Exclusive Seas Resort Bayside Villa Sleeps Four w/ Four Bikes and Modern Tech

I rented 2 condos the week of July 4th. One for my family of 4 and one for my in laws. They both were rented through Home Away which I have done on a number of occasions. This experience has made me question whether I’ll ever do it again but whatever you decide - do NOT rent this condo. The description of this condo is inaccurate. Many of the amenities promised either are not there or do not work. We will always remember our trip to South Seas but only b/c we had a very challenging time with our host and the condo.

I want to preface this by saying I was a travel agent for 8 years so I do know a little client satisfaction goes a LONG way. It began about 10 days before we arrived. I had sent him several messages through the app that he never bothered to respond. I called HomeAway concerned about 4 days before and they provided me his phone number and we began texting which was fine. I accepted it but it made me uneasy. When I got him on the phone he didn’t seem like it was a big deal that he had not responded. He blamed the app and said he would give me the info needed the day before the trip, which he did. I asked if we could check in an hour early at 3 instead of 4 and he said no bc he has someone checking out. Ok no problem.

Little did I know it would be because the condo would absolutely NOT clean or ready. At 4 PM we opened the door and it smelled like dead fish and no beds were made, etc. I called him very upset and he said he had called me two hours prior to let me know it would not be ready. That is not true. When he texted me “proof” afterwards - it was not my phone number. He didn’t apologize ever at any point on this call or further on into the issues that were to come. He claimed to have awful “help” and this was the life of a landlord.

My husband began cleaning the condo to assist in getting us checked in faster. For our trouble, Palmer was going to refund us the first night since we were unable to check in until nearly 8:30 PM. From there we never received our pool key for the bathrooms, the WiFi was awful, and bedroom TV never worked. We never had access to the owner’s area which supposedly had more supplies. All of this could have been overlooked but he made everything difficult and was incredibly rude. When I asked about the refund for the third time, he accused us of damaging the condo. His ad claims many things that are untrue of our experience

If you are looking for a place to rent that includes bikes, this might be the place for you. But if not, don't bother, there are nicer units in this complex that charge less.

We were there on a family reunion and had several units rented from different individuals. The other units were nicer, kitchens that were well supplied with everything you would need to prepare a meal. And the nightly rate as well as the cleaning fee was less.

We had many issues. Neither of the TV's worked when we got there. We notified the owner, Palmer Rosen, that evening but it wasn't until 3 o’clock the next day that he got there to see what the problem was. Even with that, he could only get one of the 2 TV’s operating. Not having a TV wouldn’t have been an issue if it had not been pouring all day.

The sleep sofa was in such disrepair that our 12 yr old could not sleep in it so even though he advertises the unit for 4 people, only 2 could sleep there comfortably.

The kitchen is not stocked adequately to prepare a meal. And if you drink wine, bring your own glasses!

The second night the AC started acting up. We contacted Palmer and told him of our concern but fortunately after a couple of hours it came back on. However, the next morning it was not working at all. Again we contacted Palmer but he said he could not come over to look at it until the next day. I told him if it did not come back on we could not stay the night. My husband is on oxygen and has health issues and has to be in an air conditioned environment. Several of the men in our party tried to determine what was wrong with the AC but no one could figure out the problem. By evening it was evident the AC was not going to come back on, so we packed our bags and headed home.

We asked Palmer to refund one nights lodging which he agreed to do but only refunded 1/3 of the amount promised. He claims that he put through the total amount and I would need to take it up with VRBO which I did. However, VRBO forwards disputes to the owner to be resolved. Hence, nothing has been resolved.

Palmer is a young kid that doesn’t understand the meaning of customer service. I suggest you rent for a reputable agency or owner.

Michelle Stigleman

Travel Writer and Co-Author of Wheelchairs on the Go: Accessible Fun in Florida

We stayed 6 lovely days at the resort. Palmer was very responsive to any of our needs and set us up with a great boat tour. Bed is super comfy. Clean nice space. Since we rented from an owner this saved us a ton on the resort fees! If you want to use the resort pool/facilities it is $150 per adult per day additional. We did pay it, but for only the last few days of our stay so kids could use the water slides etc. loved every minute and wish we were still there!

We had a terrific time on Captiva Island in this perfectly sited bayfront condo. Our host went out of his way to insure we had everything we needed. Bed was super comfortable. Loved the Lanai with sunrise views. Easy walk to the beach, yoga studio and Doc Ford's restaurant. Would definitely return!

We really enjoyed our 1 week stay in this lovely condo with wonderful views. Palmer is very easy to work with, and South Seas offers everything you'd want within a short walk or bike ride from this unit. We will be back!