Vacation Rentals by Owner

Paradise

Guest: Lance (Olathe, KS)
Date of Stay: 04/07/12 Review Submitted: 04/17/12

This house is everything it is described as and more. We had a fantastic week of relaxing in the Keys, and would recommend this house to anyone who wants to get away. In fact, we have already booked a week for next year. Living space and bedrooms are very spacious, the screened porch is ideal for lounging and eating meals outside, and the pool and hot tub offer all you need for outdoor fun. You can't go wrong if you pick this house for your vacation.

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

Palm Breezes Repeat

Guest: Anne (Metedeconk, NJ)
Date of Stay: 02/11/12 Review Submitted: 02/28/12

We decided during our last visit that we would return, and we did. In fact, one couple booked a second vacation for a week in November of 2011. We spent another glorious two weeks at Tims' home February 11th-25th. The house was immaculate yet again. We did notice new chairs poolside, and I had a broom and dustpan this year (yeah, I'm the one who cleans on vacation LOL). There are ample places to relax both outside and in the screened porch. Dockage is great with easy access to the Ocean. We prefer to zip up the gulf under the 7 Mile Bridge to fish the reefs off Sombrero Tower. Weather was perfect and the fishing was incredible! We fished for 9 days and caught our limit of yellowtail. We also caught several grouper, but to my dismay, we had to release them because the season was closed. We still recommend Cabana Breezes, Frank's Grill, and the Keys Fisheries for great food; and no trip is complete without a cruise by boat to the Island Tiki and Sparky's Landing for lunch. Have your camera ready, because "Charlie bird" as I named him, returns each day for a tasty morsel of fish and a sip from the pool. The manatee visited only three times this year. Because the weather was windy before our arrival, Mike cleaned the pool again the first week. The pool was too warm for us, so we asked for the heat to be lowered. We prefer a refreshing dip over a bathtub; and the hot tub was needed therapy for this weary fisherwoman. Thanks again Tim, you are a pleasure to work with and your home is a taste of paradise we find difficult to leave. See ya next year!

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

Awesome Experience.. Will make this my new Getaway Vacation

Guest: Richard (Orlando, Florida)
Date of Stay: 02/04/12 Review Submitted: 03/01/12

What a Awesome Place. Very Clean, Decorated very beautiful, The view of the Gulf is just unbelievable and was way more then I ever expected. I live in Orlando and love to go the to Keys on a regular basis and I LOVE this place. I booked with the Owner and saved money on my rental. Everything was just perfect. My wife has told her card club and everyone at Church. I have already booked two more weeks for a guys fishing trip and another getaway for my wife and I. A very special Thanks to Tim ( owner ) for all of his help and advice. I can't wait to go back.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, people with disabilities, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Nice house, follow up on service lacking

Guest: Lisa A. (Omaha NE)
Date of Stay: 12/03/11 Review Submitted: 02/28/12

Beautiful house, clean, pictures do it justice! Location is great, can walk to many places. Our only issues were in the lack of return phone calls when we were there & ran into questions or troubles. First issue - no propane in the gas grill. It happens, we get that . . . just wanted clarification from Tim if he wanted us to refill it (at our cost?) or if he'd send someone over to do that. 3 wine glasses in entire house?? Really, a house of this size? We ended up buying 6 and leaving them there. No linens for the pull out beds either. The pool guy responded and checked on the pool often - great service there. Never heard back from Tim, then on the 4th day of our stay a city water guy showed up due to the amount of water usage being shown. We showed him around . . . appeared to be a leak in the pool he thought and wanted to notify the owner. We tried Tim again, and his voice mail was no longer accepting new messages because it was full. And finally, leaving 2 garbage bags and 2 dishwasher tablets when you're leasing a house of this size for a week? Really? Charge an extra $100 and leave these necessary items. Bottom line, beautiful house. Things happen with home ownership/rental and having a backup plan to take care of issues when you're not available could have made this expereince excellent instead of just good.

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

Wonderful week in Keys

Guest: Mares Mom (Akron Ohio)
Date of Stay: 10/01/11 Review Submitted: 10/22/11

We just spent a fantastic week at Tim's house in Marathon. It was one of the best vacations we have ever taken there.(was our 5th trip) Tim's house is BEAUTIFUL the pictures on web site doesn't begin to do it justice. It was very clean when we arrived well maintained everything that was promised. I would definetly recomend this to anyone. Pool guy "Mike" was very helpful in ansewering our questions about kayak rental he was even going to let us use his but we needed two. Pool area was great hot tub worked very nicely. We had quite a few people with us, a sort of family reunion, house was so big you need not run into anyone if you dont choose too.You could almost stay there entire week and never leave if you didnt want. We made two trips to Key West very conviently located half way between Key West and Miami.We rented a boat for week from Tropical Marina they delivered boat to dock at house was great price very nice guy to do business with. Anyone wanting to stay in Keys for vacation this is perfect place to do it. Tim has a great house and delivers all he says it is, He has a great place beautifully maintained, decorated and comfortable. Everything in house top of line. Not your standard rental. By the way Tim, the Lobster Reuben rocked. Larue Family. 10/20/2011

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

AWESOME PLACE TO STAY!!!

