Book Pool & Gulf View Hot Tub Before Summer Sells Out

• wonderful time at the "almarito"

  wonderful time at the "almarito"

  • Guest Old Auburn Friends
  • Date of stay 06/09/12
  • Review Submitted 06/15/12
  We are having a wonderful time at the “Almarito”!. We have a group of 4 adults and 9 children (ages 6 – 17) who have vacationed together here on the coast for many years albeit in separate small units. This year we chose to all stay in one large home. “Almarito” was a great choice as we prefer casual / rustic environments where we don’t have to either pay a lot or worry about the kids wrecking something. Contrary to previous negative comments, Almarito is accurately portrayed in the photos and descriptions. We would describe it as a “quirky, rambling old place”. It is rustic, but the important things that should be new and clean, certainly are. The bathroom fixtures and fridge are spotless. The linens are plentiful and clean. There are indeed LOTS of stairs –but those stairs serve a great purpose ----- to get you to the super high “sky deck” (awesome!!!) - No better place to sit and ocean/sunset watch in all of Old Seagrove. The views are even great from the main living area (2nd floor) as the homes on the Gulf side are one-story. What a location! We have used the heck out of the large pool, as being situated under mature trees, has made for a comfortable place to swim in the heat of the day. Please note that even though the pool is good for “grandparents” as the owner’s description states – this place in general is not geared toward that demographic due to the stairs. Laid back families with lots of kids, though, should find this place well suited to their needs. There are lots of gates and attention paid to making this place small child-friendly. Our week here has had quite a few stormy days, but there has been plenty to do and places to be on the property, thus avoiding cabin-fever. The manager, Arlene, has been incredibly attentive. Please note that this is an OLDER home so….. sure, there are little things that either didn’t work right or we didn’t have, but she was immediately responsive, even providing convenience items like a plunger and some extra silverware. Of course it is nice to have a home where everything works perfectly, but you will pay double for it. We are a casual, laid back group that appreciates “vintage”, so this has been a perfect place for our vacation. PS – the A/C works fine.

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

  Owner response: Thanks for your note, Brad. Yours is the type of group Almarito was intended for, people with the same approach as I had when I had it built way back in 1978 for my then young family as a simple beach cottage with enough bedrooms for us to sleep in while we spent most of our time at the beach, before I added the biggest swimming private swimming pool in old Seagrove, the gulf view hot tub, the 360 degree star gazing sky deck, the 5th bedroom and the extra two tons of central air conditioning capacity plus four extra extremely silent units (you only hear rushing air, with no engine noise at all) whch only have to be turned on when temperatures go into the high 90s such as this record breaking week. We prefer no inquiries at all from people who book the house and block out for months other potential customers from enjoying Almarito, who then arrive and demand a refund because they dislike all the stairs on this high stilt house and then decide to make up a list of complaints in order to try to get a full refund of their advance payment, particularly unappreciated since they showed up without making the mandatory second half of their initial advance payment in the first place. We prefer you to others like that group trying to their stair refund by saying the house is dirty after arriving three hours early and (the second half of their group, who made the stair complaint despite all the stair pictures on our web site), insisting on moving in against our advice that the house cleaning is not completed or inspected yet, or who testify that the a/c techs were wrong when I and the techs saw the temperature was dropping after their pre-rental service call, and the techs said the a/c was running great, as you reaffirm as well was the case when you enjoyed your stay. Let the others go to newly built one story houses in more chic resorts -- of which there are plenty nearby with prices, in our size range, of up to $2,00 or $3,000 more per week --but few,if any, with pools of our size, probably none screened and shaded by trees as ours, with, in the same residence, both that gulf view from the interior and a higher deck with a hot tub gulf view, and a higher sky deck....up more stairs...with a 360 degree view of the entire night sky. It's an oldie, but a goodie, and I am glad there are so many reviewers, like you, who appreciate these homes with "character" which are not budget busters, but truly beach cottages where you can be laid back and relaxed.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/2

  During this stay the property was under previous ownership or management.

