Reviews for St. Petersburg Vacation Rental - VRBO 220829 - 5 BR Florida Central West House in FL, Waterfront Home Minutes from Beaches & Golf

Beautiful Vacation Spot

Guest mary k.
Date of stay 03/10/12
Review Submitted 03/26/12

My family of ten, including 3 small grandchildren, chose this house for a vacation stay in mid March. We were fortunate with the weather, as it was summerlike. We met the owner upon arrival and he showed us some of the features of the house, as well as told us some of the history of his family. We were impressed by the unique architectural features in this house...the photos don't tell enough about how large this place is, and how beautiful. I literally kept getting lost in here! There is a large central open area with living room, dining room and kitchen,family room, then 2 wings at the sides for the bedrooms. The pool opens off the back. We paid for heat for the pool and the little ones loved it, as did the adults. If there were children 10-16 years old who liked to swim more, we would have needed more pool space, since this is heart shaped and we used it more like a huge hot tub, with the little ones in their waterwings floating around. It was a challenge to find all the light switches and fan switches/remotes since this place is so big. But there were some upscale lighting features here once we found them! We cooked all our meals here in a great kitchen, as well as the outdoor gas bbq which produced the best prime rib on the last day, thanks to my talented sons/son-in-law! There was a breakfast nook overlooking the pool for mornings and a formal dining room for evening meals. There was lots of room for the wee ones to move around inside, especially in the basement which was huge. We could have housed another family down there, with the bedroom/ workout room, games room with pool table, 50's diner attached (!), and a theatre room with 7 recliners, exactly what we needed. Oh yes, the house is opposite a golf course with great sidewalks through the neighbourhood for walks, and it is situated on a bayou, so the back yard is all wildlife friendly and beautiful for photos...we took many here. It's an upscale friendly neighbourhood and the beach is only minutes away. All in all, just what we were looking for! Thanks again for the great stay and for your kind hospitality....we loved it!

Recommended for: Families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway.

Owner response: Bobby and I are so glad that you and yours had such a great time. We have been fortunate to have so many lovely families enjoy the house. Thank you for your kind comments. We hope to see you again next year!

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

Enjoyable family vacation

Guest A Finn
Date of stay 02/18/12
Review Submitted 05/24/12

The home was perfect for our 10-day family vacation. The location is very convenient and the beaches are only minutes away. There is even a golf course literally on the other side of the road. The whole neighbourhood is similar upscale houses and is very quiet. The house is much larger than looks on the photos and very stylishly decorated. It is kept wonderfully clean and has everything we needed. Bedrooms are nicely spread and each one has it's own theme. We enjoyed the excellent view to the bayou from the pool terrace and kids loved the heart-shaped pool. There is also a nice home cinema room downstairs and a small gym plus a pool table and 50's style kitchen/ bar. We cooked most of our meals in the well-equipped kitchen and did some BBQ with the gas grill by the pool area. All the appliances worked fine and there were no real problems during our stay. The owner was really nice and helpful.

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

Owner response: We hope you come back to visit next time you visit from Finland! We have had visitors from all of the countries in the United Kingdom and Southern Ireland, Germany, Sweden, Amsterdam, Canada, France, Holland and goodness only knows how many different States! Thank you for choosing our home and taking such good care of it!

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

12 Thumbs Up!

Guest Ron
Date of stay 01/14/12
Review Submitted 03/20/12

Our family of eight adults and four young children had a great time. The pool was perfect for the grandkids and the guys took advantage of the foursome special at the course across the street. We would all be pleased to return.

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

Owner response: We hope to have you and your family again in the near future!

Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/1

Wow!!!

Guest CJ
Date of stay 06/18/11
Review Submitted 07/12/11

We recently stayed at this property for a 3 family vacation consisting of 15 younger and older adults, teenagers, and small children. We chose this house because of the quiet family location but still very close to beautiful beaches, local activities and a reasonable drive to the Orlando attractions. The pictures, ratings (up to our booking) and price were unbelievable. We have paid nearly as much for far less. Honestly, when each family entered the property, we were ALL awestruck! It is said below in other reviews and I will say it again.... The pictures DO NOT do this house justice! Huge! Gorgeous! Higher end furniture, fixtures, appliances and bedding. The beautiful screened in outdoor kitchen and pool area has a beautiful view of the bayou. The house was stocked with your expected basic essentials and then some. Upon arrival we went to the nearby Sam's store (4 miles) and local grocery store and purchased everything we needed for our weeks stay. We have and will HIGHLY recommend this home for rental. The owner is very personable and quick to answer any questions and resolve any issues her guests encounter. I do not understand the one negative review posted on this site. My guess is they did not receive their deposit back as a result of not upholding their end of the quite clear agreement and now they feel they have an axe to grind. That is truly a shame. I assure you, as I am sure so many of her other guests would, neither this house nor the owner deserve anything short of a 5 star rating! Thank you for the memorable vacation and the delightful accommodations!

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

Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 4/6

Nice place but nothing worked!!!!

Guest Michael M.
Date of stay 06/11/11
Review Submitted 06/26/11

This is a nice and big place to stay. But nothing worked. The main toilet didnt work. The ice machine, the dishwasher, Alot of the lights and ceiling fans also didnt work. The waterfall on the pool worked sporadically. The fishing in the back was not very good. The water is only a few inches deep and is all mud when the tide goes out. The pool area is nice, but not very big and not good for larger groups. The Theatre has a problem with the volume. Its either too loud, or you can hear anything. I beleive the owners could fix these problems and If they are addressed, then this is a great place. Plenty of services that are close. The beach is not far away.

