Vacation Rentals by Owner

Great value, great layout, good location

Guest: PabloP (nyack, ny/USA)
Date of Stay: 04/16/11 Review Submitted: 04/26/11

We stayed here with my 4 kids and my wife (agest 16, 15, 6 and 2). The layout of the house was very accomodating. The kitchen is VERY well stocked with every utensil imaginable. The flat screen TV and the stereo are superb. The location is very close to the beach (1 block) and it's right across the street from restaurants, ice cream parlors and souvenir shops. I would recommend it.

Owner response:Thanks for staying with us.

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway.

Perfect for a large group!

Guest: Laura L. (Safety Harbor, FL)
Date of Stay: 12/03/10 Review Submitted: 12/13/10

We stayed Dec. 2-6. My husband and I live locally, but yearly host college friends (8 adults this year) from up north for a holiday gathering - we decided we had grown out of our home and it was time for everyone to have their own room and a bed. This was a perfect house for a group - and even better to cook a huge meal. I rent a lot of vacation homes, usually the kitchen is just stocked with one of everything - this one had multiples of everything we needed to cook a holiday meal - right down to spices. And there are a lot of great restaurants and bars walkable from the house. The open kitchen/tv/living area downstairs is large enough to 10 people to hang out at once. We were surprised we couldn't hear much noise from Gulf Boulevard. AND the road construction is finally finished - complete with brand new beach facilities a 1 minute walk from the house. We hope to make this our new annual destination. Would definitely recommend to families or groups.

Owner response:Thanks so much. Hope to see you again next year.

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

Perfect for a group

Guest: Laura L. (Safety Harbor, FL)
Date of Stay: 12/02/10 Review Submitted: 12/13/10

We stayed Dec. 2-6. My husband and I live locally, but yearly host college friends (8 adults this year) from up north for a holiday gathering - we decided we had grown out of our home and it was time for everyone to have their own room and a bed. This was a perfect house for a group - and even better to cook a huge meal. I rent a lot of vacation homes, usually the kitchen is just stocked with one of everything - this one had multiples of everything we needed to cook a holiday meal - right down to spices. And there are a lot of great restaurants and bars walkable from the house. The open kitchen/tv/living area downstairs is large enough to 10 people to hang out at once. We were surprised we couldn't hear much noise from Gulf Boulevard. AND the road construction is finally finished - complete with brand new beach facilities a 1 minute walk from the house. We hope to make this our new annual destination. Would definitely recommend to families or groups.

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

Excellent location and beautiful house!

Guest: Max (St. Louis)
Date of Stay: 07/17/10 Review Submitted: 07/28/10

Our family of 9 stayed the week of july 17-24 in this house and it was PERFECT. The house is beautiful, the amenities are top notch and the location is close to everything. We loved that there was beach equipment and towels so we didn't have to cart them across country. We could walk to several places easily and the walk to the beach was not far at all! The rooms in the house were well furnished, the bedding was comfortable and easily accommodated our group of 9, including 2 teens and a 6 year old! Don't miss Waltz Fish Shack for food and Woody's was a great place to rent waverunners...both just across the street. The Conch Republic Grill was also wonderful! And, should you just wish to cook...you'll have everything you need at the house. I almost hate to recommend this place for fear it won't be there should we want to come back!

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

Great Vacation

Guest: FromTO (Toronto, ON)
Date of Stay: 07/13/09 Review Submitted: 11/11/09

We spent a week in July and shared the house with another family. Despite there being a total of 10 people, this well-laid out newly renovated house is large enough to accommodate with ample space for everyone. The entertainment system with the very large flat-screen TV was quite a treat especially after a long day at the beach (only a 3 minute walk) or shopping (10 minute drive), the kitchen had enough counter space for 2 kitchens and we took full advantage of the large BBQ on the fully enclosed patio deck. There were a few things needed such as hangars and (more) beach towels, but Pete was extremely accommodating whenever we needed anything, and supplied things right away. We hope to be back next year!

Recommended for:Families with young children

Great House- location and beach

Guest: From Tampa (Tampa, FL)
Date of Stay: 07/10/09 Review Submitted: 07/16/09

We just stayed the weekend at this house and we had a great time. The house provided us with endless enjoyment, from the quick walk to a fresh seafood dinner across the street (at Waltz (i think that is the name) which is a small little dinner place that serves only FRESH fish), to the quick walk to the beach, to the quiet enjoyment indoors. We enjoyed the back covered patio during the nights and did not have to worry about making too much noise or disturb the neighbors, which is what a condo offers! The house is in great shape, clean, and well stocked with linens and a few beach chairs (even a nice cooler for the beach!)

Owner response:Thanks for your comments.

Recommended for:Families with young children, tourists without a car, romantic getaway.

Great Vacation Home!

Guest: twilkinson (Iowa)
Date of Stay: 07/03/09 Review Submitted: 07/11/09

The house was fantastic! It was new, clean, very modern and had everything we needed. Plenty of room. The upper deck is great to look out over Johns Pass Village, and great at night. The lower deck is very private and great for a relaxing. Having the office attached made no impact at all on our stay. You can't hear anything from the office and there was tons of privacy. It was not an issue at all! The thermostat didn't go past 74 as stated but it was always comfortable. We thought the location was great! Directly across the street was Johns Pass with shopping and lots of restaurants. Beach access was close. It didn't bother us at all to only have to walk a couple minutes to a fabulous beach! The house is right on the Trolley route allowing you to easily catch it to go to many other beaches and attractions in the area. Yes there was construction on the bridge but it didn't bother us at all. In fact we walked over the bride several times and it offered an amazing view! Great house for a big group or family!