• Consumer Beware (Mississippi and Tennessee)

  Consumer Beware (Mississippi and Tennessee)

  • Guest Tracy
  • Date of stay 05/26/12
  • Review Submitted 06/03/12
  Viewing this house on the internet, it looked rustic, but met our needs. I called prior to rental and asked about the poor reviews dealing with the air conditioning units and was told the units had been replaced. When we arrived the owner informed us the A/C just went out and assured us the unit would be fixed immediately. We said that we could not stay in a house without A/C and he said "Of course not". We unloaded and left to visit family and eat while the A/C was being worked on. Upon returning 3 hours later, we were told it had been fixed and give it a few hours to cool off. After 2 hours of no significant change in the temperature, we immediately began looking for other accomodations, but were there during Memorial Day weekend, so everything within an hour drive was booked. We spent our first several hours at the house having face-to-face and phone conversations with Arlene, the manager, and Scott, the owner. Arlene was very helpful and trying to accomodate us as much as she could. Scott was a completely different story. We were offered the old window units and told we would have to install them. He showed me where they were and told me how to do it. They were in a storage unit, with a lot of stuff piled on them, looked very heavy, and we would have to bring them up at least one flight of stairs to get them into the house. After still no luck finding a hotel room, we resigned ourselves to the fact that we would have to stay the night and leave the following day. We called the family members driving from Tennessee and told them to get a hotel since they have 3 small children. As we prepared for bed, we discovered there was no hot water in the home. Once people decided to get into bed, we found the sheets and pillows were dirty, (stains and gritty at the foot of the sheets). My aunt had been in her bed reading and moved one of the pillows and found men's pajamas under the pillow. About 4 a.m. the temperature finally reached 72 degrees. About 7:45 a.m.,Arlene was able to find the problem with the hot water heater, and we did get hot water. We thought everything would be okay until mid-morning when the inside temp began climbing. Scott was not accepting of the fact that the home was uninhabitable, refusing to give us a refund. There is not enough space here to tell the rest of the story dealing with that. Unsanitary, uncomfortable, disappointing! Furnishing in the house is not what was in pics. DO NOT RENT THIS HOUSE-updates needed!

  Owner response: VRBO should reject as violation of posting guidelines this review because reviewer threatened to post "terrible" Almarito review if we didn't refund the full rent (which she'd never completely paid) for the house. She told the owner and the mgr she would "go away quietly" if she got the money. Feb. 28 reviewer made advance payment of half rent, cleaning fee & taxes to pay us to hold reservation, then forfeited that payment April 29 by abrogating agreement by withholding payment of the 2nd half due 30 days before occupancy to maintain her contract and be able to enter the house after we carried out our obligation to set our calendar to block her dates to any other candidates for 2 months. The reviewer arrived 3 hours before check-in time & owner, unaware she hadn't paid her full rent, said the house-wasn't completely cleaned or inspected & he was expecting techs shortly to service the a/c. She demanded access to leave bags inside before lunching. Arriving in a different car after reviewer left, an older aunt complained "nobody told" her the house had "so many steps." Reviewer had booked the multi-story stilt house on a web site with text & pictures of its tree top livng spaces, 4th floor sky deck 3rd story hot tub, one shot of staircase above staircase above staircase, hence full knowledge 3 months earlier of all stairs. After reviewer returned & techs serviced a/c and found it "running great" (we have their service report) reviewer complained aunts had found house she & aunts entered early without fully paying for & before cleaning & inspection were complete was dirty & said then she would move out then (says so in review) except could find no other lodgings because of Memorial Day. When the tenants said the house they entered early & uninspected had no hot water we turned it on and it worked fine. The a/c company supervisor later told me the techs told him they observed the a/c lowered temp. at normal rate & I checked thermostat & saw after a couple of hours it had already lowered temp. 8 degrees.(Despite tech's & boss's statesments review lies, says temp didn't drop significantly ) Next day tenants packed early, having decided the previous night, according to the review, to leave. In my absence to see if a/c on, temp. rose, but then held steady when I stayed in house w/a/c on. It continued to operate fine. Current tenants fuly satisfied w/house & a/c.Pls charge reviewer's card both halves of rent unjustly denied us because of stairs.

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  During this stay the property was under previous ownership or management.