Guest: Randy (Apopka, FL)
Date of Stay: 06/04/11 Review Submitted: 06/27/11

We have been vacationaing in the Key's now for 5 years and this was hands down our favorite place! It was everything and MORE than advertised!! It was very clean and well maintained. We had 3 family's plus my aunt and grandmother and still had plenty of room. We never once felt crowded or like we were running over each other. We had plenty of sleeping space and comfy beds for all. The kitchen was large with lots of cooking and counter top space. The view from the screen porch was awesome and we spent every morning and evening watching the sun rise and set. We had two boats with us and had plenty of room for at least a couple more. Had a blast playing cornhole so make sure you bring your bean bags!! The pool and jacuzzi were awesome too and we spent many hours in them both. Tim (the owner) was very helpful and gave us some great suggestions on some local hot spots. Thanks Tim!! We all agreed it was our best family vacation ever!! I'd recommend the Palm Breeze House to everyone!!

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

Excellent Vacation in Marathon!

Guest: Tommyguns (San Francisco Bay Area)
Date of Stay: 05/21/11 Review Submitted: 06/03/11

Had a great week in the Palm Breezes House! Everything was just as advertised. We had 3 couples and another adult in the house for my wife's 40th birthday family get-together. Plenty of room for all. The kitchen was great... Everybody in the family cooks, and the kitchen was outfitted really well. We spent one day hanging at the pool... Very relaxing. And the screened porch was a great place to hang out. The location was fantastic - An hour from both Key Largo and Key West. We checked out Keys Fisheries at the owner's recommendation... Great place to catch a sunset and the lobster Reuben sandwich really IS fantastic! We did a couple of days of diving; we really liked Silent World up in Key Largo. We dove Key Largo Dry Rocks and North North Dry Rocks in Pennekamp State Park. Not deep but gorgeous! We will definitely rent this again when we next visit the Keys, and we highly recommend to all!

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

There is always shade and breezes at Palm Breezes

Guest: Susan (Sebastian Florida)
Date of Stay: 05/07/11 Review Submitted: 05/25/11

Our group just enjoyed our 2 week stay at this perfect place in the keys! The house was even better than we expected. The beds were comfy and the bathrooms large. There is plenty of room for all. All 8 of us ate our breakfast on the screened porch daily. The front porch was perfect for late afternoon reading/resting area away from others. The yard is extremely large for a Keys rental, and loaded with palm trees for shade. The pool area couldn't have been nicer. The house was very private since it is on a corner lot. Close to grocery stores and restaurants. The best is the Sunset Grill just before 7 mile bridge. This was our first time dealing directly with the owner, and it was easy with Tim. We will do it again. We hope to stay again next year.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, people with disabilities, age 55+, families with teenagers, girls getaway, pet owners, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Absolutely Amazing!!!!

Guest: The Happy Couple (Ormond Beach,Fl)
Date of Stay: 04/16/11 Review Submitted: 05/01/11

My husband and I were planning a destination wedding in the keys and were lucky enough to stumble upon Tim's house on this website while looking for a place to stay. His property was so beautiful that we decided to have the wedding there, with Tim's blessing, instead of the nearby beach. Our friends and family were amazed at how great the house was, the pictures are great but they don't do it justice. It has tons of amenities, more than enough room, beautiful views and conveniently located in the center of the keys so you can see them all within an hour drive. We were even visited by a white heron and manatee while we were there. The pool and hot tub were awesome. The best part was Tim's excellent communication, he was always quick to respond to any questions or concerns I had, which is why we decided to rent from him in the first place. We will definitely be back soon. Thank you Tim for helping us make our special day unforgettable!!!

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

What a great place to stay!!!!

Guest: Great Vacation (Florida)
Date of Stay: 04/09/11 Review Submitted: 05/05/11

This was our second time vacationing in Marathon, but our first time at Tim's house. Wish we would have found Tim's house the first time. What a great place to stay!!! We had 8 adults and 2 children, there was plenty of room to move around. The view from the pool was amazing. We brought 2 boats and had great access to the Gulf and the Atlantic side. At night time you have a 5 min boat ride to a beautiful sunset every night. We were visited by a white heron, 2 manatees, and a giant lizard wanting a drink from the pool. Fishing was good off shore and from the dock. Thanks Tim for having a great house!!!