Owner response:Thank you so much for staying with us.

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Worst Vacation Ever..

Guest: yapyap (North Carolina)
Date of Stay: 05/17/09 Review Submitted: 06/17/09

This house is approx 2 blocks from at least 5 cranes working on a bridge that has been under construction forever per the locals.. Too noisey to sleep. The owner of this house has his realty company attached to the house. No really look at the house good and see to the right of the picture and you will see the realty company. It does not tell you that in the description....and you wonder when he will show up unexpected asking if you happen to find something a previous guess left. Also the lot is only as big as you see and right on the street. Take very small cars if you go. It looked like it was approx 1940 renovated house. Very Hot downstairs. It was not pet friendly. While walking my dog right beside the house I was almost run over by constrution workers that use the drive you see in the picture for a entrance. They speed in and out all day long and all night.. You do not need a alarm clock at this house because the construction will wake you up at 7:00 am in the morning. The description sounds as if you have a view of the gulf and you do not. you look out and see power poles and motels and when you look at the sound side you see all the constructions cranes and barrels and barracades in the street. . Just stay somewhere else if you want to have a nice Vacation............

Owner response:Johns Pass is one of the top tourist destinations in Florida.. it's an active, busy area with lots to do. The house is located on Gulf Blvd. in the center of all the action. The building was renovated to new and completed on Feb 09 and features insulated windows and doors which significantly reduces noise in the house. The AC is brand new and works very well, we do have it programmed to go as low as 74 degrees and is very comfortable. If a guest has special needs and requests a lower temperature we can accomodate that. As stated... the property is beach side and has some obstructed views of the Gulf but it is not directly on the Beach... the access is less than a two minute walk . I have been a real estate broker on Madeira Beach for more than 25 years and I do maintain a small personel real estate office on the property to facilitate renting the house and serving my clients. It is seperate from the house with seperate parking and entry. Sometimes a prior guest will call and ask if they left something behind and I may have to check with a current guest to double check but I do everything I can to respect the privacy of all guests and never barge in on anyone. We do consider pets on a case by case basis but there is no fenced in yard to run and play and also pets are not allowed on the beach. Parking in the Johns Pass area is at a premium and we have plenty of it, as of this writing our current guests have two full sized GMC Denali SUV's a Ford Explorer and a 4 door jeep Rubicon parked here. We have even accomodated boats and trailers for guests.... btw there is a boat ramp less than1/3 of a mile from here. Once you are parked you won't need your car... everything is here. And yes they are constructing a new bridge at the pass 800 feet to the south and they work on it during the day.

Recommended for:

Perfect Get Away for a group of Friends!

Guest: ECU Pirate (Odessa, FL)
Date of Stay: 05/15/09 Review Submitted: 07/13/09

This Beach House was a perfect get away for us and our group of friends. We celebrated my birthday with four couples total and had plenty of parking for others to join us for the day or evening. John's Pass was an easy walk across the street and Public beach access was just a short walk through the adjacent parking lot. We have been telling everyone we know about what a great deal this is to have multiple people stay in one place. The bedrooms are spaced accordingly to provide the needed privacy for each couple and the separate vanities up stairs is a nice touch. I would recommend this rental for small family reunions or a meeting place for groups of friends. The covered porch was our favorite place to sit and enjoy conversation. The full size kitchen and grill allowed us to bring in our own groceries and prepare meals as a group. Of course we did enjoy walking over to John's Pass for live music and cocktails. The property is spacious, clean and well kept.

Owner response:Thanks, see you next year.

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, girls getaway, tourists without a car.

Excellent location, Very accommodating!

Guest: Greg/Roxie Jerry/Sue (Durand, Wisconsin)
Date of Stay: 03/22/09 Review Submitted: 07/29/09

4 months after our stay, we still reminisce about how we enjoyed our morning coffee on the upper balcony. The house was immaculate with a great layout & all the comforts of home. The stereo system is awesome! We didn't bother to rent a car, everything we needed was within walking distance. The beach, which truly was a 2 minute walk, is by far one of the most beautiful we've found. We were very impressed by the owner. He knocked on our door the day we arrived, as he said he would, to greet us and answer any questions we had. The set up is ideal for a group of friends, as well as a family gathering. We've already recommended this place to friends & plan on visiting again.

Owner response:Thanks for staying with us... See you next year. Pete

Recommended for:People with disabilities, age 55+, families with teenagers, girls getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing.

NOT beachfront/in front of condos/on busy street

Guest: BarbWire (St. Petersburg, FL)
Date of Stay: 03/14/09 Review Submitted: 06/24/09

The house was new, clean, and spacious. Unfortunately, the air conditioner was programmed NOT to go lower than a certain temp (76 degrees), and at times was not so cool. Location was not ideal; not directly on beach, and no beach view and no sunset view. Located directly on busy tourist strip by bridge with large cranes and unsitely construction. Lots of Large condos behind house with locked gates, so you must walk a couple blocks down and then access the beach (5-10 minute walk). Owner works in attached office in front of house which limited the feeling of privacy.

Owner response:Many innacuracies in this review. The property was not mis-represented to the tennant in any way, in fact they came and inspected the property prior to staying here. I checked with them while they were staying and they were very satisfied. By the way the ac goes down to 74 not 76 and the beach access is less than a 2 minute walk not 5 to 10 minutes. We respect the privacy of all of our guests.

Recommended for:Tourists without a car, sightseeing.