Happy ThanksGiving with family at Belle Grove

Guest: John and Rebecca (Atlanta, Georgia)
Date of Stay: 11/24/11 Review Submitted: 11/28/11

My husband and I were invited to stay at Belle Grove by my brother, who rented the house. Another one of my brothers and his family were also invited. There was a total of nine of us and plenty of room for more, it is huge! The house was beautifully decorated, as reflected in the listing photos. We liked the strategically placed decorations with inspirational verses on them. The spiritual icons above the doorways brought a feeling of comfort. Everything we needed was at the house, all good quality amenities were included! Unbelievable heated pool. Clean. It was perfect for a family ThanksGiving vacation. The house is just a short walk to the beach, which was convenient. I especially appreciated the privacy around the house and beach yet the Town Square was not far away. The neighbor was friendly. Everything was perfect and I would definately recommend it.

Owner response:We enjoyed having you as our guest and we thank you for the good care your took of the house. Our cleaning people said you were the neatest guest we have had in a long time. It is a perfect spot for a family gathering as all can be together in one room for dinner. See you next time. David

Recommended for:Families with teenagers.

Good vacation spot, but...

Guest: Kathryn (Salt Lake City)
Date of Stay: 06/11/11 Review Submitted: 08/28/11

First, I give a five star review to Dan who is the broker for renting this house. He is excellent to work with. The location is also good--we enjoyed Rosemary Beach and Seaside being so close. The pool is great--private, shady, and shallow--which our kids loved. We have rented several large houses before from VRBO and here are a few drawbacks to this house in particular. Nathan, the property manager who was attentive at first, mentioned the dishwasher was temperamental upon our arrival. Little did we know it just didn't work. We called him several times regarding this and even though he did call us back to say a repairman would come fix it, a repairman never showed and the dishwasher was never fixed. Imagine a large family hand washing dishes, pots, and pans for a week while on vacation. Also, this seems obvious for a "luxury" property, but when you pay a sizeable amount to rent a house, we appreciate and notice the little "extras." There was only one roll of toilet paper per bathroom supplied, a small motel sized bar of soap/ bottle of shampoo/conditioner per each bath, and a small amount of dish soap and a few trash bags for our use. The set-up seems to require that the renter go to the store and buy all these items a day or two after arriving as there are no back-up supplies provided. Other properties we've stayed in have had ample amounts of basic household supplies that make you feel like you're really staying in someone's home--books, salt/pepper, kitchen gadgets, toilet paper, toys for kids, soaps, beach towels, etc. that all work together to make you feel at home. And isn't that the point of renting a home? Furthermore, it is asked and expected that you throw away any and all of these supplies you purchased before you leave--which is wasteful to say the least. I shouldn't have to go out and buy all new items or bring them with me (in this case on a plane) for a one week trip. Finally, the sheets, pillows, and towels left me missing my nice, soft ones at home. Even my husband, who is not one to notice, noticed and thought they seemed of poor quality. This is a nice house and the photos and descriptions are mostly accurate. I'd recommend it only if the owners would bump up the amenities and the quality of the linens. This sets apart a good rental house from an excellent one.

Owner response:This response is late in coming as sometimes you are lost for words. However, some past guest of Belle Grove ask me to...so we begin. We appreciate all feedback as it helps make us aware of areas for improvement....no one is perfect, much less...dishwashers. The dishwasher was replaced by Nathan during the stay. While I know it was a hardship, we acted as fast as possible. Sears said it would take several days for the part, we chose to replace the dishwasher. The little extras are just that...but they do make a difference. We have our cleaning people put out two rolls of paper towels, toilet paper; and garbage bags for the whole stay. Shampoo and conditioner is salon quality..CK which is top quality from Main Street Salon. We now have medium size soap bars...we listen. Most people like to use their soap and products that fit their needs...we just try our best. We now have coffee service for the first day stay. Toys for kids..we have games in the kids den...we have checkers,puzzles, cards and scrabble...but most kids bring their favorite stuff. Books???? We have some...but really?? We did replace pillows that we felt didnt match up to our standards. Sheets are fine, we sleep on them..not an issue. Most people do have to buy stuff at the store then discard them...if they don't we do... it's unhealthy not to. We want all to feel at home and we strive to make that happen..."There's No Place Like Home" David

Recommended for:

Ohio Crew

Guest: Ohio Crew (Northwest Ohio)
Date of Stay: 06/18/11 Review Submitted: 07/05/11

We love this area and this was our second year to stay at Belle Grove. The weather was great and the beach was beautiful. We had a group of 13 and we were very comfortable in the house. The beach access is located just across the street. The pool at the house was very nice - we spent most afternoons poolside. The owner was excellent to work with and very attentive to our needs. Enjoyed our stay and look forward to returning in the future!

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

Wonderful memories in a beautiful home!

