A wonderful week

Guest: Barber (Raleigh, NC)
Date of Stay: 08/01/06 Review Submitted: 09/21/06

What a great location for a family get away. It was perfect for adults and children alike.

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Best vacation ever!

Guest: Carol (Katy, Texas)
Date of Stay: 06/03/11 Review Submitted: 06/23/11

The Handpainted Villa is a great vacation destination for families of all ages. They’ve thought of everything – all you need to bring is a big group ready to have fun in the sun! Our family of 10 (ages 2 to 60) had an awesome time – we got comments like “this is the best vacation we’ve ever had” and “how soon can we come back”. Our recommendation to those considering this as a vacation destination is book it for 2 weeks – you won’t regret it!!!

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Great Family Vacation

Guest: Allie09 (Houston, TX)
Date of Stay: 06/27/09 Review Submitted: 07/09/09

This home was perfect for our beach vacation. The villa is in the perfect location. It was very close to the beach and not surrounded by huge condos. You are also close to many restaurants, grocery stores and shopping malls. The house had everything we needed. The kitchen had everything you could possibly need and then some. The bedrooms were more than adequate and the beds were very comfortable. It's the perfect house for children. We loved the playroom, the children had the best time. We enjoyed walking to the beach every day. We set up a canopy on the beach and left it there for the whole week. The kids played putt putt golf and we also went on a boat tour to see the dolphins and to watch the fireworks. The handpainted murals are more beautiful in person. The owners were great to work with and answered all of our questions. We are already talking about staying again next year.

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

Multi Family Destin Vacation

Guest: Meinostergate Family Vacation (Overland Park, Kansas)
Date of Stay: 06/06/09 Review Submitted: 06/14/09

My family decided to rent a house in Destin to celebrate my 40th Birthday. We ended up renting this house with 2 other couples and their kids. We had 13 total 6 adults, 7 kids. This house we perfect in every way. The location of the house was a 3 minute walk to the beach. The owners supplied us with everything you need for the beach (wagons, chairs, coolers ect). This house in centrally located. It is a few miles from the Destin Commons, and Walmart where we did most of our grocery shopping. The house is set up perfectly for families who like to cook or just relax. The bunk room was where most of the kids hung out. It gave them privacy and us adults peace. We hung out outside playing poker and enjoying the ocean views, and the sound of the ocean waves. We will return again in a few years. I highly recommend this property to any family. It has that home away from home feel to it.

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

Fantastic Vacation

Guest: Nana and Papa (Newton, Kansas, USA)
Date of Stay: 12/26/08 Review Submitted: 01/24/09

This has to have been one of the best vacations and rentals we have ever had. The house was awesome and equipped with anything you could ever need. We especially loved the play room for children, all of the sandtoys, wagons and beach umbrellas for going to the beach. The kitchen had everything we needed to prepare meals and the gas grill out back was nice to have also. The interior decor is beautiful from all of the murals painted on the walls to hand decorated lamps and furniture. In no time at all we felt right at home. My grandson is still asking to go back to Papa's beach house. The home owners were great to deal with and quick to respond to any questions we had. There is a lot to see and do in the Destin area with our favorite being just hanging out at the beach. We would definetly return and highly recommend the Hand Painted Villa.

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

Generosity at every level

Guest: Donna43 (Chickasha, Ok, USA)
Date of Stay: 08/09/08 Review Submitted: 08/20/08

Everything was as represented and even better at this property. It was the most amazing week for our extended family of 12. Our grandchildren didn't want to leave and some wanted to move there. The owners provided high quality appliances, pans, dishes, silverware, washer and dryer, etc. A lovely assortment of soaps, shampoos, lotions plus cotton balls. The view from the 3rd floor is exquisite and the 2nd floor views are good as well. The playroom is such a bonus; I've never seen this in any other rental. It's huge, has every kind of toy and playroom equipment. Each family had privacy plus great together areas. I highly recommend this gorgeous hand painted villa. The paintings are even better in person than in the pictures. They even provided coolers and beach bags for us. In addition to the sugar sand beach and aqua blue waters, we enjoyed Baytown, the malls, Bud and Allie's restaurant in the Santa Rosa beach area, and the recreation area with rides and miniature golf. There is a lot to enjoy in Destin. Donna

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

Great Vacation Stay

Guest: sacwag (Gramercy, LA)
Date of Stay: 07/26/08 Review Submitted: 08/05/08

We had a wonderful week at “The Handpainted Villa”. The pictures of the house on the internet do not show how beautiful the house really is. The HV is very well equipped and has everything you could possibly need! Some SAY they have it all and don’t. You’ve got everything covered. I couldn’t believe there was even a baby monitor. We brought ours from home. My mom loved the selection of books. She was able to find one that she’s wanted to read. The wagons were a big help hauling things to the beach. We were able to set up our tent on the beach and leave it up all week. We brought our Wii and the kids were able to play down stairs and we didn’t even hear them. I will definitely let others know where there is a great place to stay in Destin.

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

Great beach house for young kids

Guest: Mississippi Moms (Hernando, MS)
Date of Stay: 05/24/08 Review Submitted: 06/02/08

We had a great week at the Handpainted Villa! The house is perfect for kids of all ages... the young ones LOVED the playroom, the older one's loved the bunkroom and kitchenette. The moms LOVED the tennis courts! Be ready for a workout climbing 3 stories to the master suites! It was great to work those missing muscles! The ONLY complaint was that an icemaker is listed and this is the one in the refrigerator... we were expecting a free standing one and had to go get ice every morning for the beach! Overall, a great house with lots of extras... beach chairs, umbrellas, toys, etc.

Owner response:Thanks for the positive review. Sorry you were disappointed by the absence of a free standing icemaker. We did not intend to deceive. "Icemaker" is in the list of available items because the website describes icemaker as "automatic Ice Maker is available in the refrigerator". In addition to the refrigerator automatic icemaker, we provide 4 freezer packs to fit the coolers we make available. As you experienced, guests who want much more ice must purchase it from local stores.

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

Had a great week

Guest: MP25DIII (River Ridge, LA USA)
Date of Stay: 08/01/07 Review Submitted: 12/20/07

We enjoyed a great week at the Handpainted Villa. 7 of us stayed, including 2 small children. The playroom was a definite hit with my twin 2-year old daughters, and the views from each bedroom were beautiful. The place was spotless upon arrival, and the location was great for beach access. Destin is a favorite vacation destination for us--I was able to locate some better restaurants this go-round through the internet (from New Orleans--food needs to be good where we go). I would recommend the owners advise guests to close the shutters during the day during summer months--it got pretty warm during the day, even though the A/C was full blast--but close the shutters and you're good. I have already recommended this property to friends.

Owner response:Thanks for the great review and feedback about informing renters to keep the shutters closed on hot days. We will add your advice to our welcome letter.

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

The Handpainted Villa

Guest: Thaxtols (Georgia)
Date of Stay: 09/01/06 Review Submitted: 09/08/06

The listing for this home was so accurate. The only surprises we had upon check in were good surprises. We have never felt so much at home away from home as we did at The Handpainted Villa. The murals were awesome and brought a lot of warmth to the home. Our two granddaughters ages 3 and 5 loved the playroom and spent a lot of time there. It was evident that a lot of love and attention to detail went into making this a comfortable and inviting place to be. We will definitely be back.

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