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New Owners-New Listing-Same Carmel's Blessing! See Property #4321952 Link Below.

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Terrace/patio
Property grounds
Kitchen
Private kitchen
Private kitchen

Reviews

9.6 out of 10
Exceptional
4 bedrooms2 bathroomsSleeps 12

Popular amenities

  • On beach
  • Barbecue grill
  • Free Wi-Fi
  • Air-conditioning
  • Kitchen
  • Pet-friendly

Explore the area

View in a map
Port St Joe, FL
  • Place, Saint Joe Beach
    ‪2 min walk‬
  • Place, Mexico Beach
    ‪5 min walk‬
  • Place, Beacon Hill Park
    ‪13 min walk‬

Rooms & beds

4 bedrooms (sleeps 12)

Bedroom 1

1 King Bed

Bedroom 2

1 King Bed

Bedroom 3

2 Queen Beds

Bedroom 4

2 Single Bunk Beds

2 bathrooms

Bathroom 1

Bathtub · Toilet · Shower only

Bathroom 2

Toilet · Shower only

Spaces

Kitchen
Garden
Dining area

About this property

New Owners-New Listing-Same Carmel's Blessing! See Property #4321952 Link Below.

Please go to: http://bit.ly/4pfY1pW to see the new listing and book there. The new owners truly appreciate this home's history and only intend to provide minor upgrades to the property over the coming months. The same old Florida charm and quirky beachfront cottage appeal we have all loved over the years, will not be compromised.

This quaint old beach house (now the oldest house in the area) has a traditional beach cottage motif, beach access, and is located on the Gulf county side of Mexico Beach. Gulf county beaches allow dogs, where bay county beaches (one block away) do not.

This part of Florida is known as the forgotten coast. It's quiet and peaceful with white quartz beaches, dolphins and sea turtles, you'll feel like you have this piece of paradise all to yourselves.

The house has 2 King sized beds, 2 queens, and 2 sets of bunk beds. There is a washer and dryer, stocked kitchen, wifi, beach chairs and everything else you'll need for a relaxing and enjoyable vacation. On a side note, I had a few guests last summer who were disappointed that there was no cable television at the house. You'll be pleased to hear that I now have cable TV for my guests, so you won't miss your favorite sports games!
Port St Joe to the East has almost completely recovered since hurricane Michael, and has restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations and just about all of the amenities one could ask for. Just 10 minutes away!

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House Rules

Check in after 4:00 PM
Check out before 10:00 AM
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Children

Children allowed: ages 0–17
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Events

Events allowed: family gatherings, birthday parties, weddings
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Pets

Pets allowed: limit 1 total
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Smoking

Smoking is not permitted

Important information

You need to know

Property # 849991vb
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
Parties and events (including family gatherings, birthday parties and weddings) are allowed on site. Maximum attendees: 30
Host has indicated that there are no carbon monoxide detectors or gas appliances on the property
Host has indicated that there is a smoke detector on the property

About the area

Port St. Joe

Located in Port St. Joe, this holiday home is on the beach. Mexico Beach Marina and Port St. Joe Marina are worth checking out if an activity is on the agenda, while those looking for area attractions can visit Beacon Hill Park and Mexico Beach Park. Port Theatre Art and Culture Center and Frank Pate Park are also worth visiting. With jet skiing, scuba diving and snorkelling nearby, you'll find plenty of adventures in the water.
View more Holiday homes in Port St. JoeOpens in a new window
Map
Port St Joe, FL

What's nearby

  • Saint Joe Beach - 2 min walk - 0.2 km
  • Mexico Beach - 5 min walk - 0.4 km
  • Beacon Hill Park - 13 min walk - 1.1 km
  • Park - 2 min drive - 1.5 km
  • Park Under the Palms - 2 min drive - 1.8 km

Restaurants

  • ‪Forgotten Coast Brewing Company - ‬6 min drive
  • ‪Shipwreck Raw Bar - ‬4 min drive
  • ‪Subway - ‬3 min drive
  • ‪The Mill Mercantile & Social - ‬8 min drive
  • ‪Beach Bear Coastal - ‬5 min drive

Frequently asked questions

Is New Owners-New Listing-Same Carmel's Blessing! See Property #4321952 Link Below. pet-friendly?

