Almarito, Gulf View with 40 x 31 ft. Pool, includes 1 & 2 ft tots' shallow area.
Location: Old Seagrove Beach, Seagrove Beach, Beaches of South Walton, Florida North West, Florida, USA (Btwn Panama City (ECP) & Ft.Walton Beach (VPS), Fla.) View Map
Accommodations: House, 5 Bedrooms + Convertible bed(s), 3 Baths (Sleeps 14)
Keywords: BIG GULF VIEW! Mermaid's Delight with brand new Sky Deck with hot tub. Enjoy the magnificent Gulf view from our brand new Hot Tub and Old Seagrove's Largest Heated Screened Private Pool, 40 ft lap lane, 31 ft at widest with shallow stepped toddler play area + Inside Whirlpool Bath tub next to 2nd Master Bdrm. Nearby Gulf Beach Access; Weather-proof wood floored kids play area under house. Roofed ping pong/sub teen basketball area; Fly Southwest, No Baggage Charge, to ECP, Panama City, Fla., or fly Delta to ECP or to VPS, Fort Walton Beach, Fla.; Mom sleeps in & everybody eats out at Breakfast Bar/Coffee Shop 3 Doors East, Lunches & Dines at Mammoth New Sports Bar & Restaurant w/Roof Terrace, Opening Soon Next Door To That. ENJOY it all within 100 yards or take moon light stroll only 3 blocks to Coast's Finest Restaurant, "V," at nearest stop light to the west for the feast of your dreams.
Almarito Gulf View- 2971 E. County Hwy 30A - Seagrove Beach, FL
It took more than one lot to hold it all. But we built a bargain mini-camp that 1 regular family who loves children can easily afford, big enough for 2 families to enjoy, even when it rains.
Only steps from the nearby beach walkway. Its large sheltered wood-decked ground floor recreation area features an all weather ping pong table, low basketball hoop for youngsters, screened-in & roofed over dining/cocktail patio, plus 3 baths, 2 newly upgraded, one with a whirlpool tub, upstairs, and parking for 4-6 vehicles, a perfect spot for several couples or families with kids to gather for holidays, wedding parties & other family celebrations & reunions, special artistic, cultural & athletic events at nearby Seaside or open markets, auto shows etc. in that famed resort's central amphitheater.
This is a safe, simple clean vacation home designed for a young fanily seeking holiday fun at a budget price. It does not claim to be a modern or luxury home or resort.. Keep in mind the living area is a on high second floor with 2 flights of stairs to reach it
But it's 40 x 31 foot pool, the largest heated screened tree-shaded private home pool in old Seagrove, with its adjacent open sunbathing deck with propane AND charcoal BBQ grills, provides everyone with a vacation to remember and repeat.
The treetop level gulf and sunset view dining room & bar upstairs accomodates 10 for sit-down meals and parties, not counting the sofas and loveseat, chairs around the living area and outside on the huge deck overlooking the Gulf. But there is no way everyone can sit around a formal banquet style dining table at once.
This kids' & swimmers' delight with its principal floor elevated 13 feet to provide ocean water views framed by overhanging magnolias & mature oaks overlooking the surrounding village is right on coastal highway 30-A with its 16-mile adjacent bike path carrying cyclists safely across our coastal lakes on their own bicycles-only bridges.
The pool's straight 40 foot lap lane for athletes widens out to 31 feet across for the specially demarcated 1 ft deep & 2 ft shallow childrens pool play areas Moms and doting dads love for their toddlers, with white rails on the surface showing the kids where the shallowest safest water gives way to adult depths. Safety is king with no deep end and no diving allowed.
Meanwhile if a bit of arthritis or too many hours at the dinner table have slowed down grandma and grandpa they can easily and gently stroll into and out of that warm water up and down a slowly sloping ramp, steadying themselves with a sloping safety rail on one side, the pool's edge on the other, using their arms to pull themselves up against gravity to exit the pool, with no tricky steps, without having to scale the 2 ladders the kids so love to clamber up and down.
