Gulf Shores Beach Front Condo Kiva Dunes Golf Too

I loved the location, it's far enough away from all the hubub in town, but close enough to get there in minutes, if that's your thing. The owner was very responsive to all my questions prior to travel. We had a special circumstance that needed attention and they had a hurricane prior to our arrival. He addressed all my questions and confirmed that our travels would not be affected by the storm. The condo itself was a little misleading, I guess when I hear "sleeps 10", I expected it to be bigger. It would sleep 10 comfortably if you had 4-6 children but we were all adults. It really only sleeps 6 adults comfortably. The loft area was awkward to move around in, there was no extra space to move freely, just a couple of beds and one dresser that The person on the far wall could not use easily, so she just put all her things on the floor between the beds The kitchen was quite small (only one person at a time for sure), but it had all the necessary utensils and pots and pans we needed. The shower in the master bath had very low pressure on the hot side. We needed to tie a towel around the point of the winding staircase otherwise we would have split our heads open several times. We never got 2 tv's working (until the last day, I finally got the television in the master bedroom working, still don't know what was wrong with it) the one upstairs never worked. This would normally not be a concern but we were there during the World Series. Also, should you have bad weather and be forced to stay indoors that place would not have been adequate at all for 10 people ....We were fortunate to have good weather during our stay, so we were not stuck indoors. We enjoyed our stay, there's plenty to do and several good places to eat within minutes. I wish we could have found a condo that was closer to the pool, being that the place was virtually empty when we went. Never saw another person in the long hallway of the floor that we stayed on. We were in the back of the bldg furthest from the pool and beach, but an easy walk. This building is quite old and needs a major update but it served the purpose. We were never told about a key to the indoor pool and basketball courts but we found the key when we were cleaning up to leave on the last day. I'd give the owner a100%, I'd give the location a 100%, but the condo gets a 70%. A little TLC would go a long way.

I was very disappointed in the condo. We started to leave after only two days. We did not have water from the sink in the master bath the entire time we were there and the toilet in the other bathroom's handle was broken for the first two days we were there. Will not be staying at the Plantation again!!! There was a dead LARGE rat outside our condo and we saw another one running around near the pools. Someone needs to not only do maintenance on the condo but also the grounds as well. It is definitely worth the extra money to stay at the Beach Club instead.

The condo is in a nice location--convenient to the beach and pools. The resort is in a quiet location in the non-touristy part of Gulf Shores. The water didn't work in both bathroom sinks and the day after we let the owner know, someone came to work on it. One had an ok stream of water after that, but the master bath's worked for one day, then went to no water. One tv didn't work, but we weren't there for tv, so it was ok for us. Wish there would have been a little more information about the resort left in the condo. We had a nice time and thought the beach was beautiful!

My family of six had an awesome time here! The place was a paradise away from Paw Paw, Michigan for sure. We had all we needed there except groceries. The beaches were never crowded nor were the pools. We were only 15 minutes from the "more crowded" area. Be sure to drive down Mobile Street slowly, that's were alligators hang out. Take a flash light for the kids and let them search and capture the tiny ghost crabs on the beach at night, SO fun! The only negative is that I would highly recommend the Plantations invest in a few more basketball courts instead of so many tennis courts. There were lines, and sometimes we were unable to even play basketball at all because there were lines and you had adults and little kids all wanting to play while the tennis courts sat almost empty. We stayed in a lofted condo that was by far located right next to the best two pools and hot tub on the grounds, with a boardwalk right to the beach. My kids had fun catching lizards and jellyfish and collecting a few shells. We caught 2 slow worms and 3 geckos. It was really a relaxing time. Washing our own laundry was no issue at all. We are so very blessed to have had such a wonderful trip and stay in Alabama. Ron Pennise offered such a wonderful vacation opportunity to our family in being able to stay here!!!

Sherry P

We rented for a week’s stay and found the condo as enjoyable as owner Ron was accommodating. The condo itself, a short walk to any pool or to the beach, was spacious, clean and comfortable. The kitchen offered more appliances than we needed or could use, and we found the same for dishes, silverware and cutlery. The large refrigerator /freezer allowed us to buy perishable food for the entire week’s stay; plenty of kitchen cabinetry allowed us to stock up on the dry goods for the week as well. Even the condo’s kitchen had a convenient and useful extension: outdoor grills provided barbecued steaks and salmon. Even the bathrooms came stocked with towels for our use.

When leaving the comfort of the condo and going beyond the pools or beach for a spell to explore the area, we found plenty to do. Hardest part was choosing what to do first: historical pilgrimage to Fort Morgan, natural habitat hike through Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge or the wide open ferry ride of Mobile Bay, or the many shopping experiences afforded by stores on Route 57, just a short ride from the condo.

We enjoyed most perhaps the never-crowded, white sands of the beach, warm and clean Gulf waters, and abundant wildlife seen in both water and sky. Sunrises prompted our long, quiet walks along the shoreline. Cooling sunsets simply refreshed and amazed us. We appreciated most the condo owner’s affable demeanor, whether contacting us shortly after our arrival to see if we needed anything to his availability to answer our questions (especially about getting around, suggestions for restaurants or sightseeing destinations). Ron is a both maître d' and a tour guide, always helpful, always there when you need him.

We are booking this condo again for our next visit to Gulf Shores in the spring.