Expectations Exceeded

Guest: Gwen (franklin tn.)
Date of Stay: 10/16/11 Review Submitted: 11/14/11

Mary and Wayne, With our rush to pack up, I failed to write in the guest book how much all of our family enjoyed our stay at Great Expectations. We loved the house, had plenty of space and loved the layout of the large living area. With the really cool October nightly temps, the heated pool was a real pleasure. I appreciate your helpfulness in getting us all taken care of. Thanks for the nearby restaurant suggestions - we loved being close enough to walk there several times for lunch and dinner. Warmly, Gwen

Recommended for:Tourists without a car, families with young children, girls getaway, families with teenagers, age 55+.

A great rental home

Guest: Florida Visitor (San Francisco, CA)
Date of Stay: 05/08/11 Review Submitted: 05/17/11

We enjoyed a perfect vacation at this great home on a fantastic stretch of Dune Allen beach. The owners were a pleasure to deal with and made everything easy. The home has plenty of room for a large family or 2 families (5 bedrooms, one of which includes several bunk beds), and the combination of a swimming pool and the location right on the beach is ideal. Dune Allen is a wonderful white sand beach, just far enough away from the developments of Destin to feel like you're really getting away from it all.

Recommended for:Families with young children, families with teenagers.

Friends & Family Gathering

Guest: kerry (ST Charles, MO)
Date of Stay: 10/02/10 Review Submitted: 11/05/10

This home is EXACTLY how you would hope it would be and just like it looks in pictures! We came to the Destin area to renew our wedding vows with close friends and family. We searched high and low for the perfect house for all of us to stay. The home was perfect! We never felt cramped and the views were fantastic...morning, noon, or night. And plenty of dophin sightings too! I would recommend GREAT EXPECTATIONS over and over again for a large family and friends gathering. Oh, and the Pool was gorgeous too!!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, families with young children, girls getaway, families with teenagers, age 55+.

Great Expectations meets expectations!

Guest: Janet (Hot Springs, AR)
Date of Stay: 06/27/10 Review Submitted: 07/15/10

Our stay this summer was wonderful! The beaches are being kept clean and the people in the area are so grateful and appreciative of our support. If you are debating about going this summer, go! We had a special time and are so thankful we didn't listen to all the bad press on the Gulf.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, families with young children, girls getaway, families with teenagers.

Amazing vacation

Guest: amyfromboston (boston)
Date of Stay: 04/18/10 Review Submitted: 04/27/10

Mary and Wayne THANK YOU!! What a week we had. We absolutely loved your home. We were all so devistated to leave. The kids asked to stay forever. This was a new location for us as we had not traveled to the panhandle before. We were considering renting in Destin when I stumbled upon your property and boy are we glad we did. The quaintness of 30A is unexplainable. Amazing shops, restaurants(especially Miss Lucille's gossip shop and beach bar) and the people too. The house is fantastic and the beach is just as nice as the carribean if not better. The house was a fantastic set up. The kitchen was great for preparing meals and really has it all. You could not ask for anything more. The convenience of the outside showers for the kids was great and the separate ice maker and second frig were a big hit too. They went form the pool to the beach all day and were as happy as could be. Thank you again for your amazing vacation at great expectations. We hope to come back next year!!All the best, Amy, Joe,Milee and Bubba

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

A Fabulous Spring Break!

Guest: Joe, Kimberly and Family (Knoxville, TN)
Date of Stay: 03/28/10 Review Submitted: 04/09/10

"Great Expectations" certainly exceeded any expectations we had for our stay in Dune Allen Beach! The home was more than enough room for our 6 adult / 4 children party, and was well appointed with everything we needed. It was very comfortable lounging around both inside the home and out, and the beach access was wonderful. Many times we were the only people on the beach and it was spring break!!! The location was perfect...close to both Destin and Panama City...yet located in mainly a residential area so it was very quiet and private. There were a few eateries within a five minute walk as well as bike rentals, and the new Publix grocery store within a 5 minute drive was extremely convenient. The owners, Mary and Wayne, were exceptional to work with, communicated with us from reservation to departure, and even showed up at check in to make sure we had everything we needed. This home is a must rent for anyone who wants to enjoy the soft white sands and emerald green water that the gulf coast has to offer!

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

A piece of heaven!

Guest: Freezing in Indiana (Indiana)
Date of Stay: 03/21/10 Review Submitted: 03/30/10

Most enjoyable vacation ever! This home has all the xtras you need... I goto Florida every year, and by far would recommend to everyone.. It has a huge heated pool and all the gulf front fun and views you could ask for... The owner goes more than out of her way to make sure everything is right... I will look forward to staying there again next year..... A++++++++++++ definately 5 stars

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

Guest: Tauna Clegg (Wasilla, Alaska)
Date of Stay: 01/08/10 Review Submitted: 01/08/10

My husband and I are truly grateful for the hospitality Mary and Wayne Walker offered us prior to, during and after our stay at Great Expectations! This home is more beautiful than the pictures capture. The morning sunrises on the top veranda and absolutely beautiful sunsets took our breath away. The added delight of seeing a school of dolphins not only once, but twice during our stay was priceless. Four generations of our family came together to celebrate the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010! We have wonderful memories of family fun with my husband’s parents, our adult children and granddaughter. We especially loved the kitchen that was well stocked for all festivities, from morning cereal to the prime rib sit down dinner we enjoyed on New Year’s Day. Every room offered privacy if desired and the living room was great for family games and watching the Bowl Football games. Access to the swimming pool and the privacy afforded was great. The beach access was wonderful for us to build sand castles and for my husband to teach Princess Zoie how to fish! We plan on returning to this beautiful area and will only rent from Mary and Wayne Walker! Thank you for everything!

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Guest: Lanny & Sandra Ray (Houston, Texas)
Date of Stay: 04/20/09 Review Submitted: 04/20/09

Did we die and go to Heaven? That is what we thought when we vacationed at the "Great Expectations" home owned by Wayne & Mary Walker in March 2009. The home is impeccably appointed, with beautiful furnishings and lovely original artwork throughout. The photographs you see don't even begin to do this home justice. It is that much more wonderful when you are inside and outside this home. It has many added amenities that you may not expect in a vacation home - a great pool, a separate ice maker, more kitchen appliances, dishware, and ancillary pieces that come in handy. Nothing in this home is second rate; I felt like we were in a "Southern Living" magazine! Add to this a terrific couple, who truly want their renters to have a one-of-a-kind getaway experience. We found them to be extremely helpful, honest, and fair in all our dealings. Wayne & Mary are great to deal with and were very responsive to our needs. We had a wonderful and memorable vacation at a reasonable price. We are sure that we will not want to stay anywhere else on our next trip to the Destin area - we were so spoiled with this "Diamond in the Rough". You will not be disappointed!!

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Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 12/30/08 Review Submitted: 12/30/08

Wayne and Mary were so helpful and delightful to work with. Our family stayed at Great Expectations over the Christmas holidays 2008. We truly enjoyed our stay; sitting on the veranda, swimming in the pool and watching the waves break. If we ever have a chance to go back we would definitely stay at Great Expectations.

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