Vacation Rentals by Owner

Jimmy and Pam

Guest: Pam and Jim (Lebanon, TN)
Date of Stay: 05/12/12 Review Submitted: 05/21/12

Condo was wonderful, roomy, and equipped with everything we needed for a great vacation. View from balcony was spectacular! Shiela is wonderful to work with and easy check in procedures. Thanks for a great week!

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

Made going to cheerleading competition more enjoyable staying here!

Guest: Teri (Birmingham Al)
Date of Stay: 04/13/12 Review Submitted: 04/21/12

Everything about this place is AWESOME,including the owners. Felt like I have known Sheila for years , cant wait to go again, and again, again, get the the picture?

Owner response:Teri, so glad you enjoyed the condo. It is a beautiful place to be. Looking forward to your return. Hope you can stay longer next time. We appreciate your business. Thanks! Sheila

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

Very impressed

Guest: Dogbone (St louis )
Date of Stay: 07/30/11 Review Submitted: 08/09/11

My family and I spent a week here and was immediately impressed with condo,views and location. There was 2 adults and 4 kids and we all felt we had plenty of room. Your close to everything but yet in a quiet area. Loved sitting on balcony and having coffe in morning. Love the pool right below room. We definitely will go back and stay at this condo

Owner response:Terry, thank you so much for your review. You mentioned one of my favorite things to do, sit on the balcony and drink coffee (mornings, wine for happy hour). Hope you got to see the dolphins. They make my day! Looking forward to your return visit. Thank you for your business. Sheila

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

July Vacation

Guest: mic (Gillsville)
Date of Stay: 07/09/11 Review Submitted: 08/08/11

Your condo was an absolute delight. It is beautifully decorated and very spacious! My family and I stayed for a week in July and was very pleased with the condo, building, and grounds. The pool stayed very clean and the building itself was nice. The view from the balcony was great! We could see very far down the beach in both directions. I was also pleased with the location of the condo. We have stayed further down on Okaloosa Island but this was by far a better location. Thanks for having such a beautiful condo and sharing it with the public. You were such a nice person to do business with. We will be back!!!

Owner response:Michele, thanks for the compliments about my condo and Gulf Dunes complex. I am so fortunate to own condo's and love to have nice families enjoy their vacations there. I enjoyed meeting you and your family! Hope to see you again soon! Sheila

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

Dance Competition Nationals brought us to FWB - Thrilled we brought the whole family!

Guest: Misci (Champlin, MN )
Date of Stay: 06/25/11 Review Submitted: 07/12/11

Amazing! We were very pleased with the whole process going through VRBO and Sheila was great to work with. This was our first visit to Ft. Walton Beach. Our daughter's dance studio selected this area to attend Masquerade's Dance Nationals 2011 the last week in June. The convention center where the competition was held was right around the corner from Gulf Dunes. We were so glad we decided to take the whole family of 6 down to enjoy the beach. Many other families from our studio stayed at some of the larger resorts in FWB...Gulf Dunes is just as nice and conveniently located on the coast. The condo is beautiful...everything from the decor, cleanliness, location, gorgeous views overlooking the 3rd floor balcony, and so much more! Our boys, ages 12, 10, 5 and daughter, 8, loved the pool and short walk to the beach, no complaining for 7 days! My husband and I appreciated the beachside service. It was so nice to walk out each morning and select your chairs for the day. The Destin Harbor area is wonderful for site-seeing tours, shopping, and dinning. One evening we walked down the beach with a number of families to Anchors in FWB for dinner and music. Very family friendly. We would highly recommend this area property and hope to make it back again. Thank you, Sheila for helping make awesome memories for our family! Steve, Misci, Jack, Joe, Abby & John

Owner response:Misci, so glad you and your family enjoyed Ft. Walton Beach and the condo. I appreciate your great review. I know it was a long drive for the family. So many people do not know about Okaloosa Island and how beautiful it is. I feel safe in saying that no other sand compairs to the sand on our beach. Hope you get to return next year for the dance competition if not sooner. We appreciate your business. Sheila

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

Everything We Could Have Asked For!!

