Stayed here 3 times and will definitely return.

Guest: Jenn (Oxford, GA)
Date of Stay: 05/07/10 Review Submitted: 06/02/11

My husband and I have stayed at this condo 3 times and absolutely love it! The pictures and description of this rental are absolutely accurate. The beach is beautiful and literally steps away from the building. There are no long boardwalks to travel or streets to cross. The beach is clean and beautiful and definitely less crowded than other beaches. The condo was extremely clean and well equipped. The owners were very accomodating and always available to us for any questions. There are stores/restaurants within walking distance, which my husband and I loved. The popular "Hangout" restaurant and bar is also only about a 5 minute drive. This condo has everything we look for in a vacation and we can't wait to go back!!

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

Great Place to Vacation

Guest: Mike (Chattanooga TN)
Date of Stay: 04/03/11 Review Submitted: 04/13/11

My wife and I just spent a week at this property and we are extremely pleased. We had great weather for this time of year, the beach is as white as snow and there's lots to do. The condo was well appointed, very clean and fit our needs perfectly. The owner was very helpful considering my wife and I changed our minds two times regarding the exact date we wanted to stay. She answered every call and was extremely accommodating to us. We plan to visit again in the future.

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

small and dark

Guest: gulfshoreslovers (IL)
Date of Stay: 06/27/10 Review Submitted: 04/13/11

I agree with other renters from last summer. The pictures and description are not what the condo actually is. There is no beach view. You have to walk out the door and all the way around to the other other end of the building to see the ocean. It does have a direct view of the pool. The 2nd bedroom is super tiny and the children could not all be in there at the same time without being in the beds. Storage is very limited in the entire condo. While we were there, the bathroom sink stopped draining and we had to brush our teeth in the kitchen sink. The toilet also quit flushing as well. We were there the week after the oil hit the shore and the owner offered nothing in the way of a refund or discount because of the disaster. Many other owners did. We HAD to come or loose all of our money. I started emailing about the oil spill in May and was told that only if they closed the beaches would we get a refund. Well, the beaches were never actually closed, but they were flying double red flags which meant you couldn't go in the water. My kids had oil spots all over their legs just from walking on the beach. Also it rained Wednesday and on Thursday the parking lot was flooded...bad! We ended up leaving a day early, walking down 3 flights of steps to dirty nasty water above our ankles to load up and head home. We were able to find other things to do....Fort Morgan, tubing down the Styx, The Track, The Hangout which made our vacation nice. Even if there hadn't been an oil spill, I still wouldn't have left a positive review of this condo.

Recommended for:

Late September 2009

Guest: JRC (Franklin, Virginia/Mid Atlantic)
Date of Stay: 09/21/09 Review Submitted: 08/11/10

My husband and I rented this unit last fall. We are Virginians, more accustomed to the Atlantic beaches and wanted to experience "the Gulf." For the money, we were definitely not disappointed in this unit. Biggest problem was 3rd floor location (not good for old knees!). Comparable condos/units we stay in on east coast would have cost several hundred dollars more. The other renter/reviewer was caught at a bad time (the oil spill of the century) and I agree the owner should have been a little more lenient with cancellation policies. It is a bad time for all rentals/businesses on the Gulf now. But all in all, our stay in this unit last fall was very enjoyable and we were not sorry we celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary there!

Recommended for:Age 55+, girls getaway, families with young children.

Two stars at best. There are better units available.

Guest: Unhappy (Mid-west)
Date of Stay: 06/05/10 Review Submitted: 07/11/10

This condo was the worst condo we have rented. The owner oversold the unit and I would not recommend renting. There is a beautiful picture of the beach in the VRBO advertisement but it is from a different condo. We were told the “beach view is on the left side through our den window” - but only if you stand on the couch with your cheek pressed against the window - there is no view of the beach or pool from the unit. The oil came in the day before we arrived therefore the beach was closed, our grandkids used the pool a lot. It was described as “newly heated pool also has a shallow area for the kids”. The pool is small and I estimate that 9 swimmers are all that can be accommodated safely. With the beaches closed there are 24-36 units using this pool, it can’t handle the load. Several times we were unable to use the pool due to overcrowding. The VBRO advertisement states” everything you need for a memorable vacation”. The air conditioner worked great. The linens were clean, but heavily stained and discolored. The dishwasher, garbage disposal, and toilet all malfunctioned during our stay. We called the mgmt company who said they would send a repairman. No repairman showed. We made the repairs ourselves. The unit is dark and small. The second bedroom sleeps 4 but only 1 can effectively stand at a time and no one can see the TV. Finally, once the payment was made, the owners were difficult to contact and didn’t return our calls. We were taking our grandkids to the beach to celebrate our granddaughter’s starting kindergarten. When the oil situation started to deteriorate, we were concerned the grandkids would not be able to enter the ocean (We live on a lake in MO; the beach was the primary reason to go to Gulf Shores.). We tried to cancel our reservation 21 days prior to our arrival. Our calls were not returned until we called the AL Visitors Bureau. We then received a call from the owner who promised, “If the water was not safe for children he would allow us to cancel.” On the 6/4 the oil reached shore, I called him, and he did not return my call. On the 6/5, we picked up our information from the mgmt company they informed us the beach was closed to swimming. Friends reserved a unit in the same complex for 2 weeks earlier - their condo owner allowed them to cancel their reservation. I spoke to another owner who was also allowing cancellations for his unit in this complex. There are better condos and mgmt from which you can rent

Owner response:We have been renting this condo unit for 3 years and have had nothing but positive feedback from renters. I don't see how you can say there is no pool view from our unit as our front door and window faces directly over the pool. There is a beach view from our unit and NO you do not have to stand on the couch and press your check against the window. I understand your frustration from the oil as we were just as frustrated. The time that you vacationed in our unit there was no oil on our beach in front of our unit. I did return all your calls and emails and the other owner of the unit spoke to you as well. I regret the fact that your anger from the oil has caused you to post an embellished negative review.

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