'Southern Surprise' Gulfview Private Pool &Amp; Elevator

• 'Southern Surprise' was a pleasant surprise for our summer vacation!

  'Southern Surprise' was a pleasant surprise for our summer vacation!

  • Guest Kristen
  • Date of stay 06/23/12
  • Review Submitted 07/06/12
  This is the prettiest house on the block! 6 bedrooms! The photos do not do this house justice. It's beautiful inside and out! There were 13 people on our family vacation from ages 4 to 74. Two of the 3 floors had 3 bedrooms on each floor. Each bedroom had it's own bathroom, which was a must for our family. The master bedrooms on each floor are huge. Very spacious! Another plus was the pool. We didn't have to share with the neighbors. We spent more time in the pool than at the beach. The beach is only 2 blocks away, a nice walk to and from the public access. We were able to see the flag from the public access, which was red all week but water was clean and warm. Each floor has a porch that overlooks the lagoon AND the pool/gulf side. It was great to sit in mornings and drink coffee from porch. We had 4 large vehicles and were all parked under the carport. The ONLY thing I missed was hangers. There were a few, but if you want to hang your clothes, you will need your own hangers. The bedroom closets were walk-in so didn't really need to hang anything up. The other houses that surround this one has stairs on the outside. The stairs are inside of the 'Southern Surprise'. Another plus. House was VERY clean when we arrived and grounds were well maintained. Pool guy came 2X that week to check levels of pool and clean it out if necessary. Owner was helpful when we did have MINOR issues; 2nd floor's ice maker not working, wi-fi needed reconnecting. There was a grill just a few blocks from the house. The elevator was also great, since we had a few of our family members who have trouble walking up and down stairs. They didn't have to take the stairs. Elevator went to all 3 floors. I would definitely recommend this to families of all ages.

  Recommended for: Families with young children, age 55+, families with teenagers.

  Owner response: Just for clarity, there is a charcoal grill at the house, the grill the guests refer to as a couple of blocks away, is the nearby local restaurant named West Beach Grill.

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

• Great House!

  Great House!

  • Guest Gail B.
  • Date of stay 03/24/12
  • Review Submitted 04/06/12
  I stayed at this wonderful house, both Downstairs and Upstairs, for Spring Break vacation with my husband, daughter, son-in-law, son, daughter-in-law, and 3 grandchildren, ages 9-14. We all had en suite baths, and lots of room to be together but without tripping over one another or to have quiet time. We all enjoyed the pool, the view of the Lagoon from our bedroom porches, and the view of the Gulf from the living room porches. House was clean, & well decorated. We had ample dishes, glasses, etc. for meals. The elevator was useful for bringing up luggage and groceries. The kids loved the pool. We had some problems with the TV and internet reception but the manager came quickly to help, and it was a Mediacom problem; all the TVs finally worked (actually, I never had time to watch TV, too many other things to do, but some in our group need a television). Location of the house was good; easy to get to sightseeing areas, but far enough away from the busy traffic area. The walk to the beach was about a block if you went straight south across the yards. It was about two blocks if walking on the street and going to the beach entrance which I preferred to do since it was easier walking & pushing the cart with chairs, etc. It was a nice walk to for ice cream in the evening, next to a seafood place, small store, and a restaurant when we didn't want to get in the car. The house's supply of carts, sand toys, and chairs for the beach was very good, and there were also lots "noodles" & plastic pool toys, We didn't need to bring or buy anything except our clothes & food. The manager was very helpful and the few questions we had were addressed by him right away. The only thing we didn't find was a book of instructions for the house such as garbage day and what/how to recycle (i.e. we didn't have to put garbage cans out which was nice, but we have had to do that at some rentals) and there wasn't a list of recommended local attractions, restaurants. We could have asked but didn't want to bother the manager all the time for small things, but they were always quick to be helpful when we called or texted. We did eventually get lots of info on places to go at the Visitor Center down the Beach Rd. We would definitely return and we would recommend this house to others.

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

  Owner response: Bring your beach towels! We try to have pretty much whatever else you'll need. We want you to call if you need anything, and we do have an instruction book at the house for you(apparently prior to this week we had guests who liked it so much they took it home with them!).

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 4/4

• Thanksgiving Getaway

  Thanksgiving Getaway

  • Guest Ann
  • Date of stay 11/25/11
  • Review Submitted 12/05/11
  We had a great time during our stay. The house was totally beautiful and very clean. Great location! We would definitely stay here again.

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, girls getaway.

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

• Family Fun at Southern Surprise

  Family Fun at Southern Surprise

  • Guest Go Bucks
  • Date of stay 07/23/11
  • Review Submitted 08/02/11
  My family and I thoroughly enjoyed our week at Southern Surprise. The house is ideal for large families as both floors are fully equipped with plenty of living space. We were very happy to have bathrooms attached to each bedroom. The kitchen was fully stocked and all the appliances were stainless steel (and the ice maker was a great surprise!) The pool in the back is what set this house apart from many that we looked at in Gulf Shores. It was large enough for our family water volleyball games and our kids played and splashed all day long. The house is just a short walk to the beach and close to several great restaurants. Finally, we very much appreciated the owners helpfulness throughout the week. Prior to reaching Gulf Shores, they provided us with helpful directions to lessen the impact of weekend traffic. Once we reached our house, they asked for any feedback that would make our stay better. Everyone in our family would recommend this house to others and we are all hopeful that we will be visiting Southern Surprise and Gulf Shores in the future.

