'Giggling Gecko' - 1/2 Block from the Gulf, Private Pool

• **** BEAUTIFUL, COMFORTABLE, AWESOME HOME *****

  **** BEAUTIFUL, COMFORTABLE, AWESOME HOME *****

  • Guest Smtz
  • Date of stay 09/05/09
  • Review Submitted 09/29/09
  My family and friends rented this home over the Labor Day week! This was our first trip to Destin and our first time renting a property. The best part of our stay was this gorgeous home! It fit all 8 adults and one kiddo more than comfortably. The photos; although amazing; do it no justice. IT IS AMAZING! It is less than a block to the beautiful beach and the backyard pool was so nice in the evenings! It was very clean and everything we needed was provided. We mostly enjoyed the beach and pool but ventured out to snorkel and sight see on the Sea Blaster. FudPuckers was a lot of fun for my 3 year old daughter. I would love to come back to "The Driftwood" home every year and would highly recommend it to everyone! Thanks for the good times and wonderful memories! Nichole Dallas Texas

  Recommended for: Families with young children, age 55+, girls getaway, adventure seekers, families with teenagers, people with disabilities, sightseeing.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 5/5

• Amazing House!

  Amazing House!

  • Guest Jamie S.
  • Date of stay 04/18/13
  • Review Submitted 04/22/13
  This house is incredible. The pictures don't do it justice. It is VERY spacious. There were 13 of us and we had more than enough room. The kitchen is the perfect gathering place for a large number of people. The house is wired with speakers in every room which made it very entertaining. The entire stay was perfect. We'll be back next year for sure.

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

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0

• LOVELY HOME WITH LOTS OF ROOM!

  LOVELY HOME WITH LOTS OF ROOM!

  • Guest Nana & Papaw
  • Date of stay 08/04/12
  • Review Submitted 08/23/12
  Our family of 17 spent the week here and had a great time. We would definitely return. The location is ideal. The kids were able to pick up their boogie boards and sand buckets and easily carry them to the beach in just a couple of minutes. The house was spacious and decorated in a very "cozy" style and very comfortable. The bunk room is AWESOME for children. When we first arrived and saw the pool, we thought it was small. However, it is about four feet deep, private, and provided plenty of room. The kids loved, loved, loved it. My favorite room was the kitchen. It was spacious and had plenty of pans and dishes. There was seating for everyone. There are only a couple of negative things I can offer. The dishwasher seems to be in need of an update. It didn't really seem to get the dishes clean so we ended up handwashing most items. Not bad because we used a LOT of paper and plastic products (sorry environment but we were on vacation). Also, a couple of the bathrooms had mildew on some of the tiles (very, very minor but this can be easily corrected). I really miss the rain shower in the bathrooms. I am so getting them for my house at home. The city of Destin is lovely and we will definitely be returning. The weather was not cooperating the week we were there, but the house was so amazing that we really didn't even mind the rain. Thanks for a great family vacation.

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

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 1/1

• I WOULD NEVER RENT HERE AGAIN

  I WOULD NEVER RENT HERE AGAIN

  • Guest Zac
  • Date of stay 03/10/12
  • Review Submitted 05/19/12
  Upon arrival, there were cigarette butts and beer bottles in the pool, and a huge bag of trash from the previous renter on the porch. The elevator was broken and several people were trapped inside for hours. The owner was staying in a house across the street. He came into the Giggling Gecko on a daily basis to inspect. He actually came in one time at 9:30pm at night, and entered the bedroom where someone in our party was sleeping, and insisted that he clean up. Apparently we didn't keep the house as clean as he wanted during our stay. Even his wife admitted to someone in our party that she was spying on us through her kitchen window. Which I find disturbing. We left the house in the same shape that we found it. But, the owner refuses to return our deposit. We have asked for receipts to document any repairs he has had to do, and he has not been able to provide them. We have registered a complaint with VRBO, but they are unable to do anything. There are lots of beautiful homes in the Destin area, with nice owners. This just isn't one of them, and I would suggest staying away...especially if you ever want to see your deposit again.