Pine floors & wood paneling throughout give a warm cozy feeling to the L-shaped living/dining room area surrounding the open kitchen facing a breakfast bar & adjacent dining table lighted by gulf view sliding glass doors.
Wi-fi for multiple computer users, a 32" flat screen HD-TV with cable & network channel selections as well as DVD and VCR, plus stereo, furnish music and entertainment while two sofas (one convertible to a double bed), side chairs & an arm chair and games & puzzles enhance fun times together.
Each of the 5 bedrooms has either an adjoining bath or private sink/vanity where Dad can shave mornings without tying up a full bathroom or diapers can be changed at midnight without walking down the hall to wash up. All 3 Queen bedrooms now have modernized connecting baths with showers, 2 of them with tubs, one of those a whirlpool, in the newly upgraded east side bath.
Besides its updated connecting bath, the third Queen bedroom also has a vanity cabinet with basin for make up, wash up and/or shaving in its adjacent closet. One bedroom with a double bed connects to 2 of the 3 baths.
The largest Queen bedroom, with an additional double bed, is excellent for parents with a young child or children the couple may want to have sleeping close by (or a place for an insomniac to doze at a distance from a loudly snoring partner) and has a TV and private bath with tub/shower. Some families bunk 4 or 5 small kids in this master bedroom. The childrens' bedroom next door has 2 single beds and vanity sink in-room for convenience.
A washer & convenience dryer are handily located up on the main treetop level living floor for easy access, with a second dryer, king size for all those swimming pool towels, and another washer, have been added in the new washing, drying and ironing room down near the pool, next to the covered play area.
Almarito overlooks the Timpoochee Trail, an 18 mile bike/walking path that parallels 30A & facilitates a quick & easy bike ride to the beauties of nearby Grayton Beach State Park.
Crossing signs, zebra stripes, a traffic bump and flashing lights protect the pedestrian crossing out front to slow and stop traffic to provide quicker pedestrian access to the convenient public beach entry point kitty-cornered across our street from Almarito..
A short drive takes you to Sandestin with its big outlet mall featuring New York's finest shops. And more eateries, water parks and entertainment, including multi-screen cinemas, lie close by, including deep sea fishing boat departures throughout most days from nearby Destin harbor and, in the other direction, the amusement parks and piers of nearby Panama City Beach.
Contact Arlene, usually lodged at the entrance to the site, (770-361-0837) for concierge type help if you have any problems and for pictures & details aboout our 2 other properties in the Seagrove Beach neighborhood.
Vacation Rental Features
- Amenities
- Air Conditioning : Heat pump and a/c for optimum year round comfort in your tree top level home on stilts.
- Linens Provided : Large thick cushy white towels supplied for pool and whirlpool tub use as well as personal bathroom use.
- Washer (2) : Two clothes washers & two dryers for exclusive use of this unit, one of each on each floor, allow quick re-use of thick cushy white towels for heated screened 40 x 31 foot pool , the new sky deck outside hot tub and the indoors whirlpool tub visitors run night & day in master bath next to one of 3 Queen bedrooms. To dry out all that wet stuff (IMAGINE 14 WET BATHNG SUITS 3 TIMES A DAY !), we use our extra space to give you not only the two clothes dryers, but a double clothes line right next to the open sundeck outside the pool area so the sea breezes and baking Florida sunshine can sweeten up your freshly washed clothes and linens to smell better than they ever could coming out of a city dryer. Press your clothes with our iron & ironing board in the downstairs laundry room near the roofed-over play area for the kids.
- Dryer (2) : TWO clothes dryers & TWO washers for the exclusive use of this unit, one of each conveniently upstairs and the second king size dryer & new washer in the laundry & ironing room right next to the covered wood floored ping pong + subteen basketball children's play area downstairs, allowing quick re-use of towels at the adjacent heated screened 40 x 31 foot pool & upstairs whirlpool tub. Double outdoor clothes lines next to the sun deck supplement the 2 dryers & help give a sweet smell to those 14 bathing suits you want to dry asap between pool and ocean swimming..
