This was our first time on DI and this house was the perfect location to experience the mississippi sound and the Gulf. It was nice to have the calm waters of the sound for our kids to play in early in the morning or at the end of the day on the gulf. They loved finding crabs and shells on the sound side. The gulf is a short walk and the beach had plenty of room and we loved throwing crab traps and fishing right from the property. The house was clean and the decor was "beach perfect". I was suprised how clean the house was for a beach rental. They also supplied plenty of bath towles and wash cloths. We had more room than we needed..we have a family of 5 (2 adults, 3 kids-11, 6 & 2 yrs old.) I loved lying on the hammock on the deck at night and looking at the massive sky full of stars. In the am we loved having coffee on the deck facing the sound side. In my opinion this was also the best place to watch the sunset from the house. The house had everything we needed for cooking...be sure to bring some extra paper towles & toilet paper because the store on the island is a little pricy. We brought some but ran out & Greers (grocery store off of the island with everything you need) is a bit of a treck. Other beaches- we went to the east end beach & it was beautiful but the walk from the parking lot over the sand was way to far with our kids and all of the stuff we bring to the beach. The west end beach was def more crowded but had lots of amenities (picnic tables, lifeguards, bathrooms) We found fabulous shells here & the sunsets were amazing. I've never seen such beautiful skies..this is where the miss sound meets the Gulf. Although it was more crowded, we really liked this beach. You need to pay a small fee but i didn't think it was a big deal..it helps keep that beach maintained & the amenities they offer. They also have movie nights on this beach during peak season. We wanted to try the new east end beach on the other side of ft gaines but didnt get the chance to. Food- order food from skinners, easy to order, fresh seafood to bring back to your rental. They were great to work with. Some of the other food on the island was hit or miss but we did love the lighthouse bakery and miguels beach & baja. People have mentioned in other reviews that there isnt a ton to do on the island but we found just the opposite..we ran out of time to do everything we wanted. Rita was great and the whole process was easy. We cannot wait to come back next summer!!