Like I said...I have no problem with it. I don't see how you found the time, because I certainly couldn't have...but I have no problem with it. My wife's the one who takes issue with it...but she's unforgiving like that. Fortunately you don't have to live with it.
Sounds too like you did everything you could have done to make things go smoothly while you were away. Most people wouldn't have even thought of giving someone a P of A.
You'd think...but you'd be wrong. One thing my wife continually tells buyers is that it is their job to make sure their lender is doing their job. When we bought, we were in contact with the lender every single day making sure they weren't dicking around with our loan. It is utterly amazing to me how many lenders will simply slack off and do nothing if the borrower cuts them any slack whatsoever.
And as the lending industry goes, that's minor. Not infrequently, my wife gets the loan paperwork from the lender half an hour AFTER the closing starts (federal law requires them to provide it 72 hours before, because all parties should be getting a copy of the HUD-1 48 hours before...but no one ever enforces the law), with the explanation that "We're late because we want the borrower over a barrel so they'll accept our loan." One closing she had a few months ago, the mortgage company delivered the paperwork late...and jacked up the buyer's rate by a point, added a hefty refinance fee, and said "Take it or leave it...but we know you have to close right now since you're living in a hotel." Utterly corrupt...my wife reported those ass holes to the authorities.
And the moral of the story is: RIDE HERD ON YOUR LENDER. You. Now. Still. Find out what title company's doing the closing, find out who's doing the closing, ask them when you can expect your HUD-1 (not the real number of the form - it's something like HUD form 993 Revision A (2003) or such, but everyone calls it the HUD-1), don't accept "You'll see it at the table" for an answer, and you personally make sure that your lender is getting your paperwork done and to the title company on time...because otherwise they won't.
And no, it ain't right. It's just reality.