Vacation Rentals by Owner

For Ocean Lovers

Guest: LisaAnne (Bedford, TEXAS)
Date of Stay: 04/30/12 Review Submitted: 05/07/12

My husband and I spent a week in this condo and had a great time. We were looking for a place to enjoy the sounds and beauty of the ocean and this property more than delivered. At the time we were there I learned from a permanent resident in the complex that this is the highest tide they have seen in 100 years. So the water was very high and there was an abundance of sea weed. The beach did not look as nice in the pictures, but that did not keep us from enjoying the ocean. If you were looking to walk the beach you really needed shoes. The seaweed did not keep us from enjoying our stay! The property maintenance crew would come along and grate the beach almost everyday. The condo itself is very nicely updated and the kitchen has everything you would need if you were planning to prepare meals. Paula provided a great list of her favorite places to eat and we found all of those we tried we great. Also the washer and dryer were very nice HE appliances. This area is a great location if you are looking to enjoy some peaceful quiet days at the condo , but you are just a little over an hour away from Key West. Two days we drove to Key West and enjoyed the day there. It was a great day trip for the days we were feeling a little more energetic! We have this on the list of return spots for vacation!

Recommended for:Age 55+, romantic getaway.

Beautiful Sunrises and Relaxing days

Guest: Sandy (Waynesboro, PA )
Date of Stay: 02/11/12 Review Submitted: 03/20/12

Coco Plum Villas sit right on the beach where you can enjoy walking or watching the birds from the lovely enclosed balcony. You can ejoy reading a book under the tiki or sunning and swimming in the pool right beneath the apartment. This condo is well appointed and maintained. We have rented here for over five years and enjoy it more each year. Sunset Park on Key Colony Beach is good for watching sunsets. Sunset Grill at the 7-Mile bridge can't be beat for sunsets and fun times.Go fishing with the Main Attraction or buy some fish or wonderful Keys shripm at the market and just enjoy cooking and eating in the condo where the view is as good as it gets. The Turtle Hospital and Crane Point are two good trips to learn about the area and be sure to take the boat out to Pigeon Key to see the buildings that still remain there and their history.

Recommended for:People with disabilities, age 55+, sightseeing.

Coco Plum Experience

Guest: BGBMO (Pittsboro, Indiana)
Date of Stay: 12/24/11 Review Submitted: 01/04/12

Our family spent are Christmas Break in your condo. It was a lovely experience. The condo was clean and the location was fabulous! The owner left a list of restaraunts that were most helpful and right on the mark! They were places we would not have found on our own. Thank you. The kitchen sink faucet was a bit unusual. It was difficult not to spray the cabinets and counters. They could use a few more bath towels and replace a couple of light bulbs(Patio). We used the grill outside one evening. We sat at the beach, used the beautiful pool and made some new acquaintances! We would definately return. Very relaxing. Just what we were hoping for.

Recommended for:People with disabilities, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, sightseeing.

Million dollar view but had some small things that need to be fixed.

Guest: Lis (Tennessee)
Date of Stay: 12/16/11 Review Submitted: 01/01/12

Our condo was in good condition but the sink didn't work upon arrival land we helped fix it temporarily the first day. The maintenance man never returned to fix the sprayer. The light and fan in the master bathroom never worked. The condo needs to be renovated a little in the hallway.

Recommended for:Sightseeing

Best on the keys

Guest: Wrkingirl (Az)
Date of Stay: 11/12/11 Review Submitted: 11/17/11

Loved this place right on the ocean you can over look the ocean and be inside if you have to. Great fishing, clean and comfortable place with a close drive to all other places along the keys, even key west, just loved it all..can't wait to come back again

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

Great Vaca!

Guest: Trace (New Jersey)
Date of Stay: 11/06/11 Review Submitted: 11/30/11

Everything was as advertised. The condo is right by the ocean, with a beautiful view from the private balcony. The accommodations were clean, comfortable and spacious. There is a good-sized pool, which was also clean. The beach was maintained daily, so there was no problem with sea grass. The owner / property manager provided tips on where to eat and shop. Overall, we had a great stay.