Guest: Melmac (Owensboro, KY)
Date of Stay: 06/19/11 Review Submitted: 06/27/11

My family and I just returned from a weeks stay in this condo and it was perfect. The condo was exactly how it looked in the pictures. The resort itself is excellent and a perfect location. The pool and the beach were not crowded at all. The condo is just a ten min drive to Destin for shopping and activities and then we were able to come back to the condo and relax without all the crowds and noise of the condos in Destin. The beaches are beautiful and the condo's balcony is huge. I could go on and on but I'll just say you can't go wrong with this condo! The Watson's are so friendly and easy to work with! When you do make sure to check out the Black Pearl restaurant. Great food!

Owner response:Melmac, thank you so much for the review. You don't know how glad I am to be receiving this type of review because last year was a very difficult year with the oil spill. People come to the area for many different reasons but the ocean and beach are the main two. We have not tried the Black Pearl restaurant but will be sure to check it out. Thanks for the recommendation. As for the large balcony, it and the full size laundry room were the two reasons we bought in Gulf Dunes. Thank you for choosing our condo for your vacation and we hope you can return again soon. Sheila

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

May 22 - vacation

Guest: Melinda Marshall (Indianapolis, IN)
Date of Stay: 05/22/11 Review Submitted: 06/30/11

We stayed in this condo the last week of May – and it was wonderful. All the comforts of home and then some with the beach and the balcony looking right out over the ocean – just as it looks in the pictures. The complex is small enough that the beach is never crowded. Close to Destin for shopping, dining, etc., but no crowds like you find in Destin. We at at The Back Porch in Destin - food was good and the restaurant is right on the beach - beautiful! This is the second time we’ve stayed in one of Sheila’s properties and both times were great. She’s wonderful to work with, and it’s very simple – no stop at a management company to get the keys or return them to a different place. I highly recommend this unit and Okaloosa Island for your next vacation!

Owner response:Melinda, Thank you so much for the great review. Some people ask me which condo they should choose (unit 504 or 302). I really don't have an answer. I feel fortunate to have two in the same complex. Glad you have stayed in both. Very little difference between the two. You described the complex and the Ft. Walton/Destin area exactly the way most people feel. We love having Destin so close but Okaloosa Island offers a more relaxing feel. The white, soft sand is the best any where! I love looking at the gulf on one side and the bay on the other. Looking forward to your return and to see which condo you select. Thanks for being a repeat customer. We do appreciate your business.

Recommended for:

Awesome place to stay!

Guest: Beth (LaGrange, GA)
Date of Stay: 04/14/11 Review Submitted: 05/09/11

We were NOT disappointed whatsoever when we arrived at the condo! It was wonderful! Owner was very prompt in responding to my questions prior to our arrival. The view is gorgeous and there was lots of beach to "play on". The view from the master bedroom was awesome, as was from the family area. I would definitely want to stay here again and would recommend it to anyone!

Owner response:Beth, Thank you so much for the great review. Glad you enjoyed the condo and the beach. Most of the time I never meet the people that stay in my condo's but really appreciate the business. I love having return customers. The beach sells itself but I believe maintaining a nice clean condo is most important. That is what I try to provide each customer. Looking forward to hearing from you again. Thanks so much! Sheila

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

Fantastic Condo and Location

Guest: Harry and Janine (Plainsboro, NJ)
Date of Stay: 03/16/11 Review Submitted: 03/24/11

This condo just moved to the top of our list of favorite places to stay! So clean, comfortable, and perfectly located. Master Bedroom has the same gorgeous view as the living room, so you can start the day by watching the waves crash on the beach without getting out of bed! Heavenly. The entire condo was beautifully appointed and well stocked from kitchen to bath. Having a full laundry room attached was great also. The location of Gulf Dunes is perfect - just far enough from the pier as not to be too crowded, but close enough for a good walk down the beach to grab lunch from Anglers deck and bring it back to your beach chair! Also, close to Los Panchos, Hightide, Bay Cafe and other great local haunts. Publix is a quick hop over the bridge for essentials and you can quickly be in Fort Walton or Destin within minutes. Sheila was great to rent to us with last minute plans and made the whole process easy and seamless. We highly recommend Sheila's condo and look forward to staying here again!