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

Great Vacation Rental & Location!

Guest: Darcy (Jackson, MI)
Date of Stay: 04/02/11 Review Submitted: 04/18/11

It was a great vacation experience from beginning to end! The house was roomy & well maintained. From the beginning Tim was very helpful & kept us well informed. It was a pleasure working with him. We found the home to live up to its description. The best part was the great breezes & view from the pool area. Weekend days were a little loud due to a private airport nearby but it did not take away from relaxing at the pool. I believe they have flight time restrictions & the week's flight schedule was not busy. The downstairs is private & has a sepearte entrance. This is nice for the those who would like to have more quiet or privacy. The cleaning service was great. I had left several pieces of jewlery at the rental & Kim(from cleaning) was kind enough to retreive them & mail them to me. She is very thoughtful & does a great job maintaining the home. We were not fortunate enough to see any manatees but we did have a friendly white heron visit us everyday & spend the day at the pool with us. We also rented a center console boat for several days & access to the gulf was easy. But I seemed to have more luck fishing off the sea wall than the guys did out on the boat. We enjoyed most of the days right at the pool & for lunch we headed out on the boat. We found a place called Sparky's, a laid back & a fun place we could dock & enjoy lunch on the water. We recommend Tropical Boat Rentals in Marathon for a boat rental, they negoiate a great deal for weekly rentals. The location of the house is great! The home is located right near a shulttle(across from Walgreens) that takes you round trip from Marathon to Key West, only $8 per person round trip. It runs all week & various times of the day. They will drop you right at Duval street. I believe the latest return is 9:30 pm & It does take a little longer to shuttle but it was well worth it for us. I believe it even picks up near the Key West airport which I will look into on our next visit. The home is located near shopping as well. Overall this was a great experience & it was great to have such personal service. We would definitely rent from Tim again. We would like to thank Tim & a special thanks to Kim.

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

What a GREAT house!!!

Guest: The VanDe's (Moline Illinois)
Date of Stay: 03/19/11 Review Submitted: 04/07/11

We just spent a week at the Palm Breezes house, and what a great week it was! Our family of ten thoroughly enjoyed our annual winter get away to the Keys. The house lived up to the pictures in every way. We all had spacious bedrooms, a well-appointed kitchen, wonderful hot tub and a lovely pool. We were able to catch fish from the seawall and see the manatees who came in for a drink of water from the hose. We were minutes from all of the great resteraunts in Marathon, but spent most of our time hanging out at the beautiful Palm Breezes house. We will definately return! Thanks for everything Tim.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Vaca Vaca Vaca!!!

Guest: the restaurant crew (willards, md)
Date of Stay: 03/12/11 Review Submitted: 04/05/11

wow-finally a place we can return to...we were a family of 10 who have been looking forever to find the place to be-thanks tim! we found it! we hope to come back again next year... i do have to say that the pictures do no justice to this home...it was more wonderful than we thought it would be... we were also lucky enough to meet tim-he was in marathon for a quick weekend and came by to check on something that the previous renters had found to be an issue...talk about quick response! the pool & hot tub were great, the game room was the central area of most of the week-when we weren't playing cornhole or fishing or swimming ;) we caught tons of fish off the dock (2 were even keepers lol) and saw manatee almost every day of our stay...unbelievable!! thanks again, tim, for sharing your home!!

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

put us down again for next year

Guest: Vic (Boynton Beach,Fl.)
Date of Stay: 02/26/11 Review Submitted: 03/25/11

We absolutely loved your home and thank you for sharing it with us. We will definately be in touch to book again next year. There were four couples and we found the house roomy and lots of privacy for each of us if we desired to have it. Found the kitchen easy to work in with eight people under foot. Loved the delightful pool with waterfall and hot tub. House conveint to shopping and the many restauraats We also enjoyed the screened in porch for breakfast and coctails .