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

Private, relaxing unit

Guest: Jackie (Columbus, GA)
Date of Stay: 10/28/11 Review Submitted: 01/05/12

We stayed in this unit the first week of November. We found the condo to be very comfortable, with a great bed and recently updated flat screen tv with dvd player. The bathrooms were small, but a medicine cabinet in each bathroom provided ample storage space. The room had a beautiful view of the ocean. The porch was screened in, so it provided some protection from any bugs, in case it was needed. The unit also contained information on different local eating places, shopping locations, and additional handy information for guests, which was nice, considering this was our first visit to the keys. During the week we stayed, the condo was very quiet, with few people in the condo building. We were able to use one of the parking places under the unit, providing a shaded, covered place to park during our stay. One side next to the property is undeveloped. This allowed for a very quiet, relaxing visit, and made us feel as if we had our own isolated beach home for a week. This is something I rarely find in condo rentals! The pool area was very relaxing, and we enjoyed lounging there, listening to the palm trees rustling in the wind, with the gentle waves lapping up on the beach. The condo was in an ideal location in the keys, providing a good location to reach different destinations in the key. Some earlier reviews indicated a problem with the sea grass. We didn't experience an issue with it. The sea grass was on the beach every morning, but a tractor raked it up each day. The elevator was out of service for repairs for most of our stay, but I feel this was beyond the control of the unit owners. The unit is up 2 flights of stairs, which was not a big deal for us. Overall, it was an excellent experience, and I would definitely consider renting this unit again in the future the next time I go to the keys!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway

Super Summer vacation in Marathon!

Guest: H & M (Delray Beach, FL)
Date of Stay: 07/16/11 Review Submitted: 10/03/11

The condo was perfect and had everything we needed for our stay. The beach, on the other hand, was a different story. Due to the large accumulation of dead sea grass, there is no room to lay on the beach to get sun. Luckily, the pool was very nice :) The smell that came from the rotting grass was awful. The condo association did not rake the grass away daily, so it got pretty stinky during our stay. In the end, the condo was extremely roomy and had a cute patio overlooking the Atlantic Ocean :). I hope the condo owners get together to figure out a better way to handle the sea grass mess.

Owner response:We are terribly sorry your stay with us was not perfect. Unfortunately, the beach can be clean one day and if there are strong ocean breezes, there can be weed issues the next. We wish you had contacted Paula because she would have notified the condo association and remedied the situation immediately. We will certainly add this to our welcome letter so others do not have the same experience. Thank you so much for writing your review. We are happy you found everything else to your satisfaction.

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

Our Week at Coco Plum

Guest: esg (Deer Harbor, Washington)
Date of Stay: 05/21/11 Review Submitted: 05/30/11

The condo was perfect. Clean, large, comfortable and well furnished. Everything you need for housekeeping and cooking. Wonderful pool. Good central location for Keys activities and right on the beach. Our only dissapointment was the beach which was full of rotting sea grass and plastic trash. I have to give credit to the association which paid for a tractor to clean the beach every day but the tides would bring it all back overnite. We were told that this is normal for the south coast of the keys at this time of year. It just didn't meet our expectations. Other than that we had a great time.

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

Could be better

Guest: Sun Worshiper (Cincinnati area)
Date of Stay: 04/09/11 Review Submitted: 05/01/11

When we entered the condo, it did not smell clean - the bathrooms did not smell clean. The window in the master bedroom did not close completely, so the room was stuffy. The ceiling fan in the master bedroom wobbled and squeaked. There were crumbs under the table in the dining area. When we used a wet paper towel to wipe crumbs in the kitchen, it came back black. The restaurant/activities recommendations were great. The Dolphin Research Center was great, as was The Island Fish Company and Lazy Days. We discovered the Hungry Tarpon for dinner, which we would recommend. The view from the condo was very nice, and the pool/area was clean. The beach was combed of seaweed each morning. The tiki hut by the pool was great for relief from the sun.

Recommended for:Age 55+

Great place for our family

Guest: family of 6 (Pennsylvania)
Date of Stay: 03/19/11 Review Submitted: 04/29/11

this property was perfect for our family. even though we have four children, the living room was roomy enough to comfortbaly use the pull out sofa. the pool was great and the balcony was mom and dad's favorite place.

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

Seaside Villa-CocoPlum

Guest: Sheila (Michigan)
Date of Stay: 02/05/11 Review Submitted: 04/24/11

Condo was beautiful! Everything was new or fairly new inside. Maintenance representative was very responsive. Excellent view, balcony very close to water. Nice pool and Gazebo on beachside. Private beach is maintained frequently which is necessary due to abundance of sea grass washed up along shore. Beautiful sand for strolling along the water. Location is one of best in keys since there are so few beaches in the keys. Location is near anything you need and central to all of the key islands.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Happy Traveler

Guest: happytraveler (St. Louis, MO USA)
Date of Stay: 01/29/11 Review Submitted: 03/14/11

My husband, son, daughter-in-law and I stayed in this condo. Walk right out of the back of the complex and be on the beach and in the ocean. The heated pool was fabulous, the beach was quiet and peaceful. We are in love with this area. This was our first time in the Keys but it will not be our last. We are hope to return next year and many more year after that. I was nervous because this my first time to use VRBO but extremely happy with the results. The condo exactly matches the pictures. We felt safe and relaxed on the beach. Thank you for the memorable vacation.