• Good times

  Good times

  • Guest Mo
  • Date of stay 03/24/12
  • Review Submitted 05/02/12
  If you are looking for a week at the Ritz, nope this is not it. But If you are looking to spend a week in a quaint/private place with plenty of amenities you have nailed it on the head. 12 spring breakers and I were there and we had all we needed and had a great time.

  Recommended for: Families with teenagers, sightseeing, families with young children, adventure seekers.

  Owner response: So glad you enjoyed your stay, this house is ideal for what you used it for, kids and family enjoying themselves in a comfortable,relaxed environment. Come and see us again!

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

  During this stay the property was under previous ownership or management.

• Owner response

  Owner response

  • Guest Ar
  • Date of stay 04/08/12
  • Review Submitted 04/24/12
  This property has, and is undergoing major decorating, comfort and esthetic improvements. We have added new mattresses, linens, refrigerator and central air conditioning units are being installed shortly to enhance the air conditioning which is already there. We also added a beautiful Sky Deck and brand new hot tub for relaxing in the sun with a fantastic view. Please call manager, Arlene, for most current updates and to answer any questions you may have about this family friendly, economical vacation rental, right across famous 30-A from in incomparable whie sand beaches of the Gulf of Mexico.

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

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

  During this stay the property was under previous ownership or management.

• Great family retreat!

  Great family retreat!

  • Guest Lizzie
  • Date of stay 04/02/11
  • Review Submitted 03/28/12
  We enjoyed our stay very much. There were 12 of us from an 8 year old, teenagers, and adults. The kids loved how close the beach was and when they were tired of the beach they moved to the pool. We appreciated how close everything was. The manager was very accommodating and gave us suggestions for activities in the area. The kids have asked when we can go back! The pictures are very accurate. We would recommend this property to others!

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

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

  During this stay the property was under previous ownership or management.

• Unbelievably Bad

  Unbelievably Bad

  • Guest Still In Shock
  • Date of stay 08/20/11
  • Review Submitted 03/20/12
  This is by far THE WORST ACCOMMODATION I have ever had the misfortune of renting. Before you book this house, search for "AlmaritoRental" on the web where you will find useful information and photographs. This place was so bad we stayed for only a couple of hours while we searched for alternative accommodation. I preferred to pay again for another property for the week than to spend even one night in this house. We found it to be UNCLEAN, UNCOMFORTABLE and NOT AS REPRESENTED on the website. Some of the problems we found during the short time we were there: 1) The central a/c was not able to adequately cool the rooms. The property manager had placed portable air conditioners in some rooms and only fans in others and so much of the house was very noisy and far too hot. The portable a/c units had vent pipes trailing to window screens, poorly sealed with duct tape, so you could not fully close the windows. 2) The exterior siding of the house had some very ugly black and green patches on it, which gave us great cause for concern. 3) The house floor was dirty. The two children walked barefoot for a few minutes and their feet were blackened with dirt. 4) Much of the furniture was in bad condition. Some pieces were unsafe and were falling apart. Wicker chairs had long, dangerous spikes protruding from them right at the eye level of a small child. 5) The house was claimed to accommodate 14, but there are only 6 very badly worn dining chairs and these were not the ones shown in the photographs on the website. 6 dining chairs in a house which purportedly accommodates 14 is absurdly inadequate. 6) Numerous items needed urgent maintenance. For example, a shower faucet handle fell off in my hand, the insulation on one light switch had dangerously broken away and the door knob on the main entrance door was nearly falling off. Given that the maintenance attendant appeared to live in an adjacent building, while the property manager had an office immediately beneath the main living area, it is all the more surprising that the property was so poorly maintained. In contrast, the house we moved to was clean, comfortable, safe, well equipped, properly cooled and excellent value for money. If you book Almarito, be sure to pack a lot of cleaning supplies, a good tool kit and some very low expectations.

  Owner response: All of the grossly exagerated complaints have been addressed and improved. This is not a luxury Seaside house, but a family friendly house directly across the street from the beach. The State of Florida Hotels and Rental inspected this property and the inspector said they would like to rent it themselves. There are no comfort issues or safety hazards. And there have been many improvements made since 2011, including a brand new spa tub and sky deck. This is an inexpensive vacation home considering the area, size of the house and amenities.