Yes, this property allows pets (limit 1 total). Some restrictions may apply, so please contact the property for more details.

How much is parking at New Owners-New Listing-Same Carmel's Blessing! See Property #4321952 Link Below.?

On-site parking is available at the property.

What time is check-in at New Owners-New Listing-Same Carmel's Blessing! See Property #4321952 Link Below.?

Check-in begins at 4:00 PM.

What time is check-out at New Owners-New Listing-Same Carmel's Blessing! See Property #4321952 Link Below.?

Checkout is at 10:00 AM.

Where is New Owners-New Listing-Same Carmel's Blessing! See Property #4321952 Link Below. located?

Nestled on the beach, this Port St. Joe holiday home is within a 5-minute walk of Saint Joe Beach and Mexico Beach. Beacon Hill Park and Park are also within 1 mile (2 km).

Reviews

9.6

Exceptional

Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
Learn moreOpens in a new window
Rating 10 - Excellent. 62 out of 78 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 12 out of 78 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 3 out of 78 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 78 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 1 out of 78 reviews

9.0/10

Cleanliness

8.0/10

Amenities

10/10

Property conditions & facilities

10/10

Check-in

9.8/10

Communication

9.8/10

Location

9.4/10

Listing accuracy

Reviews

Verified

10/10 Excellent

William P.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Best Vacation ever

The charm of a classic beach house, a welcoming shake up to traditional house layout. Location great. Owners absolutely wonderful.
Stayed 7 nights in Mar 2025
Verified

6/10 Okay

Melissa N.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, location
Disliked: Listing accuracy

Family vacation

The view of the ocean was amazing from the living room and front porch. The home needs a lot of TLC.
Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2025
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Rachel S.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Annual Beach Trip

Our family takes a trip every year to spend a week at the beach and we always choose to stay at Carmel’s Blessing. Great location, best sunsets, and a fun and authentic “old Florida” home and neighborhood.
Stayed 7 nights in Sep 2024
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Kayla N.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Perfect Beach Getaway

We had an amazing time here. Location is ideal to the beach and to food. The house is everything as described. We would come back in a heartbeat!
Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2024
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Teresa P.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Our stay at Caramels Blessings

Although the house is 100yrs old it was perfect for our family. Easy beach access, nice neighborhood and close to stores. We had a great time.
Stayed 9 nights in Jun 2024
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Daphne R.

Liked: Check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Love this place!

The house is very old and quirky. We were here a few years ago and decided to come back. The deck is a great addition and we enjoyed sitting out there watching the water and the sunsets. It’s a very short walk to the beautiful beach. We took our dogs for a couple of walks on the beach.
Stayed 7 nights in Apr 2025
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Belva S.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Excellent beach vacation

The beach view was perfect. We thoroughly enjoyed the deck for morning coffee and evening sunsets. The beach is a short walk across the road. The beds were comfortable, and the kitchen is well equipped for cooking. For meals out we’d highly recommend Shipwreck Raw Bar and Richie’s Roadhouse Grill.
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2024
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Lauren W.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Family friends

This was one of the oldest houses, but PLENTY of space for our families. The view of the ocean is perfect. Cannot say enough good things about it. We really enjoyed and would stay here again!
Stayed 6 nights in Jun 2024
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Michelle H.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great location

This was our second time staying in this home. We love that the house has ocean views and is only a short walk across the street to the beach. There is plenty of room for our large family to relax and we enjoyed the front deck addition. We can’t wait until our next stay!
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2023
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Nola C.