Recommended for:Age 55+, girls getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing.

Guestbook Comment

Guest: Bill & Kathy
Date of Stay: 01/22/11 Review Submitted: 02/02/12

Great view of the ocean - enjoyed watching the pelicans and other birds diving for fish. Wonderful warm pool and nice quiet place. Great for a winter.

Recommended for:

Seaside Villa vacation

Guest: Bii & Kathy (Rhinelander, WI)
Date of Stay: 01/22/11 Review Submitted: 02/14/11

We liked the smaller size of the condo building with only 16 units and the area was quiet. The view of the ocean was wonderful and we loved the screened porch. Great ocean front swimming pool. The main thing that we were disappointed with was the lack of a grill as advertised in your listing. I called Paula the day after we arrived and asked about a grill and she said she would see what she could do. We never heard from her the entire week we were there.

Owner response:Because of the fire hazard and liability our condo association does not permit grilling on the premises.

Recommended for:Age 55+

You get what you see

Guest: Sandy and Kerry Hill (Caledonia, IL)
Date of Stay: 12/20/10 Review Submitted: 01/10/11

Let me just say that this location is FABULOUS, in regards to the ocean. The condo complex is literally 20 ft. from the water. The small beach is very well maintained, and swept each morning. The view cannot be beat. This particular condo is very average compared to others I have stayed in thru VRBO. It could use a major update. The bedrooms are decent, bathrooms acceptable. The tv area could use a little warmth, regarding decor. It is very "cold" and I didn't want to spend much time there. We stayed in December, over Christmas, and apparently the condo had not been occupied for a while. I had to call the morning after we arrived to have it cleaned. The stove still had someone else's food on it, there was hair on the floor and the linens smelled stale. There was dust and bugs in the kitchen cabinets that held the pots and pans. Paula from the rental agency immediately sent someone out to reclean. After returning from our day out, it smelled as if it was cleaned, but didn't look much better. Perhaps it's time to get another cleaning service! The pool area is clean and has plenty of chairs. Marathon itself is a strange area. There are alot of old, beat-up buildings and small businesses that have been closed and the properties are just left with junk and over-grown weeds. The restaurants are great, but very expensive. We could not go out for any meal and spend less than $50 for 4 of us. That is acceptable for dinner, but not for a lunch with burgers! The beaches are beautiful, the Dolphin Research Instititute was amazing and the kayak tour was very cool. However, we won't be returning to this area. Stop by on the way to Key West, just don't expect to have much to do for a week, especially with children. If you just want to wake to the sun, and hang at the beach, this will do the trick. If you want more luxury, look elsewhere. There are some nice hotels on the gulf side and in the harbor area. We definitely could have gotten a nicer hotel room for what we spent at the condo. This is a true southern beach area.

Owner response:Please take time to read the other reviews and look at the pictures and video. They speak for themselves.

Recommended for:Girls getaway

GREAT PLACE on the beach

Guest: K51773 (northeast US)
Date of Stay: 10/28/10 Review Submitted: 05/07/11

Very nice 2-bedroom condo with balcony overlooking the sea. Go to sleep to the sound of the ocean. Heated pool is right on the beach. Long sandy white beach to walk on and watch the sunrise. Quiet location.

Recommended for:Girls getaway, sightseeing.

Marathon Magic!

Guest: Deb Mac (Philadelphia, PA)
Date of Stay: 05/22/10 Review Submitted: 06/07/10

Our vacation was absolutely wonderful. The condo was awesome, and we loved the location. To me, the best part was the solitude and peacefulness: listening to the waves while lying in bed, watching sunrises (I'm an early bird so I caught most of them), and watching the moon reflect off the waves on the water; the moonlight put on quite a spectacular show one night. I felt like I was watching my own private moondance the way the light was reflecting off the ocean. My 23 yr. old was even impressed because the night before he was sitting out, and it was very dark (lots of clouds). We enjoyed the food and atmosphere at all the restaurants. I appreciate you giving us your list of recommendations. We celebrated my son's birthday @ Lazy Days in Islamaroda and everything was perfect. My husband & son both said it was the best dinner they ever had. Island Tiki was my favorite not only for the delicious food, but the sensational sunset! Loved the She Crab soup. My son's girlfriend doesn't eat seafood (I know, who doesn't like seafood?); she tried my soup and had to order a bowl for herself. We also turned her on to some conch fritters @ Sparkys. We got to Key West one day and did the trolley tour (one day was enough, prefer Marathon). We had lunch @ Blue Heaven which was pretty cool. We also did some other tours (Pigeon Key, Crane Point) and had fun snorkeling, jet skiing and swimming w/dolphins. It was really a great week! The weather was perfect. Just wish we could have stayed longer to do more things or maybe just relax a little more at the pool and beach. We haven't had a family vacation in quite a few years, and it was a great place to go with two recent college grads. I'd highly recommend Marathon and the condo @ Coco Plum - it truly was the heart of the Keys! - it stole my heart :) Thank you, Paula! Thank you, Bob! Deb Mac

