Amazing house! The envy of all our friends!

Guest: Molly (Waco, TX)
Date of Stay: 03/06/11 Review Submitted: 01/22/12

Our spring break group stayed here last March and were absolutely in love with the house- all our friends staying nearby were jealous of our beautiful, big, house with a great heated pool and hot tub. The pool was probably the best part about the house, and there was plenty of room for our large group. Rich, the owner, was always very responsive when I called about the hot tub and it was fixed that same day. We couldn't have asked for a better house, it was close to the beach, and there is a great little restaurant cafe within walking distance where we had great breakfast. Overall, one of the best vacation homes I have ever stayed in regarding cleanliness, accurate descriptions and amenities. Thank you Rich!

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

our favorite

Guest: philip (indianapolis)
Date of Stay: 06/11/11 Review Submitted: 06/22/11

This was our third year in this home and it was great again!!!

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

Very Nice Home....but needs some attention

Guest: Family (Tinley Park, IL)
Date of Stay: 04/23/11 Review Submitted: 05/03/11

My family and I recently stayed at this property and overall, it is a beautiful home. There was a lot of space for everyone to spread out and the finishes (the gourmet kitchen, crown molding, etcl) are really nice. However, we were disappointed by a few things. The hot tub didn't work until the last day of the trip. Also, neither of the two grills work (wish we would have known that BEFORE we went to the grocery store). Also, there are many little things like door knobs falling off, the jacuzzi tub in the master bath didn't work, the shower door fell off, the sink in the master bath didn't work, half of the bulbs are burnt out... it almost became comical when something would go wrong. I know you can't expect perfection, but if a property owner lists ammenities, I would expect them to be functioning properly (at least most of them anyway). Mind you, we weren't a large group (7 adults and 5 children). Maybe some of the disrepair was because (according the pool man) there were 30 people in the house the week prior to our arrival. Overall, it is a lovely home with a great location, but definitely NEEDS some maintenance.

Owner response:See next review. Same vacationers (April 23), apparently two separate people. It is very important to call when you have a problem when staying at a VRBO. Thank you for caring enough to send in a response, but these issues your family, see BUZZ0221(Chicago, ILL) below, has chosen to present here, in two separate responses could have been dealt with during your stay. If you would have told me about "all" the issues, I would surely have dealt with them. For both of you to have written negative reviews is sort of mean, also. My response is as follows: 1. The tenants the week before had 17 in their party. There could have been 30 around the pool when Douglas ( my pool guy) observed them. 2. Carmen (my maid) did not change out lightbulbs that week. 3 Douglas (my pool guy) checks my house and all his other pools every night with a PDA, a remote device that reads out the pool and hot tub temperatures. He tells me the hot tub temp was read every night and reached 102 degrees. I don't know what to say, he has worked for me for 3 years and did my Uncle's pool for 5. He's very good at what he does. 4. I do not supply propane. If the tank is empty, you'll have to take it to the local convenience store and get it traded out for $18. If it was a charcoal pit, I doubt tenants would expect me to buy them 10 bags of charcoal for the week. 5.The jucuzzi tub in the master bath is currently not functional. It does not have an access portal. As I explained, there is no way to get to the motor without breaking through the tile work. The parts would take several days or weeks after that to get. I don't think anyone would want that work going on during their stay. I removed this as an amenity on VRBO, but people still see it when they arrive. It will have to be repaired during the offseason. 6. As far as being "comical" as to all the problems you all faced, I resent that. If you could have called and pointed these things out and I would have had the knobs tightened for you or whatever. I truly don't think this is the proper forum nor the right time to lodge these type of complaints and then say as you have that I was very responsive- see below. My advise to anyone staying at one of my houses is "please call me" and when my guy arrives make sure you are happy before they leave. I want happy people in my houses and when they leave, to feel like it was worth the money. Otherwise, I am not going to be very successful.

Recommended for:

SouthernComfort

Guest: buzz0221 (Chicago, Illinois)
Date of Stay: 04/23/11 Review Submitted: 04/30/11

Great vacation house! You can see the ocean waves from the front balconies. It is as close to the beach as you can get without actually being on the beach. We could walk to the beach and to the stores. Plenty of space to spread out for large groups. Rooms are nicely decorated and the furniture is comfortable. Kitchen and bathrooms are up-to-date. The large pool was heated which was nice in the evening when it was cool. Nicely landscaped, private backyard. Hot tub didn't work for most of our stay but he heated pool made up for that. Two outdoor grills didn't work but the grill in the kitchen worked just fine. Owner is very responsive.

Owner response:It is very important to call when you have a problem when staying at a VRBO. Thank you for caring enough to send in a response, but these issues your family, see Family(Tinley Park, ILL) above, have chosen to present here, in two separate responses could have been dealt with during your stay. If you would have told me about "all" the issues, I would surely have dealt with them. For both of you to have written negative reviews is sort of mean, also. My response is as follows: 1. The tenants the week before had 17 in their party. There could have been 30 around the pool when Douglas ( my pool guy) observed them. 2. Carmen (my maid) did not change out lightbulbs that week. 3 Douglas (my pool guy) checks my house and all his other pools every night with a PDA, a remote device that reads out the pool and hot tub temperatures. He tells me the hot tub temp was read every night and reached 102 degrees. I don't know what to say, he has worked for me for 3 years and did my Uncle's pool for 5. He's very good at what he does. 4. I do not supply propane. If the tank is empty, you'll have to take it to the local convenience store and get it traded out for $18. If it was a charcoal pit, I doubt tenants would expect me to buy them 10 bags of charcoal for the week. 5.The jucuzzi tub in the master bath is currently not functional. It does not have an access portal. As I explained, there is no way to get to the motor without breaking through the tile work. The parts would take several days or weeks after that to get. I don't think anyone would want that work going on during their stay. I removed this as an amenity on VRBO, but people still see it when they arrive. It will have to be repaired during the offseason. 6. As far as being "comical" as to all the problems you all faced, I resent that. If you could have called and pointed these things out and I would have had the knobs tightened for you or whatever. I truly don't think this is the proper forum nor the right time to lodge these type of complaints and then say as you have that I was very responsive- see below. My advise to anyone staying at one of my houses is "please call me" and when my guy arrives make sure you are happy before they leave. I want happy people in my houses and when they leave, to feel like it was worth the money. Otherwise, I am not going to be very successful.