Liked: Check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Port St Joe

The view was amazing. Direct access to tbe beach. Loves the Downtown area. We are already looking at a return trip.
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2023
Verified

8/10 Good

Linda C.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location

Family Vacation

Although the property is in need of some monor updates, we still had plenty of room and any questions or problems that we had the property manager was on top of it. The view was amazing!
Stayed 7 nights in Oct 2023
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Cherry R.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Slice of Heaven

We absolutely loved this home!! Check in was a breeze. The house is like a maze and even has a secret door! We had more than enough room for the 7 of us and the location to the beach and beach view cannot be beat. Neighbors are so friendly- we did not want to leave! Owner was amazing. We will be back next year.
Stayed 6 nights in Aug 2023
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Kathy E.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, listing accuracy

Old folks

Washing machine is not working
Stayed 7 nights in May 2025
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Michael I.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

As always, a wonderful experience!

We’ve been visiting Carmel’s Blessing for a number of years now, and it has become a beloved annual tradition for our family. We always look forward to it and count down for months in advance! This neat historic beach cottage feels like a second home. As soon as we arrive every year, we settle right in and feel at home immediately. It’s spacious, comfortable, and has a cheerful personality. We have made so many precious memories as a family - movie marathons and game nights on rainy evenings, as well as sunny day swimming and snorkeling in the Gulf. The unobstructed view of the water from the house is spectacular, and it’s a short walk to the beach access. The house is well furnished with bedding, towels, and a fully stocked kitchen. We feel like this beautiful home is a unicorn - you can’t find anything else like this for this price! It has space for a group up to 12, is pet friendly, has a nice yard, Gulf views, and easy access to the beach. The local community is a friendly small town. The house owner is fantastic. Great communication and very helpful!
Stayed 14 nights in Aug 2024
Verified

8/10 Good

Andrea W.

Liked: Check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Location, Location

Upon arriving, the door code process threw me because I thought that was the code I had received before traveling, but no, I received it after I arrived. I never could unlock the front door with the code. I was especially pleased with how stocked the kitchen was with dishes, appliances and some spices. Do take your own trash bags, however. I really enjoyed the whimsical decor throughout the home. The back bathroom could cause you to lose your balance due to a soft floor at the toilet but we adjusted. It has excellent views from the house and such a short walk to the beach. It was a pleasure to be able to have our fur babies with us. They had never seen the ocean. The management was understanding and a pleasure to communicate with. If old and eclectic scares you, then you may not appreciate this one. I found it charming.
Stayed 7 nights in May 2023
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Michael I.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Always a "Blessing"!

We've been coming to Carmel's Blessing for years, and it's always a pleasure! Many cherished family memories have been made here. The owner is fantastic - very communicative and helpful. This charming beach cottage has been in his family since it was built in 1928, I believe, and he is continuously investing his time and labor into maintaining and improving it. We had 11 people and 2 dogs with us on this trip and had plenty of space. We love that there's a grassy area both in front and in back of the house for the kids to play and the dogs to walk. Plenty of space for parking, as well. The breathtaking Gulf view is a highlight! You can watch the sun set over the water from the living room or the deck, or it's just a short walk to the beach access and you can watch it from the water. You do have to cross the road to get to the beach, but we've never had any issues. There is a designated crosswalk and the traffic isn't too bad. This beach is incredibly beautiful and peaceful. We always come in September and often have it to ourselves. If you like to relax and do absoluely nothing on your vacations, this is the perfect place to do so. If you like to explore, sightsee, and eat yummy food, there are plenty of places in the area to do that as well. We enjoyed a drive out to Apalachicola and St. George Island one day, and a visit to Cape San Blas/St. Joseph Peninsula another day. Panama City is also a reasonable distance in the other direction.
Stayed 11 nights in Sep 2023
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Bob B.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great place right at the beach