  Owner response: The reviewer of the home actually never stayed in the home nor did she see anything that went on in the home. We employ a professional cleaning service and they do a great job cleaning. Everything was clean upon arrival. Also I live next door to this house. The guest who signed the rental contract informed me that students would be occupying the house. She was the mother of one of the students and she assured me that and she would be staying at the house the entire time. As it turns out she did not spend even one night there. Starting with the first night they had a huge party at the house complete 75+ people, our furniture moved into the yard, urinating in the front yard, beer cans and trash everywhere. The next day I called the mother who signed the contract to let her know what happened and she did nothing to get it under control. I went to the house frequently to tell them to turn the music down because I have young children trying to sleep. When i was there I observed 100s of beer cans strewn about everywhere on the floor and countertops and asked them to clean it up. Not sure what the "spying " accusation is all about. Our kitchen window does not face the house. 2 students misoperated the elevator and became stuck in it. One of the other students informed me of this and I immediately retrieved the key and opened the elevator door. They were not stuck for hours. The students in the elevator had cell phones and they could have called the fire dept if they felt the situation was dire. There were also about 10 students outside the elevator door who thought it was very amusing that their buddies were on the elevator. The bottom line is I misled by someone who represented she would be staying in the house when in fact she leased it for a group of students who made a mess. I have email documentation that proves I provided pictures of all the damage.I also emailed her receipts for cleaning, and other items. Her damage deposit was $1000.00 and the cleaning bill alone was $900. You can call SBM cleaning services to verify this. We appreciate our guests and assure you that all 9 of our homes are top notch and well taken care of as evidenced by reviews of those homes.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 6/7

• Meinostergate Family Vacation(Overland Park, Kansas)

  Meinostergate Family Vacation(Overland Park, Kansas)

  • Guest Meinostergate Family Vacation
  • Date of stay 06/18/11
  • Review Submitted 06/25/11
  This was the 2nd vacation to Destin Florida we took with 2 other families. We had 6 adults, and 7 teenage children. This was the BEST WEEK EVER. The house was so BEAUTIFUL and the prefect set up for all 3 families. The 3 teenage boys shared the bunk room(4 twin beds total) located on the 1st floor. The 4 girls split the 2 other bedrooms (2 queen beds total) on the 1st floor. There was 2 full baths on this level. The pool table and outdoor pool was in constant use. The main level had a very nice KIng bedroom and private bath. The Kitchen, 1/2 bath and Living area was on this level. Wonderful decks to hang out on too. The 3rd floor had 2 Bedroom with there own bath as well, with a nice shared Deck. The Owner was wonderful to work with. He answered all my multiple questions via email. You can drive 1/2 block and park a car in the public beach parking area or walk down to the beach. We would come back to the house from the beach for lunches then head back down. We will Definitely Rent Giggling Gecko again. I will be sharing this vrbo number with all my friends. That will love this house, even if it is for 1 week. Thank You for the great Destin Memories.

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

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 1/2

• 7 sisters family reunion

  7 sisters family reunion

  • Guest jinny
  • Date of stay 05/22/11
  • Review Submitted 05/30/11
  we had our annual Destin get away week, usually go to a condo, glad it didn't work out this time, wonder house, most the beds were very comfrotable,, everything worked well a the house except the ice maker didn't make ice fast enough, just minor though because of the 2nd ice maker in the downstairs wet bar. I couldnt ever get the internet to work though.Within walking distance of the ocean with all our chairs and gear. fairly good view of the ocean, we usually sat around the pool though in the evenigs. I would go back again!! This is a beautiful home!!

  Recommended for: Families with young children, age 55+, girls getaway, families with teenagers, people with disabilities, sightseeing.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 1/2

• **** BEAUTIFUL, COMFORTABLE, AWESOME HOME *****

  **** BEAUTIFUL, COMFORTABLE, AWESOME HOME *****

  • Guest Smtz
  • Date of stay 09/05/09
  • Review Submitted 09/29/09
  My family and friends rented this home over the Labor Day week! This was our first trip to Destin and our first time renting a property. The best part of our stay was this gorgeous home! It fit all 8 adults and one kiddo more than comfortably. The photos; although amazing; do it no justice. IT IS AMAZING! It is less than a block to the beautiful beach and the backyard pool was so nice in the evenings! It was very clean and everything we needed was provided. We mostly enjoyed the beach and pool but ventured out to snorkel and sight see on the Sea Blaster. FudPuckers was a lot of fun for my 3 year old daughter. I would love to come back to "The Driftwood" home every year and would highly recommend it to everyone! Thanks for the good times and wonderful memories! Nichole Dallas Texas

  Recommended for: Families with young children, age 55+, girls getaway, adventure seekers, families with teenagers, people with disabilities, sightseeing.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 6/6

Weekly Rates: Nov 2- February 28 ... $2295/wk.
Mar 2 - Mar 9 and Apr 7 - May 17 ... $3895/wk.
March 10 - April 6 ... $4295/wk.
May 18 - August 9 ... $5795/wk.
August 10 - September 6 ... $4295/wk.
September 7 - November 1 ... $3295/wk.

Note: Until confirmed, rates are subject to change without notice.

Sorry this information is not available. Please contact the owner/manager for more information.