- Covered Parking : The long driveway's overhanging shade trees keep your cars and vans cool in summer in their convenient location right next to the entry landing. , additional tree-shaded areas in front of, and behind the driveway
- Off Street Parking : Parking for 5+ cars. Three or more will fit in tree-shaded driveway, on the west side of house, and extra parking area in rear. Two or more on roadside right-of-way out front.
- Parking for RV/Boat/Trailer : Just back or pull them into the long driveway next to the house. Or string them out on the right-of-way across the front of the lot.
- Beds
- Queen Bed (3) : All 3 Queen bedrooms and the double bedroom are adjacent to baths with showers, two of them with tubs, the upgraded east side bath with a new whirlpool tub and its shower overhead, the former hall bath upgraded with a roomy new shower stall adjacent to the bedroom
- Double Bed (3) : First double bed is in northeast corner bedroom, between two full bathrooms w/shower and tub, one a whirlpool. Second, in largest of 3 Queen bedrooms, can turn this big master bedroom into a dormitory bunking four kids or five small children...or provide roomy refuge for the sleep deprived partner of a thundering snorer in the queen bed to get a few hours dream time at the other end of the room. Perfect for parents of a sick child or one whose sleep time must be watched over by a breathing monitor, or one who craves parental attention when sleeping away from his/her usual cozy bed at home. The third double is fold-out sofa bed in living room with exclusive overnight access to new 32 inch flat screen HD-TV and adjacent to moonlight view of Gulf of Mexico from wrap around porches.
- Twin/Single Bed (2) : Two single beds in northwest corner children's bedroom with its convenient wash basin for cleaning up kids or for Mom to wash self and baby while or after changing diapers.
- Convertible Bed : Double size convertible bed in living room provides view through wide double paned french doors of rosy pink dawn skies and, to those early to bed in winter, eastern sky reflections of the panhandle's golden orange sunsets into the sea. Occupants have exclusive overnight use of new 32-inch flat screen HD TV, ready access to the beautiful full moon view of gulf from tree top level front porch.
- Child Bed : Guests can order a crib (or child booster seats for dining room) by contacting resident manager Arlene in advance.
- Crib : Available on timely advance request to Arlene, your vrbo 247383 contact person and ever attentive on-scene hostess
- Entertainment
- Jetted Tub in Bath (2) : Jetter tub adjacent to master bedroom and northeast corner double bedroom. Birds gotta fly. Fish gotta swim. Sing of the water ? Almarito's your hymn.
- Cable/Satellite TV (4) : Flat 32-inch screen cable HD-TV in living room, with additional cable connected televisions in other Queen bedrooms.
- DVD
- VCR
- CD Player
- Stereo System
- Ping Pong/Table Tennis
- Private Pool : Old Seagrove's largest (40 x 31 ft. max. dimensions)tree shaded heated, screened private home pool, includes shallow play areas 1 ft + 2 ft deep with pipe dividers to help kids keep to their own depths. No deep end to endanger little ones. No diving. Large adjacent open sun deck with bar-b-q.
- Kitchen
- Full Kitchen : No one gets left behind in this complete kitchen with gulf and sunset views through the high and wide kichen counter pass-through and side of the washing and food preparation areas.
- Cooking Utensils Provided : Everything needed to serve food on upstairs gulf view porch, in wide windowed dining and living room, on open sundeck next to charcoal bar-b-q, on screened deck next to heated 40 x 31 ft (max. dimensions) pool.
- Refrigerator : With ice maker, of course.
- Dishwasher : With gulf view as you load and empty it.
- Microwave : With built in vent to take out aromas.
- Ice Maker
- Catering Available : Surrounding resort area provides many caterers for weddings, pool parties and the like.
