'Son of a Sailor' Beachfront with Wifi

• Great vacation on DI

  Great vacation on DI

  • Guest Some dude up north
  • Date of stay 03/30/13
  • Review Submitted 05/16/13
  We stayed over the week of Easter and had a fabulous time. Cruising over the bridge on a sunny morning was awesome for the first time on the island. Our party had three families with 7 kids ranging from 5 to 15 - kids got along and had much to do. Our group loved grilling out so we did that once a day - hit Skinner's for the seafood or Greer's for meat. We loved strolling the beach during the morning for shells and at night for crabs - kids loved making sand castles, throwing frizbees, playing soccer, flying kites, making forts and I supposed the adults had fun with it, too especially over a couple beers or drinks in hand. Good for shoreline fishing and the owner had some poles to borrow - out of state fishing licenses were very reasonable. We got into the ocean a few times along with checking out some sand bars along the south peninsula. We watched shrimp boating one night and saw numerous dolphins during the day. The adjacent pool was nice for the kids and tennis courts were nice to play on and was another outlet for the kids to burn energy. The house was pretty good and you get what you pay for - beds, facilities, kitchen all decent. The back porch was great for checking out the sunset and stars on clear nights - owner could provide more patio furniture. It was nice the Easter Bunny remembered the kids and laid eggs out off the porch for a morning egg hunt. The outlying oil rigs (later found out they were natural gas rigs) were cool to look at during the night. We ate at the Lighthouse Bakery, pretty good but pricey. JT's Sunset Grill was ok but nice eating off the docks. Taking the ferry to Ft. Morgan and Gulf Shores was like Myrtle Beach or Wisconsin Dells in my neck of the woods on 'roids but good experience. Fort Gaines was cool to go through especially with the kids. The bird sanctuary was peaceful and nice to walk around. Sea lab was nice but limited. Either take the bike path or take a drive from one end of the island to the other. One gripe is Ship N' Shore kept running out of the craft or import beers - being from Wisconsin, you get used to it when vacationing. Some decent shops to go through on the rainy day we were there. People on the island were very nice like folks from where I am from. Overall, our vacation on Dauphin Island was a fantastic experience and will be truly remembered. Hopefully, we could get back again. Oh well, back to reality. Thanks DI for the memories.

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, romantic getaway, families with young children.

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• Son of a Sailor was a winner for our family reunion!

  Son of a Sailor was a winner for our family reunion!

  • Guest Sharon C.
  • Date of stay 04/18/13
  • Review Submitted 04/22/13
  We just returned from a wonderful & relaxing stay at Son of a Sailor. After reading the reviews I was skeptical but the minute we walked thru the door we were very pleased. The home is clean, open & bright with a wall of windows in the living room. The furnishings were perfectly fine & there are nice touches in every room. If you're looking for the Ritz Carlton don't go to Dauphin Island. This beautiful home worked perfectly for our family & offered plenty of room for everyone to visit & be comfortable. The rear deck has panoramic views of the beach & the neighborhood amenities are literally right beside the home so you can watch the kids play on the playground from the rear deck or watch tennis from your front porch. It was too cold to swim on our visit but the pool is directly beside the home too. You can walk the beach and rarely see another person. Like having your own private beach! Linens were provided and were fresh and clean. Plenty of towels. The whole house was clean and welcoming. We were arriving late at night & Rhonda, the rental agent, left the lights on for us. Rhonda also did a special favor for me since we were arrive late at night and turned the A/C on earlier in the day making the house cool when we arrived so we could sleep because my family is so hot natured! I was very appreciative of her effort. You won't be disappointed in this home. The paint is a little worn in the master bath, I'm sure just from humidity, but it did not make me think the home is shabby at all. There is a large jaccuzi tub & separate shower with a bench in the master bath along with a walk in closet. Each bedroom has ceiling fans and nice closet space. The living room furniture is not brand new but it is also perfectly fine and can accommodate 10 or so if you pull in an additional chair or two which is easily done. We stay outside a lot but I like a large living room that seats the majority of us for gatherings & this home certainly had that. We ate at Islanders on the Island which was excellent. The corn and crab bisque & gumbo were outstanding! We visited the Bakery & bought pastries which were a big hit! They have bfast, lunch & baked goods. There is a WalMart when you exit I-10 & you will pass Dollar General on 193 about 30 minutes from the island which is your last stop. There's also a store on the Island that would probably have everything you might need should you forget something. Some in our group did a tour of the sea lab & enjoyed it.