Guest: Memphis family (Memphis,TN)
Date of Stay: 06/04/11 Review Submitted: 06/14/11

We had a wonderful time at Belle Grove! The house is beautiful - we especially enjoyed all of the pretty artwork, accessories and furnishings. It was very spacious with a good size washer and dryer which helps with a big family. The pool is a great size and the deck and tables are nice for eating lunch by the pool. It was also nice to have the pool table - there was a family tournament every night! The beach was only a short walk from the house and not in a crowded area at all. It was great to have the big wagon to haul the beach bags and toys right up to the boardwalk! The kitchen and living area were just as beautiful as the pictures show and very spacious. All of the bedrooms were also very pretty and it was nice that they had their own bathrooms. The location was great in that it was not in a congested area yet close to several good restaurants. We would definitely stay at Belle grove again!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Texans love Bella Grove

Guest: Kim (Austin, TX)
Date of Stay: 05/28/11 Review Submitted: 06/10/11

This is a fabulous home. We had the pleasure of staying here in May/June 2011 with 4 adults and 9 kids there was tons of room. With the kids ranging in age from 17 to 4 it was great for all ages. The pool table was a huge hit and the boys never even looked at the Xbox. The girls had their own space and the little ones had a large pool all to themselves. It is decorated beautifully with many special touches. While Bella Grove may be located on the north side of 30A don't let that stop you. The walk was no big deal even for the 4 year old. If you want seclusion this is the place. If you want to be in the middle of everything, this is the place, also. You can have it all. We will definitely come back to Bella Grove if it is available. Have a great summer on 30A.

Recommended for:People with disabilities, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Husband and Wife from Louisiana

Guest: David (Houma, LA)
Date of Stay: 03/02/11 Review Submitted: 03/24/11

We stayed at "Belle Grove" for 2 weeks and have to say it was one Awesome home. The large bedrooms and the over the top living and dining room made our gathering perfect. The art work and the general way it is decorated ...what my wife calls "shabby chic" is really cool. The beach was a short walk and almost private. The back yard and pool were beautiful and quiet. Too cold to swim but the sun bathing made up for it. Everything one would need was there for us. The kitchen was fully stocked. We really enjoyed the pool table at night and the family time we spent just being at home. We rode bikes down through Alyss Beach which took 3 min and then to Rosemary which is another 5 min. Belle Grove is in the center of everything we love to do. We ate at Georges for dinner and could have walked there but it rained. The beds were very comfortable and the place was clean. The way the house is layed out makes for an even more spacious feeling, even though it is very big. We had 6 in our party but we could see where another 10 to 12 people could be together and not feel crowded. We plan on staying at Belle Grove on our trips back to the beach. Thanks Dan for all your help. The Smiths

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers.

H. Jeddi

Guest: H. Jeddi (Canada)
Date of Stay: 12/24/10 Review Submitted: 01/11/11

We had a wonderful week at Belle Grove. The house is huge. Bed rooms and living room are specious with 12-14 feet ceiling. We liked the sound system. Beach is walk distance. Location is great. In summary, I want to say ..... You will not be disappointed! We are looking forward to a return trip for another wonderful vacation.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, families with young children.

What a great house for a big group!!!

Guest: TN Beach Bum (Nashville, TN)
Date of Stay: 07/24/10 Review Submitted: 08/16/10

Our group (10 adults and one baby) stayed in Belle Grove in late July and had a wonderful time. The house is laid our great for a large group. The kitchen and family room were plenty big for our group to live comfortably for a week. We also really enjoyed the back yard and pool area. The ladies had plenty of room to get some sun while the guys played cards under the big umbrellas. Most importantly...the beach was awesome! It is just a short walk to the beach access, literally just a couple minutes away. In case you're curious, we saw zero signs of oil while we were there. The beaches were beautiful! Over all, we had a great time at Belle Grove and Dan was great to work with! This was a great place to vacation!

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

Great Family vacation at Belle Grove

Guest: Jim (Union, KY)
Date of Stay: 07/31/10 Review Submitted: 08/15/10

We had our family vacation (8 adults and 7 children) at Belle Grove the first week of Aug 2010. The place fit our needs perfectly!! There was plenty of room for all. The kitchen/dining/family area works extremely well as the hub for meals and games and is a great focal point of the house. All the bedrooms were spacious and the bunk room and play area for the kids were terrific. The pool is very large and private and worked well for our needs and the ocean is only a short 5 min walk away. Despite all the hype the oil spill was a non event for us. The place is nicely decorated and maintained and the photos accurately reflect what you get. Dan and Andy were easy to deal with and even let us preview the house on an earlier visit. One local restaurant we would highly recomend is called "Gravel Road". It is only a couple of miles up 30A, with great food & service, reasonable prices and an intimate dining atmosphere even for a large group. Also the donut truck has very good donuts but get there before 8am as they sell out early. We also played golf at the Holiday Golf Glub ( 25 min drive in Panama city). It was a very well maintained public course with great rates.

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

Week of July 4th 2010

Guest: Teresa Noble (Florence, KY)
Date of Stay: 07/03/10 Review Submitted: 07/19/10

Beach was beautiful! My family had a great time and the house was aswesome! Plenty of room for all of the kids!

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