Vacation Rentals by Owner

Great resort area, some problems with the rental itself

Guest: sarhop (New Jersey)
Date of Stay: 04/28/12 Review Submitted: 05/06/12

We have rented through VRBO many times. This property had some great points, and some not so great ones as well. It was clean and the furniture was comfortable. The unit was well decorated. the passes to Bahia Honda Park were wonderful to use. However, there were some issues. Communication about problems to the owner and the rental company was not great. (no hot water in the 2nd bathroom) Calls to owner and rental co proved fruitless with no callbacks. A visit to the company yielded an answer ; however, the answer was not communicated to us. (they had come to check it out, never told us and we didn't realize there was hot water; because the water had to run so long to become hot, we thought nobody had checked it out). The WiFi didn't work, and almost everyone who wrote in the guestbook said the same thing. The owner should not advertise that there is WiFi if, in fact, it doesn't work. We wound up going to the rec center in the resort to use our computers. It may be me, but I was surprised to find sheets on the bed that weren't cotton. I had to scrounge around for cotton sheets for a smaller bed and piece them together. (Some people have a hard time sleeping in polyester- makes some of us perspire). However, we LOVED the resort the property was situated in, and we will most certainly rent a unit there again. Venture Out was clean, with great amenities and friendly people. We have stayed in the Keys before and know that there are some great rentals there. This one just did not compare favorably to some others we have stayed in.

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Lovely home and park

Guest: Shelly & Pete (Lake Elmo, MN, USA)
Date of Stay: 01/01/12 Review Submitted: 02/25/12

We stayed the month of January 2012. The home was very clean. We found the bedrooms a bit small but the living area and kitchen were comfortable. The owner and folks at the rental agency were always helpful. The kayak was fun & the pool is huge and warm. The state park pass was an added bonus which we used many times. We really enjoyed the park and all of the amenities it had to offer and have never found such friendly people in all of our travels, as we found at Venture Out. Our neighbor even gave us a bike! Wow! We would highly recommend this home and Venture Out.

Owner response:We appreciate your enthusiasic review of our vacation home. It really helps future guests to get a feel for our home and the resort. Please come back to stay with us in the near future!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Fantastic Getaway!

Guest: Shell (Georgetown, Ky)
Date of Stay: 08/24/11 Review Submitted: 02/03/12

We came here on a girls getaway, 5 girls in all. We had one of the best times. This place is amazing, we loved the pool, the beach, and the kayak. We had never been kayaking and loved it, absolutely a beautiful place to be. The store there has just about anything and everything that you want. (We LOVED the key lime pie covered in chocolate on a stick) When we first arrived we thought that we were walking into a new home this place is one of the cleanest and nicest places that we have stayed in. They have a notebook full of things to do and places to go. Tammy and Doug have truley taken the time to make sure that you feel like your at home. This place was everything that we had imagined and more. Everyone associated with them were super nice and willing to answer any questions that we had. We can't wait to get back! Love, love, love it. Thanks to Tammy and Doug for allowing people into their home and making everyone feel like family. We had a wonderful time and can't wait to get back and do it again.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary

Guest: The "VW" party (Canton, Ohio)
Date of Stay: 04/24/11 Review Submitted: 05/07/11

This was our first visit to the FL Keys and we were not disappointed. We loved Cudjoe Key and Venture Out. The guards were so friendly! As was everyone else that we spoke with. We used our pass to visit Bahia Honda Park--beautiful! We rode our bikes around the community. We swam in the Olympic pool. I had hoped to take a relaxing vacation but instead, we were busy exploring the area. We had so much fun! We saw stingrays in the ocean when we took a walk on the "old" 7-mile bridge. While at Bahia Honda Park, up on the bridge looking over the water, we watched a stingray leap out of the water 3 times--it was amazing to see! Your home was wonderful to come home to every evening. It was as described, clean, clean, clean! We were very comfortable and you truly thought of everything to make the stay wonderful. We wish we could've stayed longer and plan to come back. Thank you for opening your doors to us! We have been recommending Venture Out and your home to everyone!

Owner response:Thanks so much for your kind comments. We are so glad to hear that you celebrated your anniversary with us and had such a memorable stay!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Mike and Lynda - La Crosse Wisconsin 2-2011

Guest: Lynda (Wisconsin)
Date of Stay: 02/05/11 Review Submitted: 02/13/11

We came to relax and celebrate our anniversary. We love Cujoe, great location and quiet compared to some Keys. Venture Out is a lovely community. The neighbors and employees are all friendly and we felt very welcome even though we were just short term renters. The home is very clean and comfortable. Everything you need is there and it's all in good working condition. Kitchen, beds, baths, linens, etc., all nice. We rode the bikes around the community everyday - also felt comfortable walking around. We will surely return for another visit - hopefully longer next time. Also, the weather was wonderful!