Recommended for:Age 55+, girls getaway, pet owners, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Palm Breezes Rocks

Guest: Anne (Metedeconk, NJ)
Date of Stay: 02/12/11 Review Submitted: 02/27/11

By far, this is the best home we've rented. We are three couples ages 46-73 who vacation together for two weeks each year in the Keys, and space and privacy was never an issue. Hats off to the cleaning service too - the house was spotless, and we didn't see any of those pesky little ants during our stay. The linens are not your typical rental dollar store bargain sheets, and the supply of towels was never ending. I didn't even need to buy new pillows this trip (yes I do check them to be sure I can put my head on them). Dockage was great, and a quick trip to Vaca Cut for oceanside fishing, as that is our preference. The kitchen was well stocked and there is plenty of space which enabled us to invite 20+ for dinner several times. The pool and hot tub were perfect (we actually had to ask Mike the pool guy to lower the pool heat). The lower level fridge made poolside cocktails easy. We had regular visits from 2-4 manatees and were able to pet them while "sneaking" them the hose while washing down the boat. My only complaints are that the bait freezer didn't get cold and the other (if you can call it a complaint) was that there wasn't a broom or mop for the floors, and that's coming from a borderline OCD neat freak who cleans on vacation). In my defense, we were there for two weeks, and crumbs happen. Recommend Cabana Breezes in Key Colony Beach for their yellowtail picatta. Also highly recommend Frank's Grill in the strip mall just north of the Office Max mall - friends introduced us to Frank who is an awesome chef . He will cook what you catch, and his Alfredo is the best I've ever tasted. You do need reservations, and be prepared to wait three days for a spot because he's always booked. If you crave stone crab claws, go to Keys Fishery on 35th Street to the upstairs tiki - $1.25 claws starting at 1p.m. If you fish, take a trip to Ore's for chum, and Capt. Hooks sells ice by the bucket - it'll save a few bucks. Cabs are cheap if you want to drink with no worries. That said - thank you Tim, you were great to work with, your home was wonderful, and we plan to come back to this paradise again next year. Best regards...

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

We had a great time!

Guest: fullhousefrank (Ft. Lauderdale)
Date of Stay: 01/23/11 Review Submitted: 02/03/11

The kids complained that the house was too big, since i couldn't hear them i thought it was perfect. We brought our boat and the location is conveniant for fishing. I stayed at another place that was cheaper last year and you do get what you pay for. The 3 bathrooms upstairs made beer drinking not a problem. We got a special deal for the week because they were putting in a new hot tub, and new furniture and some tile in the screen room. The updates make this a great getaway for families and couples. The hot tub is downstairs by the pool and it was a pleasure to relax in after a hard day of drinking and fishing. If there is a nicer place down there I would be very surprised. We caught some nice fish and cooked them on the grill and that made for a tasty trip. I will try to come back in the future. Try the Island restaurant for dinner. I would recommend this place to family and friends..

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

The WOW factor!!!

Guest: Rob Dixon (San Jose, CA)
Date of Stay: 12/04/10 Review Submitted: 02/17/11

The property was everything advertised and more. Best vacation rental I have ever had, and I have rented a ton. The pool area is amazing and everything in the house is beautifully maintained. The service was great, my questions and concerns were answered quickly and I felt very comfortable from the initial sending in of my deposit through the end of my vacation. This place has the WOW factor and anyone who rents this house will not be disappointed!!!

Recommended for:

Not worth it!

Guest: Jennifer (OCALA)
Date of Stay: 08/07/10 Review Submitted: 11/09/10

I think the photographs set your expectations high and the property doesn't deliver. The A/C did not work well, the side of the house where the master suite was at 5-7 degrees warmer than the other side of the house. Several vertical blinds missing in front of the sliding glass door that led to the jacuzzi (Not much privacy!) in the master suite. When you turn on the pump for the jacuzzi, it sounds like it's gonna blow up and it never heated up. The sliding glass doors are rickety and don't slide well if at all. The television did not work the entire trip, would turn it on and tried everything to get it to work to no avail. The location and the pool were main advantages to this house, other than this awesome little restaurant called the "Wooden Spoon" that is almost worth staying at this house again. But gave Tim (property owner) my credit card number for deposit (which was promptly charged) and mailed remaining payment within time required and heard absolutely nothing from Tim until about a week before we were scheduled to stay in his home, and this was after tons and tons of phone calls and emails. Very unnerving, just gave this person a nice chunk of money and we really felt scammed until he finally responded to an email threatening to get law enforcement involved. The location and the pool were main advantages to this house, other than this awesome little restaurant called the "Wooden Spoon" that is almost worth staying at this house again. There are better (and cheaper!) houses in marathon. Don't recommend

