Estero Beach & Tennis Club - BEST VIEWS from Penthouse Level

We have stayed at Estero Beach & Tennis Club many times, and we've rented some beautiful condos. This is also a nice condo and tastefully decorated. Kitchen has very limited counter space, although the recent addition of a dinette set is helpful for preparing meals. Read the description carefully, as there is no dishwasher. If this is important to you, take note. The dishes are a mismatch of various sets, and the knife set is very dull (couldn’t cut through the skin of a green pepper). There were no barbecuing tools, although, upon suggestion, the owner said he would get some soon. The bathroom is in need of an upgrade as far as the cabinet and shower faucets/knobs. Everything else is comfortable and maintained. The view is pretty. If you stand on the very end of the balcony, you can enjoy the sunsets. Communication with the owner was good. Response time was quick.

The one thing we were taken back by was the owner’s email after our visit. He stated, “I will rate you 5 stars as a guest when VRBO sends me the request to rate. Will appreciate your doing the same.  IF you don't feel you can do this, please just skip writing the review. We will be putting the condo up for sale in the fall and don't need any negativity attached to it.”

This does not seem to be in the best interest of future customers. The reviews are for the benefit of those considering renting the property. It is only fair that potential renters have honest reviews that are not influenced by the owner’s need for 5-star ratings.

We very much enjoyed our stay and loved that this property was on the south end of Fort Myers/Estero Beach away from the crazy traffic and potential party scene. We literally walked across the street to take a sunset dolphin cruise (saw 7!), walked a block to CVS and, ate at several great dining places!! The King size bed was one of the best we have slept on away from home as it was not too hard and not too soft (obviously not everyone will have the same preferences but bottom line-it didn’t sink in the middle and didn’t give us the creeps!). The shower pressure was good, the kitchen area was sufficient, and the unit was VERY CLEAN. Bob had informed us prior to our arrival that he planned to do some updates the week after our stay. While we found it met our needs [we could care less about the quality of dishes—they were clean and held food and drink!], Bob sent us photos of the updates he did the day after we left. The new dining room set and overhead light look great and the fresh paint really brightens up the place. He reports he plans to update the bath vanity, Condo curtains, couch and, recliner. A new couch and recliner will be

lovely but we didn’t have any complaints about them—I have yet to see an awesome fold out couch mattress anywhere but, our 6 year old didn’t mind and slept great all week. We can’t wait to see photos of the additional updates! What we appreciated the most were the beach umbrella and chairs in the entryway closet and, his letter prior to our arrival that gave us great dining and transportation tips. If you are looking for fancy granite and a large living space/bathroom to accommodate more than 2 adults for a week, this would not be for you but it certainly met our need for relaxation and sun! Oh, and I must not forget the HEATED pool that is right outside the building!! It truly was heated to 85 degrees—which meant even though our first day there was only 65 degrees outside, we still swam! When the weather warmed up later in the week the pool person actually had to turn the temperature of the water down a bit :-) ! The ocean is just steps away

and to hear and see the waves from the balcony was what this midwestern family needed! I would absolutely stay in this unit again.

My wife and I stayed at Bob's condo last week and I must say after reading review dated 1/27 (I can't remember name so I'll refer to her as AB) I thought we were in wrong unit when we walked in. I know everyone is entitled to their opinion, but to write such a misleading review full of untruths is hard to believe and not fair to Bob. I'd like to address a few of them.

First of all, there is absolutely nothing misleading about pictures. My wife and I have stayed in many condos all over Florida and in our opinion Bob's has the most spectacular views! Not only view of gulf, but view of bay. Direct gulf view condos are great, but when it's dark not much to see. The bay view from Bob's balcony at night is incredible! Clear view of Bonita Springs and Naples. If you're having coffee in the morning and want to view the gulf, simply turn chair (or head) to the right and you unobstructed and fantastic gulf and beach views. Both sunrise and sunset views. Not many condos offer that! The window in VRBO ad looks directly at the gulf. Nothing misleading there. AB makes ridiculous claim about shower head not working properly (had to have hair shampooed across the street). We had no issues with shower head or water pressure. As a matter of fact, my sister stayed in building on fourth floor (Bob's is in building A), her water pressure was same as ours. Never had to flush toilet more than once (could be a diet issue there). AB complained about wifi and tv issues. We had no problems with either. Condo is very nice with plenty of room and storage. Very clean, definitely not shabby as AB states. Nice kitchen (enough prep space for us). living area, bedroom, and bath. One TV is enough for us, especially since you can view from bed! With all of the updates Bob has planned for next month, condo will be even better! I guess it all comes down to what you want in a vacation condo. If you're like me and want a fantastic beach experience - nice, clean, comfortable condo, great restaurants (5-6 directly across the street), beautiful beach with tons of shells, nice pool, couple grilling areas, friendly people from all over the country, daily dolphin sightings, and spectacular views, than Bob's is the place for you. If not, maybe you could hang out with AB!

Oh, by the way, weather 101. If it's windy on the beach, it's gonna be windy on balcony of penthouse of building. We had several calm days and nights on balcony!

Chris R.

Sent by condo owner Bob on January 13, 2018. ……….IF YOU CAN GIVE US A 5 STAR GUEST REVIEW ON VRBO 9949, PLEASE DO SO. IF NOT, PLEASE DO NOT SEND IN A REVIEW.

We are writing this review in such detail because Bob sent us the above email and said don’t write anything if you can’t give a 5 star recommendation. We think that’s not right. That people should know what they’re walking into.

In our opinions, this place was seriously misrepresented. It was so bad, we didn’t stay in the condo for the first week of our two week stay. We rented ANOTHER condo on the same floor that was up to date, clean, well equipped, and offered the experience we thought we were paying for with Bob.

Bob’s condo appears to not have been updated in the last decade, in our opinion. A neighbor said the bathroom vanity and the closet doors were original to the building. The bathroom had no storage, the toilet frequently needed two flushes to clear, and the tub/shower had no grab bars. The shower head was so bad that I went to the strip mall across the street to get my hair shampooed.

The kitchen did not have a dishwasher, any storage for food items, and was furnished with odds and ends for dishes, glasses and silverware. I couldn’t cook in the kitchen, because there was no counter space for prep.

The living room was also shabby. The sofa’s reading light was a swag light with a 40 watt bulb. The out of date magazines on the lower shelf of the coffee table were coated with a thick layer of sand and dust. The ONLY TV in the unit was on the living room wall, with weak cable signal. The internet service was also not up to par, in our opinion. We had to go out and buy a portable wireless connection just to answer business emails.

The bedroom was also shabby. Only one small closet, filled with bedding and a utility cart. Old tired pillows bedding. And there were dirty clothes from a previous renter in the dresser drawers. A TV in the bedroom would have been nice.

The biggest drawback to us was the view. We like to sit and read on the balcony and watch the surf. The main picture of the VRBO ad is NOT what we viewed from our balcony. This condo is a corner unit with a partial gulf view and high winds due to it being on the top floor.

We just now read the ONLY OTHER negative review posted on the VRBO website. We are writing 7 years later with the same complaints. HILARIOUS.

Bob's condo is certainly a five star property. This unit is one of the best units we have stayed in. I was taken aback by the review written by another traveler, who stayed in Bob's unit starting on 12/30. I see no correlation between what was said and my experience. That review bore no resemblance to reality and what we experienced.

I look forward to staying in this unit next winter.