The reviews describe the place to the tee , has a great cottage feel. We were down there for Christmas week to new years of 2022 the "record dipping freeze" was very cold as thie house was not made for that cold of temperatures. But John was on top of it ,very concerned for our family of 8, even offered to put us up in a hotel for a couple of nights. But we are Michiganders, we toughed it out and John had a Xtra heater dropped off 1st thing next morning, which helped to get the temp up on the house and thaw some of the pipes. We loved that this place! It was right across the street from the beach , and after the 3 day freeze let up the temp hit 70 and we spent the rest of our time at the beach. This house has everything you need for the kitchen. The time zone was so funny to deal with too, being on the border of central and eastern. This is a great place to sit and relax, we used his new smokeless fireplace, it was awesome to roast marshmallows and watch those beautiful sunsets . The new front deck made a great dance and karaoke stage! The neighbors are awesome and very friendly. We had a mother bear and 2 cubs come through and take out the garbage in the middle of the night, which was caught on the neighbors ring camera. Very cool to watch. We are looking forward to staying again next year . Thanks John for caring and being a great host
Stayed 8 nights in Dec 2022
Verified

6/10 Okay

Richard P.

Great location and view, but the shack is in rough shape.

For what it's worth, here's my two cents to make this vacation rental more livable and less stressing: 1) Replace the exterior doors. None of the three outer doors sealed anywhere close to tight. The wide (1"+) gaps in the broken doors is probably why we had so many mice, cockroaches and mosquitoes in the house at night, even after wadding towels against the largest holes. I'm just glad we didn't see any snakes. 2) Get an electrician to take a look at the wiring. We blew two fuzes before realizing the air conditioner in the Florida room/bedroom/patio needs to be kept off. Even then, the lights and fans in the whole house kept flickering on and off. We also blew four light bulbs, including two new ones we replaced after arriving. 3) Add some interior doors. Most of the common spaces, like hallway and living rooms, have a bed stuck in them to be a "bedroom," but there are few doors for privacy. It's bad enough that you have to walk through someone's room to get to the kitchen or bathroom. Adding at least a door separating rooms from the next would make it feel less like you're sleeping in a military barracks.
Stayed 5 nights in May 2018
Response from VrboOwner on 3 Apr, 2020
Wow, I’m so sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy the place. I know the doors can be an issue at times as they will swell in the humidity, and contract in dryer weather, so finding a balance where they will close on humid days and not have much of a gap in dryer weather can be difficult. I’ll have to double check, but i know a couple of weeks before your visit there were still doors on all of the bedrooms. I do apologize about the electrical issues. Prior to your visit we had had no issues whatsoever with the electricity, or the air conditioning. I wasn’t made aware of any issues until the next guests arrived after your stay. If you ever decide to stay again and have any issues please call me. I try to respond to and fix any issues that arise as quickly as possible. Again, i apologize that your stay was less than excellent. Please let me know if there is anything else i can do to make any future stays better.
Verified

6/10 Okay

Cheryl P.

Liked: Check-in, communication, location

Review of Carmel's Blessing

My overall impression is a mixed review. For location, it was excellent. From the front room of the property, you can look out the window and see the beautiful beach right across the street. Access to the beach is simply walking across the street. Also, there were only three steps to get into the home which was nice for easy access. The amenities were all of those that you'd expect in the kitchen-- minus a dishwasher. The kitchen was fully stocked with things you'd need, but while we were there, the inside of the oven was not working for the first 3 days and we stayed 5 and had planned to do some cooking. The host is extremely nice and answered questions quickly. The type of things that I would want others to know prior to making a reservation is that the bedroom and sleeping areas don't allow for privacy but in two bedrooms that have doors to close. There is a king bed in the den, sitting in the middle of the room which is the common area. There is another bed in a "bedroom" that only has curtains that go around it to give privacy. With this bedroom, you have to walk through the uncurtained area to get to other areas of the house which allows no privacy, no quiet. The bunkbed room is connected to one of the two bathrooms. The floors are quite uneven thoughout the home which was a HUGE safety concern for us as my mother walks on a cane. We paid $2,740 for 5 days and I took criticism for how expensive it was with regard to what we were paying for. The view is excellent and again the host seems like a wonderful person.
Stayed 5 nights in Aug 2022
Response from VrboOwner on 26 Aug, 2022
Thank you for your patience and understanding about the oven’s heating element. It failed 2 days before your arrival. I did my best to notify you as soon as I was told. It’s unfortunate it took the repair man two more days to get the correct replacement part. I’m so sorry you didn’t feel like you received a good value for your money. It is an old Florida style house. The layout of the house, as was common with Old Florida style, was designed to provide airflow through all of the bedrooms as they were built before AC was common. We’ve done our best to remodel a couple of the rooms to allow for more privacy, but it’s difficult with the way it was designed. I did my best to try to give an accurate depiction of the house both in the photos, and in our lengthy correspondence leading up to your visit. Again, I’m sorry it wasn’t more in line with your expectations.
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Kelsi C.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Awesome property and owner!!!