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

Wonderful Family Vacation Home

Guest: Cindy (Maryland)
Date of Stay: 03/19/11 Review Submitted: 03/31/11

My family stayed at the "Southern Comfort" house for Spring Break this year and we L-O-V-E-D it! The house was as advertised. It was clean, spacious, and tastefully decorated. The pool area was a family favorite. The water was heated so that we could comfortably swim even though it was 75 degrees outside and the backyard is well kept. We also enjoyed how close the house is to the beach and shopping centers. As for the property owner, he was very responsive and courteous. I will definitely recommend this rental home to family and friends! Thanks, Rich!

Recommended for:Sightseeing, families with young children.

Wonderful Family Vacation Home

Guest: Cindy (Maryland)
Date of Stay: 03/19/11 Review Submitted: 03/31/11

My family stayed at the "Southern Comfort" house for Spring Break this year and we L-O-V-E-D it! The house was as advertised. It was clean, spacious, and tastefully decorated. The pool area was a family favorite. The water was heated so that we could comfortably swim even though it was 75 degrees outside and the backyard is well kept. We also enjoyed how close the house is to the beach and shopping centers. As for the property owner, he was very responsive and courteous. I will definitely recommend this rental home to family and friends! Thanks, Rich!

Owner response:Thanks Cindy

Recommended for:Sightseeing, families with young children.

3rd year in a row! Great house

Guest: Joe (Fort Walton Beach, FL)
Date of Stay: 01/13/11 Review Submitted: 01/17/11

We rented this house for the 3rd year in a row in January 2011. We were pleased to find some furniture upgrades in the 2nd floor living area along with some new TVs in the house. As with the past 2 years, the house was spotless when we arrived. Kudos to the cleaning crew. The house is definitely one of the nicest houses in Crystal Beach. Just about everyone who walks through the door will tell you 2 or 3 times how much they like it. We had an awesome time again this year! See my January 2009 review for more details on the house. Thanks again to the McGills!

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

Guest: Joe (Fort Walton Beach, FL)
Date of Stay: 01/18/10 Review Submitted: 01/18/10

We stayed at this house for the 2nd time in January 2010. Once again, the house was very clean upon arrival and we had no issues of any kind during our stay. Please see my January 2009 review for more details on the house, as everything in that review still holds true a year later. Thanks McGill Family for sharing your home with us!

Recommended for:

Great Time in 09

Guest: John in Indy (Indianapolis, IN )
Date of Stay: 05/23/09 Review Submitted: 06/05/09

We had three families, with 6 adults, and 6 children, and had a great time. The house is located in a great spot, and you can get to the awesome beach walking in an easy couple of minutes. The pool is great, and the kids enjoyed the pool table and piano too. The hot tub didn't work the first couple of days, but the owner had that fixed shortly after we called. The house was clean, but needed a few minor touch ups - i.e. many burned out light bulbs, a broken bar stool, several broken doorknobs and/or locks, and maybe adding televisions in the childrens bedrooms. All in all, the place was nice and set up great for multiple families sharing a house. The owner was nice and easy to work with. We will certainly strongly consider this house for our next visit to Destin.

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

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 01/20/09 Review Submitted: 01/20/09

We rented this house in January 2009 to host a get-together with friends and family. The location across from the beach on Scenic 98 is wonderful. You are only 5 minutes from some of the best restaurants and shopping that Destin has to offer. Public access to the actual beach is only about 50 yards from the house. There is also enough parking for 7 cars in the driveway if you are smart about it and room for 2 more if you use the garages.When we checked into the house, I was immediately surprised about how clean and well appointed the home was. I’ve rented a few “by owner” homes in the past and have never seen one this clean or well prepared for our visit. The first floor of the home offers a large den with a big screen TV, plenty of seating, a pool table, piano, and a mini-fridge. It’s definitely the spot for entertainment. There’s a bedroom with attached bath, and another half bath on the 1st floor. The 2nd floor has another living area (nice place to escape too if they are having too much fun downstairs), a very large patio complete with grill and a view of the ocean, and a huge kitchen with everything you need to make great meals (except for the food of course). There’s also two bedrooms (one with a balcony overlooking the pool), 1.5 bathrooms with a clawfoot tub, and laundry machines on the 2nd floor. The 3rd floor is where the master bedroom is and another bunk room. The master has another balcony on it which offers views of the ocean and room to sun (not that we did much of that in January). There are also two huge walk-in closets in the master and a bathroom with a large tub and a stand-up shower. The pool area in the back of the house is a great place to relax. We really enjoyed the hot tub and took a few trips into the pool to cool off. There’s also plenty of seating out there and a patio table large enough to have a nice meal on. This year was the 3rd one that we have gathered in a VRBO home for this event and every guest couldn’t stop talking about what a step-up this house was from previous years. Between awesome meals, we were able to keep busy with the numerous forms of entertainment that the home has to offer. We definitely plan on staying here again in the future.

Recommended for: