Had a great time at Sea Oats

Guest: Betty (Childersburg, AL)
Date of Stay: 03/24/12 Review Submitted: 04/04/12

We spent spring break (4 adults and 2 grandchildren) at Sea Oats F102. We usually stay in a highrise, but the children had requested that we stay in a condo with a fishing pier/dock, so we settled on Sea Oats. We were pleasantly surprised at how well we got along with this 2 BR unit. It is comfortably furnished and the kitchen had everything that we really needed. Full sized washer and dryer were a plus. My husband is a fisherman at heart. He caught speckled trout and flounder off the dock which was only steps from our door. The children loved the pool. Weather was beautiful - no rain until the morning we left. The view of the lagoon was very peaceful with sea gulls, blue herron and pelicans keeping us entertained. We will be nback to Sea Oats.

Owner response:Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a nice review. We are always delighted to hear our guest had a good time. Kelley and Karen Douglas F102

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

The White Family (Birmingham, Al)

Guest: The White Family (Birmingham, Al)
Date of Stay: 09/02/11 Review Submitted: 09/07/11

LOVED OUR STAY AND WE WILL BE BACK!!! My family and I thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The weather was just awful ... rain and wind pelted the city as dark clouds loomed overhead. We stayed Friday to Monday and experienced only about 4 hours of sunshine the entire time ... and WE HAD A BLAST!!! We had a lovely view of the lagoon as we were the closest to the water of all the condos in the complex. The parking was just as described, right under the unit. Though we had no plans of boating, the boat slip was literally right next to our parking space! What a bonus! The Condo was decorated nicely and had a well equipped, spacious kitchen. Everything was clean and inviting and there was even a laundry closet. My husband fished everyday between the bands of rain. We even had a great breakfast on the balcony with the catch of the day. My son had a grand old time in the pool as well. Everything was so conveniently located. The beach was a short walk across the street and just beyond the sand dunes. Our parents were vacationing further down West Beach Boulevard in a high-rise. They eventually came over to enjoy the convenient fishing and accessibility of our unit. They were also in awe of the amount of space we had based on the price they paid for the tiny space they had. It was significantly smaller than ours. Over the years, we have rented several condos. Most of our stays were beachside and a few were within a beach community but never lagoon side. This condo beats everything else hands down. We were expecting a small quaint place and was prepared to be a bit cramped. No such nonesense! We had plenty of space in this two bedroom, condo with a view fo the lagoon from every room exept two bathrooms. We are very happy vacationers ... even during the hurricane. The White Family

Owner response:Thanks so much for the kind words. Glad you were able to have fun even in the stormy weather. Please visit again. Kelley and Karen Douglas

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

Jerry from TN

Guest: Jerry from TN (Cleveland, TN)
Date of Stay: 05/28/11 Review Submitted: 06/05/11

Very nice condo. Very comfortable and restful seating. Great relaxing view of the lagoon from balcony, nice for drinkiing coffee in the AM and watching the sunset in the PM. A couple of problems when we first arrived but notified owner who took care of immediately. Would rent again when going to GS, grandkids had a great time catching fish to feed Bob (a crane) and catching crabs from the dock, playing on the beach and in the ocean, and swimming in the pool.

Owner response:Thanks Bob for taking the time to comment. Glad your stay was fun. Please visit again. We added new flat screen TV yesterday and plan to buy a bigger one for the living area. Hope to replace our wicker this fall.

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

Bob from Indiana

Guest: Bob (Noblesville, In.)
Date of Stay: 05/14/11 Review Submitted: 05/24/11

The Condo was great, all I had to do was enjoy the great view of the lagoon on the balconey that is always in the shade. Fishing from the pier was good and there was a great variety of fish to be caught. I would recommend this property to all who would like a great Gulf Shores stay, the owner was on the phone to me the day we arrived to make sure all was as it should be and it was, and ansewered any questions I had about the condo and the area in general....Thanks for a great stay

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

Relaxation!