We’ve been to four VRBOs in Florida now and this was by far the best. It’s a quiet home with plenty of space for a large group. Just a stones throw from the beach. If you are looking for a beach that isn’t packed with people, this is your beach. We had the beach to ourselves multiple days during our stay. Soft sand, shallow water and easy waves make a good beach experience for little ones. We had 8 and there was still space available. The house is set up with whatever you could need. Games. Movies, kitchen gear. Plenty of towels and beach gear provided. Beds are comfy, plenty of seating. John the property owner was more than accommodating with us and made sure our stay was relaxing!!! Thank you for sharing your home with us!!!
Stayed 8 nights in Oct 2022
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Jason M.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Family Vacation

My family and I had a wonderful time. The location was very good. I love the every thing about my vacation and I believe all my family feels the same way. I highly recommend staying where I stayed.
Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2022
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Michael I.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Feels like home!

Our family of 10 (plus our dog) first stayed at Carmel’s Blessing in 2018, and instantly fell in love with this beautiful, quirky old beach house. We knew from that point on that this would be our family’s new tradition. We’ve been back twice since then (would’ve been back sooner, but for covid), and we are already eagerly planning next year’s visit! We left this morning and miss it terribly already. The house has history, charm and character. It feels like staying with family instead of a random, impersonal hotel or condo. The owner is very thoughtful and provides for most all your needs. He’s quick to respond if there’s ever a need to contact him. The beach house is spacious, comfortable, and has a phenomenal view of the ocean across the street. It’s nice to have an actual front yard and back yard, too - especially when you have a dog with you. If you don’t feel like walking down to the beach you can just sit in the front yard by the fire pit and watch the spectacular sunsets from there. The house is always well stocked with necessities, as well as puzzles, games, beach toys, etc. The internet is fast and easy to connect to. There’s a full size washer and dryer. I do wish there was a dishwasher, though. The home is almost 100 years old, is well loved, and has weathered many storms (including a hard hit from Hurricane Michael in 2018), so if you’re looking for something perfect and pristine this may not be your cup of tea. But for us, it feels like home. It’s the perfect place to play at the beach, snuggle up with a movie, play board games, build puzzles, and make special family memories (without having to stress about the kids breaking something fragile in a magazine-perfect house). Highly recommend this house and local community!
Stayed 12 nights in Sep 2022
Verified

8/10 Good

Leslie M.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Family scalloping trip

We booked this place because we needed a place to fit 12 people and allowed dogs. This place fit the bill and it was directly across the street from the beach. It is not fancy; kind of felt like camping in an old wooden bunkhouse. But, it was clean enough, got cool enough at night and well stocked (minus toilet paper). I was worried about only having 1 towel per person, but even that ended up not being a problem for only 3 nights stay. Was cool to read the history and to basically straddle the eastern and central time zones.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2022
Verified

10/10 Excellent

J.J. S.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Always a Treat

Fantastic stay, beautiful example of old Florida. Can't wait to go back!
Stayed 6 nights in Aug 2022
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Cathy W.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Beach vacation

Great eclectic home with lots of personality. The location is phenomenal! We had a great time. Our dogs were right at home. If there was another door on the second king bedroom for privacy it would be perfect!
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2022

About the host

Hosted by J.J. Scott

Host profile image

Why they chose this property

My Great-grandfather built this house in approximately 1928. It's been in my family for almost 100 years.

What makes this property unique

This house is authentic Old Florida.

Languages:

English
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