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

  During this stay the property was under previous ownership or management.

• Wonderful Time!

  Wonderful Time!

  • Guest Amanda
  • Date of stay 09/10/11
  • Review Submitted 09/23/11
  We brought a party of seventeen down from Tennessee and stayed for a week at the Almarito. It was a fantastic time! While this house is not fancy it is PERFECT for family style living! It is great for kids and we really enjoyed ourselves. The hosts are very laid back and sensitive to the needs of their guests. They were very accommodating and bent over backwards to make our stay the best it could be. The kids LOVED the pool, which was particularly suited to our needs as we had a nine year old Down's child in our group. The shallow area provided a safe place for her to have so much fun! The teenagers put the hammock to good use and the ping pong table was well liked when we weren't at the beach. The only thing I would note is the house is not handicap accessible as it is an upper story situation. The public beach access is very close and there are restaurants and shopping areas within walking/ biking distance. We have great memories to treasure of our time in Seagrove and would recommend the Almarito as a family-friendly and affordable place to stay. Incidentally, we came down in September cause we homeschool, and it is such a nice time of year to visit! The weather was warm but not too hot and the water was perfect, no crowds.

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

  Owner response: On behalf of the owner and myself, we are thrilled you and your party had such a great time. This house is ideal for your size party and for the activities here and nearby. Please come visit us next year (or sooner) and enjoy all the improvements we will be making immediately and throughout the spring, including an elevated spa tub to enjoy! Arlene

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 1/6

  During this stay the property was under previous ownership or management.

• Think twice before staying here

  Think twice before staying here

  • Guest The East Coast Vacationer
  • Date of stay 07/30/11
  • Review Submitted 08/22/11
  We rented a vacation house and were not expecting repair people in and out daily (nor did we expect to have to advise Property Manager what needed to be corrected). Rental Unit was NOT AS DESCRIBED. Air conditioning not cooling house properly (noisy portable units in 3 bedrooms-central air not working properly). Only 3 baths (not 3.5 as advertised), Only 1 shower working properly Meal seating was not for 14 as advertised, only 10.There were many other minor things/problems with this unit. Property Manager was responsive to fans and baths issues (except could only fix 1 shower unit), unable to fix air conditioning to properly cool home. We expected a private home as advertised, not a home with an office and additional residence on the property. This is not a newly upgraded single family rental unit; at best it is a "work in progress" with a long way to go.

  Owner response: (From on-site operations mgr.) Sir, I am sorry you did not enjoy your stay. I addressed every problem you found, including a light bulb that was burned out. All you other complaints were corrected, and I did apoligize for the typo of 3.5 baths when it was only 3. If you will visit us again, next year, you will see many improvements made on this property. (From owner on his return from vacation): Every year we get many favorable reviews, such as from this year's July 22 guests (see their adjacent 4 star rave review), who recognize Almarito as a comfortable bargain price 1978 vacation collage devoid of the type of frills one can get for half the prices charged in the neighboring luxury resorts of Water Color, Rosemary and Alyce Beaches, Seaside and the like, which emphasize fine art, fine furnishings by prize-winning designers, costlier dinner plates and, if they have a pool, a martini-glass sized cattle dip over the full size lap pool, step graded toddler pool and wood floored weather shelteredd play area we spread over more than a million dollars worth of real estate for those who emphasize their children's fun over snobbier amenities. Then, sometimes months after certain other guests leave, there are the letters from bargain hunters who want champagne style for their beer budget, sometimes asking for full or partial refunds citing the fact that they, unlike most of our guests, wanted banquet style seating for meals, cannot tolerate routine maintenance repairs -- like expecting a guarantee of no flat tires from a car rental agency -- or faulting us for suffering the same type a/c limitations shared by other landlords all over the community during this year's extraordinarily hot summer. Fortunately for our renters next year, this problem will be eliminated during the winter when we double our fixed air conditioning capacity as part of a long planned expansion of our facilities.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 6/7

  During this stay the property was under previous ownership or management.