- Outdoor Features
- Gas/Electric BBQ Grill : Use the gas grill for speed or take the time and use the charcoal grill to get just that flavor the old fashioned way, both on the open deck just between covered screened cocktail area next to ping pong and subteen basketball area while he children play and, on the other side, the huge screened deck surrounding the 31 x 40 ft private heated screened tree shaded pool, old Seagrove's largest, where you can eat your steaks and meatballs without sharing them with the winged moochers the smell of cooking food sometimes might attract.
- Charcoal BBQ Grill : Right on the open sun deck next to the screen enclosed pool deck. The gourmet chef will take his time to prepare his specialty flavored steaks on this charcoal grill while his fast food brother makes the hotdogs for the kids on the quick gas grill right next to it, both between the screened pool on one side and roofed-over wood-floored ping pong, subteen basketball and toddlers' play area, plus another safely screened and wood floor decked cocktail pation for milady on the other side.
- Deck/Patio : Savor the splendid Gulf View as you soak in the new sky deck hot tub going into service this winter or enjoy the custom wood downstairs deck with table tennis, low basketball net for pre-teens, walkway to open bar-b-q deck and screen enclosed pool deck. Screened and covered cocktail patio for parents next to covered children's play area, table tennis play area on dry deck under house with large screen wire around it to keep wild ping pong shots from going astray.
- Balcony : Large and wide front porch with beautiful view of the Gulf of Mexico.
- Lanai : See above. Height of lanai above ground allows viewing of boats farther out to sea. Peek through the treetops from the crow's nest hot tub, confident no one will look up to spot you.
- Gazebo : Located inside the over arching screened pool dome, this lowered overhead shelter protects baby sitters from the hottest summer sun's heat as well as their possessions, papers, radios and portable TV sets as they watch kids playing in the warm pool water during passing light rain showers.
- View/Location
- Ocean View : Watch the sea surf, sunsets and sunrises from inside the kitchen, dining room, living room, outside porches and from the comfort of the convertible double sized sofa bed from your elevated viewing point looking down at the gulf waters just beyond the seaside path to the beach steps.
- Water View : The water you view so clearly from the 3rd story deck while enjoying the sky and Gulf of Mexico in all its vastness and changes of temperament, colored pink at sunrise, orange at sunset, and sparkling at high noon like an array of diamonds on a silken field of blue.
- Communications
- Telephone (4) : Landline phone receptacles in every bedroom
- Broadband Internet : Plug your computer directly into the high speed dsl modem, with wide cable plug provided for the safest and most secure way to transmit your financial and other private data. Or use our wi-fi, code free for easy access to all.
- WiFi (Wireless Internet) : Wi fi picks up your computer signal from anywhere on either level of house or sheltered children's play area and screened cocktail area beneath it, plus bar-b-q sun deck and screen enclosed pool deck and gazebo baby sitting area.
- Other Amenities
- We might supply the best TLC of any private rental cottage in Seagrove, with a resident manager often lodged on the mezzanine, right off the entrance stairway to your five bedroom three bath lodgings with their sea, sunset and sky views, ready to fix any problems, familiarize you with the area and direct you to nearby attractions, and to call in help for you when needed, all the more attentive because she is not distracted like a big agency by having to look after guests in a dozen or dozens of other houses.. When not actually on scene, the is especially conscientious in answering your phone calls or calling back when you telephone her and find her line is busy. She's the one to call to attend to those little familiarization difficulties such as where to find the corkscrew, which switch controls which outside light, how to deal with the grill or what to do if a light bulb won't illuminate (It's probably an outside floodlight whose photo cell keeps it off during the daytime.)
- Suitability
- No Pets Allowed : We like to keep the home, pool and covered and weather protected play areas pristine and odor and pet hair free for families and their children, especially those with allergies.
- Kid Friendly : Maybe the most in old Seagrove for primary school age children, the only private vacation home in the area with all this: a covered floored ping pong area, sub-teen height basketball net area, next to screened cocktail area for doting parents, plus the largest heated screen-enclosed private home pool in old Seagrove Beach, with no "deep end" or diving, all for greater safety.