Owner response: There is some truth to this review, as well as some over exaggeration. This renter called me on Saturday at approximately 7 pm and said that the a/c was not very cold, I had a repair man there by 8:30. The unit did need a shot of Freon. There have been no-more issues with the a/c since. I waited to respond to this review until I was able to stay at the house and test the 5-7 degree variance. The variance was more like 3 degrees and with the adjustments on the vents it was an easy fix. I have never had a complaint about the TV’s till this renter. They didn’t let me know that the big screen in the living room wasn’t working till Wednesday. Even then, they said it wasn’t a big deal because they didn’t have much time to watch TV. They simply changed the input stetting on the TV. The cleaning lady went over to the house and fixed the TV by changing the input setting with the remote. The blower motor on the Jacuzzi did go out.... and in fact it made a very loud noise. I offered to compensate this renter for the "loss of use" of the Jacuzzi. This was the second complaint I had on the Jacuzzi so... I responded by purchasing a new Jacuzzi for the house. It's bigger, 51 jets of therapy, led lighting, and a mini waterfall. Because this Jacuzzi is bigger I had a new patio built by the pool for the Jacuzzi. As far as privacy, if you are looking, as couples, to take turns in the Jacuzzi out of view from your friends and family at the house, this is not going to work. If the other people staying with you want to see you in the Jacuzzi… they can. I never advertised “a private or secluded Jacuzzi”. I'm sorry if that was tis renters expectations. I’m very proud of this home, when something breaks “which happens” I fix it. I just bought a new LCD TV for a bedroom because one of the power switches broke on the TV. I also bought new furniture for the master bedroom just because I thought it looked nice. And I bought a new Jacuzzi because it broke down twice in 8 months. I appreciate negative feedback. I listen to it and strive to improve. I do feel however that this review was somewhat malicious. Sincerely, Tim

Recommended for:

Nice home, use caution

Guest: lovinthekeys ( Shawnee,Kansas)
Date of Stay: 08/22/09 Review Submitted: 09/15/09

Overall its okay. The pool was terribly green , the pool person arrived 4 days after we arrived. The jacuzzi was not working and needed a part that was not available during our week stay. We had to wait for 4 hours outside the house due to other clients leaving late. The worst is the owner has not contacted us over an accident that occurred in the home, My husband was in the emergency room for 6 hours getting stitches. We will not recommended this home. What a shame.

Owner response:The only part about this I can't debate is that the Jacuzzi did break. I purchased a new one last week rather than replace the broken one. The part was going to take over a week to get in, and I had new renters coming in. Rather than disappoint them... I purchased a new one. These complainers showed up before noon for check in and the cleaning people were still there. Their agreement (like all of them) states 3pm. As far as the accident... I was told by the renters and my neighbor that they were drinking and one of them fell into the glass table and broke it. They apologized to me!!!! They were actually very nice about it, so I told them they didn't have to pay for the table and I didn't keep their security deposit. I can't help it if the emergency room took 6 hours to stitch up the intoxicated slip and fall victim. The pool guy is the best. His number is on the refrigerator. He received no complaint from these renters. He lives only 5 minutes from the house and comes over anytime a renter or i call. I am proud of my home. Very proud.

Recommended for:

Awesome family vacation

Guest: Joe and Marlene (Lecanto, FL)
Date of Stay: 08/01/09 Review Submitted: 01/31/10

Stayed from 8/1-8/15/2009. We had a wonderful family vacation. I couldn't have asked for anything more perfect than this house!! The pictures tell the whole story, it's beautifully decorated. The home offered plenty for everyone. Had a little problem with the pool, but it was taken care of very quickly. It even rained one day, but couldn't get them to come inside. The Jacuzzi wasn't working, but we had plenty of other things to do. Had some great family time playing cards every night. The gas grill on the upper deck was the perfect addition as one of the son-in-law is a great cook. Loved the pool table and the different area for the younger ones to have a place to enjoy their music. We enjoyed the lower area under the deck and out of the sun, plenty of sitting area to watch the children and also had some pool toys. The location of the house was perfect for boating. We very much enjoyed our time there and would recommend this property to anyone.

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

This Is A Great House

Guest: kmbuffett (Belton, SC)
Date of Stay: 04/25/09 Review Submitted: 05/04/09

This home is great for the entire family. My past trips to the keys were only to fish, but this time the wives wanted to come along. This home offers plenty to keep the wives and kids busy while the guys are out fishing. Vaca Cut is about five minutes by boat and the Seven Mile Bridge is about twenty minutes. It is by far the best location I have stayed at in my many trips to the Keys.

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

Really liked the place

Guest: NA (Wisconsin)
Date of Stay: 03/28/09 Review Submitted: 11/28/10

I stayed at this location back in March of 09. I really like the location and they had just installed the pool. My kids loved to sit in the pool and we rented a boat for the week to take trips out in the gulf. I never tried the Jacuzzi, but we loved the location and Tim was nice to deal with. I would like to go back this March and am thinking about contacting Tim. The rent was reasonable, I just wish I could stay all winter. Todd S.

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