bites the second morning of our stay, and one of the bites on my leg became infected. The flea was a carrier of a mycoplasma. The infection resulted in months of illness as it was a bacteria that is not common for humans and difficult to diagnose. The experience cost me in time spent with an illness and expense of medical care. I will stick with AirBnB and other house rentals where I know that we are renting a place that is cleaned regularly. The cost of the cabin in Portal was not that much less than a house rental through other online sources - for a few extra dollars I get to know that I am not putting my health in the hands of another renter who does not clean up after themselves or their pets.