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

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

• Beth, Joe and Family

  Beth, Joe and Family

  • Guest Beth
  • Date of stay 06/04/11
  • Review Submitted 07/21/11
  Our third year at Southern Surprise was the best. Our family, ranging in age from 8 months to 69 years, had a ball. The furnishings are lovely, the rooms spacious and the kitchens are wonderful for cooking for a large group. We love the balconies and the views from both sides and felt very comfortable in our "home away from home". The pool is a perfect size for a large group, and the "surf was up" while we were there - which was the icing on the cake for all of us. We recommend Southern Surprise to all.

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

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

• Family Reunion

  Family Reunion

  • Guest Rachel
  • Date of stay 05/21/11
  • Review Submitted 05/31/11
  Our family rented Southern Surprise upstairs and downstairs for a family vacation. My brother and sister both joined us with their families. We had a wonderful week. The house was absolutely beautiful and immaculately clean when we arrived. Having the pool was terrific. We were able to spend some time at the beach and when the younger kids got tired, we came back to the house. The little ones could nap while the older kids played in the pool. There are plenty of porches to sit in the shade and enjoy the views. We loved having breakfast on the porches. There was plenty of room for everyone to visit and enjoy one anothers company. We did have a problem with the neighbors at first. There was very loud music and partying late into the night. I called the managers the next day and they took care of it. The rest of our stay was peaceful. We enjoyed our visit so much. I hope we will be able to return next year.

  Recommended for: Girls getaway, families with young children, families with teenagers.

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

• Great week at the beach!!

  Great week at the beach!!

  • Guest TERRI H.
  • Date of stay 06/12/10
  • Review Submitted 06/18/10
  We really enojyed The Southern Surprse. We take this trip every year and with this being our first stay in the house we were especially pleased with the house and surrounding area...The only negative was the yard was uncut when we got here and the grass was about knee high around the house...but on Thursday of our week they yard men came and cut it and made it so much better...The beds were great on the upper floor. One of our guests complained about the 2nd floor queen bed having a hole in the mattress and made it uncommfortable, but not something terrible!!. The pool made our trip, not only was it the largest pool we've ever had it was great since the beaches were closed due to the Oil spill of 2010!!! We loved having so many lounge chairs, but would have loved a table by the pool as well...The beach toys, chairs, and beach carts made going to the beach so much easier... Having 4 familes with a total of 14 we had pleanty of room. the bathrooms were amazing and a real plus with so many...The elevator was a huge plus for bring in luggage and groceries..and since I'm recovering from back surgery it was great not to have to climb the stairs!!! We also love the inside connecter for the duplex, it made it so easy with the small kids!! I was ver impressed with the quality of the linens and the quality of the decorations in the home!!! Overall this was the best house we have used in our 5 years of beaching...we diffently look forward to staying here again!!!

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

  Owner response: All the excitement in the Gulf temporarily pulled our lawn maintenance schedule off while our town was busy with preparedness activities but we are back in the swing of things and think you'll be pleased when you return. This is the first we are hearing about the queen bed--we want to know about things like this so we can fix them immediately! Thanks for letting us know.

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

• • Guest diane bogart
  • Date of stay 04/17/10
  • Review Submitted 04/17/10
  My husband and I recently stayed at Southern Surprise and we loved it. It was everything the web site showed it to be. We will stay there again.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 4/5

• • Guest Anonymous
  • Date of stay 07/28/09
  • Review Submitted 07/28/09
  Staying at Southern Surprise was a BLAST! Our units were perfect for accommodating our party of more kids than adults. There's a quite place for a baby, plenty of bathrooms and enough counter space in the kitchen for everything that collects there. The ground level had plenty of covered space for outside dining for both units and the large decks outside each unit are a great addition of space. The elevator and ice machine are nice touches you don’t usually find. Our large group have stayed on the gulf many times and this unit suited our needs best. And it didn’t hurt that the weather was perfect. We have never had a better week in July! THANKS!!!.

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

• • Guest Mary94
  • Date of stay 06/05/09
  • Review Submitted 06/05/09
  We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Southern Surprise. The accommodations were amazing. We loved having our own pool and being so close to the beautiful beach in Gulf Shores. We couldn't have asked for a better vacation experience. Can't wait to return soon!

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

Winter 2013: Jan- Mar 2 $1400/mo for Downstairs and $1500/mo for upstairs
Spring 2013: 3/3-5/18..$1395 down, $1495 up; May 19- May 25 $3490/Both
Early Summer 2013: 5/26-6/15 .. $4290/wk both
Late Summer 2013: 6/16-7/27... $4890/wk both; 7/28-8/10 ... $4290/wk both
Fall 2013: Aug 11-Sept 7 $1695 down; $1795 up
Fall 2013: 9/8-10/26..$2,490/both; 
Winter 2013: 10/27-12/31...$895/dwn, $995/up
PER HALF: Cleaning $159, Processing $45, $39 Damage Insurance, Lodging Tax 11%

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