- Minimum Age Limit for Renters : Not suitable for high school or college spring break parties without mature adults present.
- Smoking Not Allowed : Most definitely NO SMOKING ALLOWED INSIDE BUILDING OR POOL ENCLOSURE. To prevent fires, guests on decks or stairs are asked to use metal ash trays supplied on front deck and not to drop cigarettes or ash on wood deck and not to flick or drop cigarettes or ash or stubs into trees or onto shrubbery surrounding the house and and its 4 access/escape stair ways (converging into two at mid-level -- 6'4" -- mezzanine stair landings) or into or onto shrubbery and trees anywhere near the wooded lots on either side of the pool or driveway. Use metal ash trays at all times and keep smoking debris, ash and cigarette butts off wooden deck if/when smoking on screen-free sun deck outside the screened pool enclosure.
- Activities
- Golf
- Tennis
- Shopping
- Kayaking
- Sailing
- Boating
- Waterskiing
- Jet Skiing
- Swimming
- Surfing
- Windsurfing
- Biking
- Wildlife Viewing
- Fishing
- Hunting
- Health/Beauty Spa
- Basketball Court
- Antiquing
- Live Theatre
- Miniature golf
- Horseback Riding
- Theme Park (Amusement Park)
- Fitness Center/Gym
- Cinemas/Movie Theaters
- Museums
- Rafting
- Shelling
- Hiking
- Restaurants
- Other Activities
- For horsemen and women, and their show riding children, a dressage trainer is based in the nearby resort and fishing port of Destin,Florida.
Rate Details (In US Dollars)
Late Fall 2011(Nov26-Dec.22) 175.00/nite Christmas Wk(Dec. 23-29) 195.00/nite
New Year's Eve weekend (Dec. 30-Jan.2) 195.00 nite
Winter 2012 (Jan. 2-Feb. 29) 160.00/nite,lower monthly snowbird rates, please call
Spring Break 2012: (March 3 -April 21) $1995 (w/new sky deck & hot tub)Weekly only
Late Spring, 2012 (April21-May 25) 275/nite (3 night minimum) new sky deck+hottub
Summer2012(May28-Aug17)$2250WklyOnly;LateSummer(Aug.18)$1800/Wk,$285/Nite,3-dayMin
Fall Sept 8-Nov 3 2012 $275.00/nite 3 night min.
$225 Cleaning/Processing Fee plus 11.5% tax will be added to ALL rates.
Note: Until confirmed, rates are subject to change without notice.
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Credit Cards Accepted:
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Map & Owner's Profile
Big Gulf View. Big Heated Pool. New Hot Tub W/Sky Deck View.
Year Purchased: 1978
Why the Owner Chose Old Seagrove Beach
It's right in the middle of Seagrove Beach, the real Seagrove Beach within a half a mile or so of State Road 395, which sits up about 30-40 feet above the gulf, and nearly that much above the surrounding areas, where you can look out at the second sandbar and enjoy being enclosed and protected by the bigger and more fully grown trees which, small as they may appear to visitors from afar, are often more than fifty or sixty years old and protect our houses from the winds of some of the fiercest hurricanes, the visual pollution of some structures built with more concrete than taste, and also shelter us from the sound of passing vehicles unless we are foolish enough to cut them down.
The Unique Benefits at this House
My favorite spot at Almarito is the year round heated pool with the screen to keep the bugs out at cocktail hour, before I go up to the deck to watch the golden orange sunset, or after I come up from the beach on those sturdy grey splinterless composition steps (which never heat up to burn your feet in the sun) at the end of the path right across the street from the end of Camellia Street, right next door.
Sure, I sometimes take a cup of tea or something stronger in a glass when I sit in the screened and roofed over raised ground level recreation deck watching the teen-agers play ping pong and their little brothers and sisters shoot hoops into the lowered basketball net put there to keep them happy when it rains.
Not many homes at Seagrove give the kids in both age groups a completely private, wood floored play area to enjoy safely anytime.