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

  Owner response: Thank you for such a nice review of Son of a Sailor and Dauphin Island. I'm so glad you and your family had a nice time and we hope to see you back soon. Thanks again Rhonda

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• Great location, dated house

  Great location, dated house

  • Guest Hebard H.
  • Date of stay 05/21/12
  • Review Submitted 01/06/13
  I am from Mobile and grew up with a house at Dauphin island (we sold our house last year so needed to rent last summer). Dauphin Island is a wonderful place to be in the summer time bc it is quiet and the beaches are clean! This house is in a great neighborhood and is located RIGHT next to the pool and the boardwalk to the beach. The house however could use some love! The AC was broken for the first 3 days - the repairman was quick to repsond to the complaint however he rigged it to fix it and it didnt work - so finally on day 3 he did a major repair and it worked from that point. The ice maker didnt work, the bathtub was SUPER dirty (and you pay a $200 cleaning fee), the kitchen was stocked poorly, the knives wouldnt cut anything, the beds are very uncomfortable and do not have mattress pads on them and the decor was very dated. If the owner would put a little TLC into this house it could be a great house. We did receive a discount due to the AC but I am not sure I would rent this house again.

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

  Owner response: I'm very sad that you had a bad time at Son of a Sailor. And I do remember you. First I've never charged $200.00 for a cleaning fee and I returned a lot of your money because you were miserable with the house. The ice maker in the frig has always worked, the cabinet icemaker has not been used in years and it is not advertised to be working. There is new furniture and bedding along with free WIFI and cable. Yes this is the best location for someone wanting to use the swimming pool because it is right next door, also the playgrounds, tennis courts and the private gated community is great. When homes are rented everyweek there comes a time to upgrade and the owners have done that. As far as the cleaning goes, the tub is a marble tub and does not have a smooth surface. I strive to be as clean as possible. I want to thank you for your comments and be rest assured that this is a beautiful, clean and enjoyable home. I have a two year waiting list for certain weeks of the summer and I'm thankful that those people really enjoyed there stay.

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

• Relaxing stay

  Relaxing stay

  • Guest DonnaGay
  • Date of stay 09/15/12
  • Review Submitted 10/23/12
  We had a wonderful time, so close to the beach and the pool. The kitchen had everything we needed and more. Although the decor may be just a bit dated it was very comfortable and clean. We had a 2 and 3 year old with us and did not have to worry about keeping things out of their reach. Wi-fi worked great, But cell phone coverage was poor (which did not bother us) and they do have a land line. This place is not for the shopaholics, although there are places to go for day trips but perfect for anyone who want to step off the Merry go round for a while.

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

  Owner response: Thank you so much for the nice review and were glad you stayed at Son of a Sailor. Dauphin Island is very laid back and quiet and the perfect place to relax and not worry about the crowds. Maybe you can come back and visit again real soon.

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

• Great Location

  Great Location

  • Guest Georgia girl
  • Date of stay 07/08/12
  • Review Submitted 07/17/12
  The house has a great location. Right next to pool and boardwalk to the beach. We had four couples and four children and their was room for all. We had a great time relaxing by the pool and beach or on the back porch which had a great view of the beach. One of the bathrooms is a little rough downstairs in the basement with a shower with no curtain but is nice for when you come into from the beach. The house was nice but needs some updating. There are no pics of the bedrooms...The furnishings were dated and the kitchen needs to be inventoried.

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

  Owner response: Hello and thank you for your review. We are so glad you enjoyed our island home. Our family has spent many years enjoying the beach, pool and other amenities that Desoto Landing offers and were glad to share them with you. Thank you so much for the suggestions, we will address them. I hope to see you next year and for you to tell your friends about Son of a Sailor, Desoto Landing and Dauphin Island. Thank you

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

• Excellent Vacation

  Excellent Vacation

  • Guest Pat
  • Date of stay 06/09/12
  • Review Submitted 06/25/12
  This was a great house for our extended family vacation. We had 10 adults and 9 children ranging from 65 - 5. The children loved having the loft to themselves and the adults had the bedrooms on the mailn level. We loved the location of the house it was right next to the pool, playground and tennis courts and it was right next to the boardwalk going to the beach. We decided that we had the best house in the subdivision because of the closeness to the pool and the board walk. We didn't have to worry about crossing any roads to get the beach or pool. The only complaint that we had was that the dryer took forever to dry a load of laundry.

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

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

Summer Rates- Sat to Sat $2700.00 weekly MAY 18-JUNE 29  ( JULY RATES $2850.00 )
Fall Rates- Weekly $1700.00 AUG 17-OCT 5
Spring Rate- Weekly $1700.00 MARCH 2-MAY 18
WINTER RATE--WEEKLY-1200.00-OCT 5-MARCH 2
Deposit $300.00  NOT APPLIED TO YOUR RENTAL
Tax 11% CLEANING FEE $125.00
PAYMENT PLAN AVAILABLE
NO DAILY RENTALS IN THIS GATED COMMUNITY.

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