Owner response:Mike and Lynda, we were so pleased to hear that you had a great anniversary! We feel like we own a little piece of paradise on Cudjoe Key and are happy to share it with others. We couldn't keep things up so nice, if not for our management company and the wonderful lady that cleans our place. The weather has been lovely in the Keys this Winter and so glad to hear that you got to experience it. We sincerely hope you make it back for another visit and thanks for your lovely comments. They really help others get a feel for our place.

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Just Right!!

Guest: JB (Tennessee)
Date of Stay: 12/24/10 Review Submitted: 01/21/11

We cannot tell you how much we enjoyed our stay at your precious place! Our family felt so very safe in the gated resort and truly enjoyed all the amenities such as the heated pool and tennis courts. The house is so very cozy and clean and close to the water. We found the location perfect as we were in between Key West and Bahia Honda, the two places we visited the most.We got some wonderful use out of the Passes you provided for us for parks Fort Zachery and Bahia Honda. We also made use of the new grill about every night. Overall everything was just right! We will be back soon!

Owner response:It was a pleasure to meet your sweet family! The State Park pass is a great perk thay everyone loves. Hope you can make it back later this year. Stay in touch!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

past rental experience we have ever had A+ all the way 5 star place

Guest: Eric and Family (Detorit MI)
Date of Stay: 08/14/10 Review Submitted: 09/07/10

This home was amazing and very comfortable, we enjoyed our stay and happy to say made new friends too. This is perfect for family as plenty of room, beds were great, having two bathroom helped after a day of fun, the kayak was so much fun, and the use of the tennis rackets were great fun. This is a great place to stay and Venture Out has so much to offer everyone from small children to retirement and older all the people were great wish my grandma could of come too she would of loved it. We did not know that it had internet and my sons loved that for all their gaming needs even had a PS 2 system with games, you can’t go wrong with unit and owners there perfect.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

10 day Honeymoon Stay

Guest: Doug (Poughkeepsie, NY)
Date of Stay: 04/19/10 Review Submitted: 06/28/10

A clean and tidy place. Though it was not on the water, it was near. We felt extremely safe in this gated community. Located in a very scenic area, Key West was only 25 minutes away. We had a very pleasant, relaxing and enjoyable stay. We hope to visit again someday. Thanks.

Owner response:We are so happy that you chose our vacation home for your honeymoon. We appreciate all the sweet comments you left in our guestbook. The two of you are the reason we love to share our vacation home with others. We would love for you to come back for a second honeymoon in the future.

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Guest: Ashley and Crystal, Robert and Ashley
Date of Stay: 03/15/10 Review Submitted: 04/16/10

This home is so lovely. We had the greatest time. We enjoyed the kayak so, so much. I personally would like to thank you for letting us enjoy your home.

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Guest: Betty, Jenny, and JoAnne
Date of Stay: 02/25/10 Review Submitted: 04/16/10

Your house is lovely! Very clean and neat. I would recommend this house and community as a safe, fun place to vacation.

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Guest: Jerry and Clare
Date of Stay: 01/31/10 Review Submitted: 04/16/10

As all of your other guests have written, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay in your lovely home. The time went by much too quickly. We loved having the state park pass and went several times to Bahia Honda and Fort Zachary Taylor- we thoroughly enjoyed both parks. The proximity of your home to Key West was wonderful. It gave us an opportunity to see many sites since it's so close by. Thanks for a great stay.

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Guest: Dawn, Bev, and Zac
Date of Stay: 01/16/10 Review Submitted: 04/16/10

We had a great time! Did not want to leave! Loved the pass to the state parks -a very nice perk. Spent a lot of time at Bahia Honda and Ft. Zachary beach-which is a great place for a quiet sunset.Would definately rent here again...lots of fun! Thank you!

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Guest: The Jaroszis
Date of Stay: 01/11/10 Review Submitted: 04/16/10

Our stay here was great. The accomodations were lovely and felt like we were right in the heart of the Keys. Thanks!

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Guest: The Barretts
Date of Stay: 12/17/09 Review Submitted: 04/16/10

We had a lot of fun here at the courts, pool, and game room. It's a great inexpensive way to entertain and wind down the kids. Thank you for opening your home. We will be back next year.

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Guest: Doreen and Linda
Date of Stay: 11/30/09 Review Submitted: 04/16/10

Great Place! Found on the internet so was nervous but very happy. A very nice setup and community- comfortable and clean. Congrats to all who keep this beautiful home, you make guests feel very welcome and comfortable.

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Guest: Louise Moretto (New York)
Date of Stay: 11/23/09 Review Submitted: 11/22/09

Wonderful, clean, comfortable bungalow with all the amenities you could need. The owners were great- sincerely interested in helping with any questions and planning,honest, and enthusiastically in love with their place and the Keys (we received lots of good tips from them). If you are looking for a cozy place in the Keys where you can swim in a pool, play tennis (the courts were brand new), and fish daily- this is a good find. We were so busy with all these activities and a few trips to the nearby beaches and Key West that we never even got to use the owners' bikes and kayak. Fort Taylor and Bahia Honda beaches both great (shower facilties too) and 15 or 25 minutes away respectively. Lovely vacation for us (a family of 3, including one three year old who was as happy as a pea there).

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