Owner response:Harry & Janine, Oh my, what a wonderful review. You said everything better than I could. I try to keep my condo's a step above others. I love the layout of the condo's at Gulf Dunes and especially the extra large balcony. That was much of determining factor in buying the two condo's in that complex. I love sharing the condos and bond with so many people. I am very fortunate, especially in today's world, and truly appreciate your business. I look forward to hearing from you again! Sheila

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

wonderful condo

Guest: winter visitor (Echo Bay, Ontario, Canada)
Date of Stay: 11/30/10 Review Submitted: 03/20/11

Loved the condo! It has been tastefully renovated, and is very comfortable. Really appreciated the newness of the furniture, appliances, granite countertops. Sheila immediately attended to any problems I mentioned to her. (They were very few!) The property itself (Gulf Dunes), is very well kept and clean. The location is perfect- walking distance to the Boardwalk, Los Panchos ( good Mexican food), and Helen Back (great pizza). Already booked for next winter and can't wait to get back.

Owner response:Thank you so much for your wonderful review. As an owner, my priority is to keep the condo modern and clean. I love to have return customers and believe most people will return to the same condo if it offers everything they are looking for. In your case, you truly live in the condo for almost four months. It is your home away from home. You take great care of the condo for us and we appreciate it. Look forward to seeing you again in December. Sheila

Recommended for:Age 55+, girls getaway, romantic getaway.

Great Roomy Condo!

Guest: Gordon & Pam (Westlake, Louisiana)
Date of Stay: 08/14/10 Review Submitted: 08/26/10

We really enjoyed our stay at your condo! We sat on the balcony everyday and enjoyed the view. One morning we watched dolphins while we ate breakfast. We also saw dolphins swimming around the pier. The condo was well decorated and roomy. Plenty of room to unpack and enjoy our stay. The information and pictures of the condo were exactly as they appear online. After looking at condos online for days and days, we decided on this one because of the great reviews (clean & well kept) and it had the features we were looking for. The view from living/dining/kitchen area and the master bedroom were wonderful. Our teenage son enjoyed his "cave" with his own bathroom. Having a full size washer & dryer was very helpful also. The building was clean and well maintained. We saw workers maintaining the grounds everyday. Shelia answered our questions and was very friendly and helpful. They are several restaurants within walking distance...Old Bay Steamer and Crab Trap were both good. The 1st is about a block down the road and the 2nd was a nice walk down the beach. We would recommend the Sea Blaster boat in Destin for snorkeling and dolphin watching. Also the beach at James Lee Park just east of Crystal beach in Destin was absolutely beautiful. They have umbrellas/chairs, boardwalks and covered pavillions. We had a great time on our vacation and this condo helped make that possible. Thanks for everthing!

Owner response:Gordon & Pam, Thank you so much for the wonderful review. First of all, we do appreciate your business. This has been a crazy year. My most favorite thing is watching the dolphins. On occasion, they will truly perform. Gulf Dunes complex has a great staff and owners association that believes in keeping the property in excellent condition. I enjoyed working with you and hope you can return again soon. We are fortunate that we own two condo's in the same complex if you bring friends or family. Sheila

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

Dance Competion Nationals brought us to FWB - Thrilled we decided to bring the whole family!

Guest: Misci (Champlin, MN )
Date of Stay: 07/24/10 Review Submitted: 07/12/11

AMAZING! We were very impressed with the whole process of going through VRBO. Sheila was great to work with. This was our first time to Ft. Walton Beach. Our daughter's dance studio decided to attend the Masquerade Dance Nationals here The last week in June. The convention center was just around the corner from Gulf Dunes. We are so glad we decided to take the whole family of 6 down to enjoy the beach. Many other families from our studio stayed at some of the larger resorts in FWB, Gulf Dunes is just as nice and very convientally located on the coast. The condo is beautiful....everyting from the views off the 3rd floor balcony to the decor. Our boys, ages 12, 10, 5 and daughter, 8, all had a blast in the pool and on the beach, all 7 days! We enjoyed site seeing and shopping in the Destin Harbor area. We also joined a big party of families that walked down the beach together to Anchors in Ft. Walton one evening for dinner and music. We would highly recommed this property and hope to make it back again. Thank you Sheila for helping make awesome memories for our family!