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

Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 8/10

Rethinking my decision

Guest Veronica C.
Date of stay 06/04/11
Review Submitted 12/04/11

The house looked beautiful on first appearance. However, upon closer inspection, there were many unacceptable quirks. The basement area was musty, and the air did not work even when we turned the thermostat down. For two days we had no hot water. This was fixed, but then on Friday we had no cold water. Loose electrical wires were hanging from the lights in the pool area, and the back steps literally fell apart when my kids went down them, all of which were very dangerous. Two of the toliets did not work properly. Admitedly, we just lived with these things instead of reporting them. Big mistake! We were accused of breaking all of these items. Upon our departure, we left everything as we found it. We left dog hair; I admit that my dogs shed a lot in spite of professional grooming, but we paid a pet deposit thinking this was for payment for any extra cleaning. This has always been the case in our previous rentals, and we have stayed in the same place repeatedly in the past with the same animals with no complaints from the owners. Obviously, the owner does not really know what pet friendly means. She withheld our deposit citing excessive pet hair and scratched floors. After many e-mails back and forth with the owner, we did not receive our deposit back. I find it interesting that after seven years of living in our current home, our floors do not have the suppose damage that the owner claims our pets inflicted. I also find it interesting that the pet deposit clause that we signed was different from the one that the owner resent to us and cited as cause for not refunding our deposit. The bottom line is that the home now has fabulous refinished wood flooring that was paid for with our deposit. We were charged an extra fee above the pet deposit for cleaning. The cleaning company for my personal home does not charge any "extra" due to two small dogs. I am sure that the owner will deny all that I say, as she has done so to a previous client on this review page. (Read it for yourself. I was accused of writing the prior review, but it was writen before our stay.) I have no doubt that others did indeed enjoy their visit. And had I been treated with respect instead of being taken advantage of and berated in writing, I would have overlooked the other quirks. I comment not with acidulousness but with a heartfelt disappointment. I like to look for the good in a situation, but in this case, I don't know if I can find anything good.

Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 19/21

Great Time!

Guest Steve M.
Date of stay 05/22/11
Review Submitted 06/08/11

The Fleeting's house was really a beautiful one...Plenty of room. The town of Seminole is quiet, but the beaches are only a short distance away. We loved the fact we had a nice pool to get cool in. We left the place like we found it and can't wait to go back! The Fleeting's: THANK YOU!!!!! WE HAD AN AWESOME TIME!

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

Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 5/6

Excellent site, excellent accomodations

Guest Todd
Date of stay 03/13/11
Review Submitted 05/07/11

This vacation rental is much nicer than it even looks in the pictures. Every person I was travelling with was shocked with how nicely furnished it was. It's great to be so close to everything you would need yet comfortable in a home away from the tourism side of things.

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

Owner response: Thank you Todd! We hope to have your group again in the near future!

Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 8/9

Guest Trina Becker
Date of stay 03/22/10
Review Submitted 03/22/10

What a great house - we had 4 families and there was plenty of room for all of us. The kitchen was great with lots of room to gather. The location was perfect -we were 10 min. from the beach and right across the street from the golf course. The only down side was bathrooms - on one side of the house you have 2 bedroom with 2.5 bathrooms but on the other side of the house you have 1 bathroom and 3 bedroom - so the layout was a little odd but we all made due for the week and it worked out. I would recommend this house if you are looking for a relaxing vacation in the Tampa area.

Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 11/12

Guest Sarah105
Date of stay 01/27/10
Review Submitted 01/27/10

What a big beautiful house!!! Very nice and spacious. We came from Michigan and stayed here to spend time with our dad who was soon to leave us due to cancer. The owners of this house were the nicest people to deal with. It was very wonderful for the whole family to be able to be together. I give a very high recommendation for this house and the owners. Thank you so much!! The Wright family

Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 11/12

Guest Jeff Healy
Date of stay 01/08/10
Review Submitted 01/08/10

We really enjoyed staying in this spacious home. We had eight adults and three toddlers and it worked well; good connectivity, space for all together or room to get away by yourself. We enjoyed the heated pool! Quiet neighborhood; backs up to water, many birds/waterfowl and close to many things to do including beaches. Bad weather? Things to do in house including pool table and theatre.

Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 11/12

Guest Anonymous
Date of stay 06/03/09
Review Submitted 06/03/09

This home is very spacious. We had 14 people sleeping there and we never felt like we were on top of each other. It was very nice to have a pool in the backyard, I don't know what we would have done with the kids if it didn't. It was helpful that the house had all of the linens, bath towels & even beach towels already there. We probably could have used a little more refrigerator space, but we did have a lot of people in the house and we managed.

Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 10/11

Vacation Rentals by Owner

Waterfront Home Minutes from Beaches & Golf [#220829] | View Property

Traveler Reviews (12)

Beautiful Vacation Spot

Beautiful Vacation Spot

Enjoyable family vacation

Enjoyable family vacation

12 Thumbs Up!

12 Thumbs Up!

Wow!!!

Wow!!!

Nice place but nothing worked!!!!

Nice place but nothing worked!!!!

Rethinking my decision

Rethinking my decision

Great Time!

Great Time!

Excellent site, excellent accomodations

Excellent site, excellent accomodations