• Successfull Family vacation

  Successfull Family vacation

  • Guest Patti
  • Date of stay 07/23/11
  • Review Submitted 08/02/11
  Just returned from our week at this property at Seagrove Beach, Fl. Second year of family vacation - fourteen of us in all - everyone enjoyed themselves. The screened in pool was a huge hit with everyone, we spent many hours swimming and playing games at the pool. Beach was a short walk away and we all took several trips there as well. Few minor problems which were handled very promptly by Arlene. Accomodations were good for our group - everyone had a place to sleep and we really enjoyed our meals together. Would love to come back.

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

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 1/7

  During this stay the property was under previous ownership or management.

• A few things you should know...

  A few things you should know...

  • Guest Wheels
  • Date of stay 07/17/11
  • Review Submitted 07/24/11
  This house need UPDATES!! The furniture especially. On our first day there, the microwave went out, a shower knob fell off and a dresser in the double bed room fell apart. The TV has a terrible streak on it and it has no working remote control! The property manager lives on site. A bit weird in my opininion so no true privacy. We saw her a couple of times coming and going I also heard her talking on her cell many times on a set of stairs just below my bedroom window. She also shares the washer and dryer in the lowere level.On 2 occasions, we found her stuff in the washer and/or dryer. In addition, the description of the parking is not accurate. Our party had 2 vehicles that were tightly squeezed in the back. 2 vehicles who I assumed belonged to the property manager were parked in front the entire week. The best thing about the house is the location. it is very close to the beach! However, if we were to do it all over again, we would not choose this property.

  Owner response: Since this guest's visit we have installed a new TV set to replace the one that started going bad during their visit, increased our parking capacity and installed two new layers of attic insulation, restored to operation an attic cooling fan which failed this summer and are doubling our air conditioning tonnage. Folks considering this house might want to look at the rave reviews posted by our April 17 and July 22 guests, who appreciate that this is a bargain priced built in 1978 unit originally built by the owner for his own use and now enjoyed by those who don't want to pay twice as much for a chi chi unit at one of he nearby luxury resorts such as Water Color and Rosemary and Alyce Beaches or Seaside, which emphasize designer interiors rather than a gulf view, proximity to the gulf, sheltered wood floored play areas and a full size pool designed for lap swimming and water games played by lots of people rather than toe dipping for only a couple of adults. Despite our thorough cleaning and pre-visit inspections We can't predict the moment a light bulb blows or a cabinet or appliance needs a minor repair any more than your car rental agency won't usually assure you that your car won't have flat. But we do have a concierge equivalent response to service requests which guarantees you quick action on any reasonable help you require, faster than you can even be sure one of the bigger agencies has even notified one of its workman of your night time or weekend calls for assistance. Our property manager apologizes she was indiscreet in using the phone within your hearing this past summer when larger than usual crowds caused the partial failure of her usual cell service and she had to use a substitute phone service with inadequate tower capacity. And are also adding new features, including a sky deck and upper deck hot tub to enhance our guests' enjoyment of our home as well as constantly upgrading furniture and equipment to make Almarito more enjoyable for those who visit.

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

  During this stay the property was under previous ownership or management.

Sprng(Apr.6-May24)$285/nite;Summer hi season(May 25-Aug.18)$2345/weekly only)  
Late summer (Aug.17-Sept 4) $280/night:Early Autumn(Sept.5-Nov.22) $265/Nite
Thanksgiving (Nov.23-29) $285/night;  Late Autumn (Nov.30-Dec. 20) $195/night   
Christmas/Year-end Holidays (Dec.21,2013-Jan.2,2014)w/Heated pool:$290/night . 
Winter 2014(Jan.5-Feb.28):$500/week, starting any day of the month.$100/day.   
Sprng brk,2014(Mar.1-Apr.12)$2195 wkly only; Late Sprng(Apr.12-May23)$305/night  
HiSummer2014(May24-Aug.16)$2595wkly only;Late Summer(Aug.17-Sept.3)$360/nite  :   
PayW/ChecksOnlyRent+$300CleaningHouse,Decks,Pool,HotTub,Yard+$49Ins+12%Tax on all.

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