Guest: CBT (Atlanta)
Date of Stay: 04/03/11 Review Submitted: 04/09/11

I have spent the past two spring breaks at Sea Oats with my friends, and we loved every second of it. Sea Oats is always so refreshing to walk into. It is always very clean and and I love the beach decor throughout the whole condo. It just brings out the relaxation you look for when coming to the beach. My favorite part of the whole condo is the balcony overlooking the bay. Its just beautiful and breathtaking! I highly recommend this condo for your next beach escape or vacation. I have never had any problems for the past two years I have rented this condo, and I look forward to returning to Sea Oats next year and for the years to come.

Recommended for:Pet owners, romantic getaway, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Nice condo, but not what we paid for.

Guest: gypped (TN)
Date of Stay: 04/12/10 Review Submitted: 05/18/10

Although the condo is large, very clean and well furnished, it was not what we paid for or what we expected after reading the description of the property and emails from the owner. The list of amenities is misleading to say the least. I spent hours online searching for the right lagoon front condo with wi-fi and easy "get out of the car and walk in the door" access. I even specifically asked the owner if this condo was a first floor unit and he said "Yes". Period. He did not tell me that in order to access the condo, you had to navigate two flights of stairs as the building is elevated on stilts. I have health problems that make stairs difficult to navigate at times. If you do as well, don't be fooled by his first floor description. Ironically, the owner works in the health care field and you would think he would be more sympathetic to the problems people with disabilities experience. At the time we booked the condo, the list of amenities included wi-fi without the note that it wasn't available in the unit, but rather on the property. We, of course, assumed it was available in the condo. It wasn't. We were specifically looking for a condo with wi-fi and it was vital to us that we be able to use our computer while there. In order to access it we had to go to the pool area. There are no tables or umbrellas around the pool deck, so we had to balance our computer in our lap and then found the sun was so bright we couldn't read the screen at all. A little tip: If you'll go sit on the ground in the shade under one of the adjacent "first floor" units, then you can read your computer screen, but if you're like us you won't be able to handle sitting there very long. The owner was puzzled and angered by my questioning why the condo wasn't as advertised. When I asked for a discount or a partial refund since we hadn't gotten what we paid for, he told me no and said that he should charge me more for being a pain in the rear. He called me "the tenant from hell". I don't imagine he has much return business. The kitchen is large with updated appliances and has a good supply of dinnerware. Although there's a recipe book for 365 ways to cook fish, you'll have difficulty trying that. There's not even a basic broiler pan. Condos we've rented through vrbo in the past have had telephone books, menus to local restaurants, and pamphlets about local tourist attractions, even beach chairs and umbrellas. You won't find any of those useful items in this condo.

Owner response:At the time this booking was made, the wifi was available on the property but not in the unit. The renter was informed of this about a week before the stay. I offered to refund her deposit so she could book another unit and althought there were many units availale at that time, she elected to come anyway. This is a first floor unit but like most units in Gulf Shores, it is on pillings so there are about 10 steps to the first floor units. The parking for this unit is directly under it so it is about 15 steps to the stairs. I even tried to have the cable install wifi in the unit for her (it has since been installed) but they had technical problems which prevented installation at that time. The renter asked for a refund after the stay even though she had already been given a substaintial discount and gave my unit and "A" for location and view. Also, I discovered damage to the property after that guest left. Our unit has nice tables and chairs on our deck and the pool areas normally have plenty of chairs and tables for the guest. As far as pots and pans, we are always happy to buy these items for the unit if requested. Like most other owners in the area, we do not provide umbrellas and chairs for the beach. As far as I know we still have magazines and phone books in the unit. We try to have all the needed items in the unit and replace any missing or damaged items when we learn of them. In many years of renting two condos, this is the first time I have received a complaint. I will be glad to discuss any issues of concern with any prospective renters.

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