2971 E Co Hwy 30-A. This Five bedroom 3-bath gulf view home with old Seagrove's largest heated screened private rental home pool downstairs wood floored covered outdoor recreation area w/ping pong table, low basketball net. Sleeps 14. Pan left to see Seaside resort & our big waterfront sister home to the west.
Just adjacent to Old Seagrove Beach is the resort town of Seaside, with its own branch post office and, behind it, this large grassy amphitheater, site of free movies, concerts, auto shows, flea markets, wine fests & fun & games for kids, surrounded by shops and art galleries, boutiques and a fancy French hair dresser.
Our sister house, Chez Mireille, vrbo 253008, with massive party rm from street front to waterfront, perfect for family reunions, small wedding receptions, huge rehearsal dinners, 67-foot banquet space if all French doors open & diners seated in both great room and on gulf front deck. At 2554 E Co Hwy 30A, just minutes by bike west of Almarito, a short stroll on your way to the resort village of Seaside.
Out of sight behind our beautiful magnolias, but only steps away for our convenience, two new restaurants open in the next block east of us in 2011. Only 3 houses away we'll have a brand new breakfast cafe. Early risers can fend for themselves mornings while everyone else can take a break and sleep in at the seashore. One building beyond, everyone lunches and takes dinner in the new Whiskey Bravo restaurant's comfortable new ground floor family dining room. Or takes drinks on the high terrace above, with a view of the gulf, the stars and the moon, but no peeking at Almarito's own gulf viewing point, our peaceful front porch with its darkness and tranquility shielded by our own private forest.
Save the shopping and the art gallery stroll for later. Only half way to Seaside you can stop for a meal in the first level of what later will become the Veridian luxury residential hotel. Why cook that big pre-wedding dinner at home when this fine new establishment beckons from only 3 blocks and a couple of steps away? You're sleeping in the heart of Seagrove's most peaceful residential district, surrounded by Magnolias and oaks, listening to the surf from your balcony. And you don't even have to get into your car for a luxury dinner a few steps down the street. Don't have to go to a parking lot to look for that auto after a peaceful and relaxing dinner. One worry less here at the beach.
Owner's Map of Old Seagrove Beach
My Aunts, uncles and cousins began enjoying these white sand beaches shortly after World War II and began buying in the 1950s when the pavement on 30-A stopped before you got to my aunt's house at the end of that road, where it died in a field of scraggly bushes where Seaside was built later, back before bridges spanned the lakes to the east and west.
My Mom bought her house, just south of and adjacent to the pool, in 1960, and now about 30 family members occupy about 20 permanent homes here, with that many more cousins and spouses, children and family friends, coming in for holidays and special occasions like weddings and funerals and baptisms.
I am a retired news correspondent and editor who has worked in D.C. and abroad, grew up in Virginia and New Orleans, but chose this area for cool season retirement living because, as the locals say, it is paradise.
Hope you all love it as much as I and my family and friends do.
Property Photos
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- Almarito, Gulf View with 40 x 31 ft. Pool, includes 1 & 2 ft tots' shallow area. - Ocean View Vacation Home With Pool in Seagrove Beach, Florida
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- Step out onto the big deck and see the Gulf change colors morning to night - Ocean View Vacation Home With Pool in Seagrove Beach, Florida
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- Comfortable family gathering area with view right out to the Gulf - Ocean View Vacation Home With Pool in Seagrove Beach, Florida
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- Dining Room viewed from living room. See sunrise through these windows.
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- Enjoy the 32" flat screen TV while gazing out at the beautiful Gulf.
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- Big comfortable living area with hide away bed
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- 2nd Master suite with queen/double, new ceramic throughout incl bath
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- Big, newly ceramic tiled bath adjacent to queen/full bedroom.
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- Open sundeck and barbeque area next to screen enclosed heated pool & deck.
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- Twin bedroom with washstand for quick clean ups
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- Brand new Ping Pong table and comfy dining table to watch kids while relaxing.