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

Beautiful propety

Guest: tonya (jenkins Kentucky)
Date of Stay: 06/26/10 Review Submitted: 07/11/10

My family and I decided to take our vacation to Fort Walton beach this summer and searched for many condos and of all the ones we ran across this i the one that stood out the most to us...It is a BEAUTIFUL property...Wonderfully decorated and Very clean and well maintained...The owner Shelia was wonderful so helpful with alot of questions to say the least seemed i was always asking something but she always answered back and was very helpful....Every room in the condo was great the kids really loved the bunk room and it was spacious not cramped at all...the view from the balcony was breath taking....i spent alot of time there listening to the ocean and watching the kids play in the pool just down below...The entire Gulf Dunes property was great well maintained and very clean...I would recommend this condo to anyone who is planning a visit you will not be disappointed at all...It was in walking distance of many things...the pier, gulfarium and plenty of restaraunts and some shopping at places like alvins island which we visited more than we should because the kids loved the hermit crabs :) If you want bigger shopping then you will not have to travel far like maybe 5 miles to destin and visit destin commons which has about anything u could want and book stores which i loved....I actually miss the place it was so peaceful and not lots of noise late at night like you would expect....The photos posted are exactly as it appears BEAUTIFUL!!!! I would also recommend the crab trab and fudpuckers for good food...Thanks Shelia for letting me and my family stay in your wonderful home we absolutley loved it and it is a memory will we hold forever...the kids are already wanting to come back as we are also... The Hubbard's and The Pease's

Owner response:Tonya (&Christy), Thank you so much for this wonderful review. Glad you enjoyed the condo and beautiful Okaloosa Island. There is no other beach that compares. As you know, this condo is new for us. We are proud of the way the remodeling came together. Thank you for taking the chance to come, not knowing what the oil disaster would be. I believe in giving people the choice of renting or returning their money in full is the only fair thing to do. Okaloosa Island has been blessed with minor effects of the oil spill. Hope you can return again soon. Thanks, Sheila

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

Great Condo!

Guest: Judy (Lafayette, LA)
Date of Stay: 06/17/10 Review Submitted: 06/21/10

VERY nice condo! Clean and well maintained. Beautifully decorated. The bunk beds were perfect for the children. Not only is the condo well maintained, so is the Gulf Dunes complex. Very neat and clean. The owner of the condo was so easy to work with and helpful. I would recommend this property to anyone going to Fort Walton. We were 4 adults and 2 children and had plenty of room.

Owner response:Judy, Thanks so much for your review and recommendation. We are so happy to have this condo in Gulf Dunes even though it has been a crazy year with the oil spill problem. I am happy to report we are still up and running and doing well in Ft. Walton. I hope you and your family will return again soon. I enjoyed working with you. Thanks so much for coming and supporting us and our beautiful beach! Sheila

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

The Best Condo we have ever stayed in!!!!

Guest: Deb (Alabama)
Date of Stay: 05/28/10 Review Submitted: 06/26/10

Me and my husband stayed in this condo in May for 4 nights. The beach and weather was beautiful. We have rented several condo's from VRBO, but by far this is the best one yet. It was perfect. It has everything you will need for your stay and more. It is very clean and maintained. Along with a great pool and grilling area. We loved that the beach chair set-up is included with the room. We didn't have to worry about bringing them back and forth everyday. That was great. The owner's were great to work with, they even gave us a "GREAT" last minute deal. We would recommend this condo to everyone. We can't wait to return to stay with you again. Thanks for making our stay great!!!

Owner response:Deb, Thank you for your great review. It helps others so much to read reviews from people that have recent first hand experience or are first time users of VRBO. I am so fortunate to own property on this beautiful beach and I love to share it with others. Without people like you, I could not afford to do this. There are lots of condo's to choose from. My objective is to have people say exactly what you just said in your review. I hope you will return again soon. Sheila

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

A Wonderful Stay

Guest: Green Bay Packer Fans (Rhinelander, WI)
Date of Stay: 03/27/10 Review Submitted: 04/05/10

Hello, We stayed during our kids' spring break and after driving from northern WI, it was wonderful to arrive at such a great place. The condo is decorated beautifully and has all the amenities needed. If you like to cook, it has all the necessities, including a slow cooker. The view is unforgettable and the beaches of Okaloosa are the best we have ever seen. The condo is walking distance to the Okaloosa Island fishing pier along with great restaurants and Gulfarium. My husband and kids went fishing a few times along the jetty by Destin and caught some Sheepshead which we cooked up and were delicious. The spring has been cool so the fishing was a little slow but they still enjoyed themselves. We would highly recommend this condo, just don't book it when we want to stay there. :)) Working with Sheila was very easy and she always answered our questions promptly. It was very sad for us to leave but are really looking forward to going back next spring. Take care, Kieran, Shane, Nick and Tait Rhinelander, WI

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