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

Guest: Bett Kelly (Clermont, NJ)
Date of Stay: 11/27/09 Review Submitted: 11/27/09

10/21/09 Perfect vacation! Condo was perfect,beautiful,clean,well supplied with linens, towels and everything we needed. Location was perfect, oceanfront! Weather was perfect, upper 80's, low 90's and sunny most days. Ocean temp was perfect,80's.What more could one ask for? Answer: A longer vacation next time!

Recommended for:

Guest: V Scheetz (Enterprise, FL)
Date of Stay: 09/06/09 Review Submitted: 09/06/09

Our vacation in the keys was very relaxing. We are sold on renting a condo for our next vacation. The condo was very nice, clean, had everything we needed and a great view. I would recommend it to everyone.

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Guest: christine d'aurizio (st.james ny)
Date of Stay: 08/31/09 Review Submitted: 08/31/09

this was the most relaxing vacation i have taken in a very long time. sitting on the balcony and watching the sunset was beautiful. i would definitely come back

Recommended for:

Guest: Sandy Fisher (Waynesboro, PA)
Date of Stay: 08/30/09 Review Submitted: 08/30/09

We have stayed at the villa for three years and have always been very happy to be there. Thye unit is beautiful, the setting gorgeous and fufills our highest expectations. We are looking foward to another wonderful stay this next year.

Recommended for:

Guest: J. Shaw1 (Orlando, Fl)
Date of Stay: 01/26/09 Review Submitted: 01/26/09

We stayed a week in Seaside Villa and was totally happy with the spotless, well decorated unit. The kitchen was stocked for all our cooking needs, and the master bedroom sheets & mattress was divine! Paula and Jean pays attention to every detail in ensuring that we were comfortable, and assisted us in our choices of charters and restaurants. I highly recommend!

Recommended for:

Guest: S.Duncan (Orlando, Fl)
Date of Stay: 12/17/08 Review Submitted: 12/17/08

We came down from Orlando to experience the keys and couldn't be more happy with our accomodations. The condo decor was very nice, the beds super comfy, and everything was clean and fresh. I highly recommend this condo, and the help provided by Paula & Jean was the best.

Recommended for:

Guest: karen88 (New Jersey)
Date of Stay: 12/16/08 Review Submitted: 12/16/08

February 2008 Hi Jean, My family loved staying in Seaside Villa last year. We enjoyed relaxing by the pool and then going for long walks on that beautiful beach. What a perfect location! The unit was comfortable and well equipped. We really enjoyed cooking up the fish we had caught in the kitchen. Everything we needed was provided for! As a matter of fact, we loved it so much that we would like to stay at Seaside Villa again in 2009.

Recommended for:

Guest: Jan Blum (Dublin, OH)
Date of Stay: 12/16/08 Review Submitted: 12/16/08

July 2008 Dear Paula and Jean, I just wanted to let you know that my family and I absolutely LOVED Seaside Villa!!!!! It is a beautiful condo and was immaculate when we arrived! I made sure we left it that way (the cleaning lady was thrilled--we did all of the laundry--towels, rugs, sheets, etc--I didn't mind)! The view was breathtaking, the pool was crystal clear and clean and the beach fabulous!!!! We loved the birds (the girls named the one large heron "Rachael") and the sea life. The other people staying at the condo units were wonderful--very friendly and helpful! Truly, this was one of the best vacations ever and I was sooooo sad to leave!!!!!! We really felt like we were in Paradise!!!!!!!!!! Thank you sooo much for all of your helpful emails and info. regarding Marathon---we will definitely be back!!!! Jan

Recommended for:

Guest: J. Phillips (Fort Lee, NJ USA)
Date of Stay: 12/16/08 Review Submitted: 12/16/08

Paula, I just wanted to let you know I received the deposit. Thanks. We had a wonderful time, the keys are beautiful. The condo was very nice. We visited the restaurants you had recommended and found them all to be excellent. We hired a guide for flyfishing on the flats. My son caught a nice bone fish, I caught a jack and missed a big tarpon. One of our best vacations. I hope to return next year!

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