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- Adjoining the beautifu pool are 2 BBQ grills, charcoal and gas and picnic tables
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- Relax and enjoy the Gulf view & sunsets from wrap around front deck.
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- One of two bright bedrooms with convenient wash basin, skylight.
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- This two story house has great views but secluded setting.
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- Enjoy sugar white sands via beach acess stairway path just steps west of house
Traveler Reviews (7)
Wonderful Time!
Guest: Amanda
(Selmer, Tennessee)
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.
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
Recommended for:Tourists without a car, girls getaway, families with young children, families with teenagers.
Think twice before staying here
Guest: The East Coast Vacationer
(Atlanta, GA)
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.
Recommended for:
Successfull Family vacation
Guest: Patti
(Lafayette, IN )
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 young children, families with teenagers.
A few things you should know...
Guest: Wheels
(St.Louis)
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.
Recommended for:
fantastic! wonderful! great place for kids! pool is awesome! the place for fun!
Guest: "dad"
(atlanta, ga)
Date of Stay: 04/02/11
Review Submitted: 04/17/11
we just spent spring break 2011 there, single dad from atlanta, 6 girls, 3 boys--all 16-yr olds--this place was fantastic! words are difficult to describe how awesome this place is! the kids had so much fun--they didn't want to go back to atlanta, few steps from the beach, nicely decorated, lots of tvs and the pool is the best! we had 20-24 kids and it wasn't even crowded! we've been coming to seaside for years and we love this house the best! i'd give it 5 stars! this house is what a beach house should be and more! you just couldn't ask for a better beach house!
Recommended for:Tourists without a car, adventure seekers, girls getaway, families with young children, families with teenagers.
Not Enjoyable
Guest: Rick5491
(Birmingham)
Date of Stay: 03/12/11
Review Submitted: 03/20/11
During my stay at this house, i found there to be many problems. The first is that the realtor lives right below you and the owner lives next door. I am not aware the lady's name, but she was rude and mean during my entire stay. If you make a noise after 10:00 then she will come up to your room and nag you about it. Also, the pool never heated to an appropriate temperature and is unenjoyable. Over all, I would recommend to avoid this house at all cost. It is a waste of your money and vacation.
Owner response:(By house manager): I will assume this review was posted by one of the 14 underage children who were evicted for underage drinking, smoking illegal drugs, upsetting neighbors and behaving so badly on the beach that neighbors summoned police (who took all their names) , and occupying the house without the required adult presence. Some of their other obscene and unsanitary antics were too crude to post. The "accompanying adult would have known my name since she dealt with me during the rental process. She signed the rental agreement stating she would reside in the property to make sure there would be no such problems, then left the house for another overnight residence, letting the youths run wild. I gave them 3 warnings (over two days) before evicting them, with the police (summoned by neighbors) at my side. In 6 years of handling rental property, I have never had a complaint, so I suspect this is a case of sour grapes. I feel it is important to leave this posting up to assure prospective renters that we want them to enjoy our facilities and beaches, but that police and neighbors in our community will not tolerate illegal behavior and to remind renters that a responsible adult who signs an agreement to supervise underage tenants will be expected to reside on the premises as he or she has agreed in advance to do.
Recommended for:
Fantastic Stay!
Guest: Lizzie
(Bremen, IN )
Date of Stay: 04/03/10
Review Submitted: 07/18/10
We stayed over spring break and had a fantastic time! The pictures are very accurate. It is a very short walk to the beach and when the kids were tired of the beach, they moved to the pool! There were 12 of us with kids from 8 to 18 and everyone had a great time! The owner and manager were very helpful and thoughtful throughout our stay. We would highly recommed the property!
Owner response:We are so glad you enjoyed your visit! Pleae come back and see us again next year (or this year). This winter we are doubling Almarito's air conditioning tonnage and planning some more really nice upgrades to make Almarito even more comfortable and fun. Thanks so much. Arlene
Recommended for:Families with young children, families with teenagers.
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Vacation Rentals by Owner Listing #247383
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