Beach Bird, Family-Friendly, 6+BR, 500' fr. beach, in-ground sports Pool, Gazebo

Hi Janet, so glad to hear you and great family had a great time. Makes all the hard work worthwhile. Nothing better than happy family reunions. Welcome back anytime. Thanks, Bernard

Thanks Joyce and Jay and wonderful family. It was a pleasure meeting and interacting with you and I am very grateful for all the help and ideas. So glad to hear the children liked their pelican souvenirs and that you had a safe trip home. Thanks, Bernard

Thanks, Paul, was a pleasure having you and your great family. Welcome back anytime, contact me for special rate. We are doing a major addition/renovation so now can accommodate even larger families and friends.

This is what happens when you don't cave in to demands for a $2000 rebate: a spiteful hate-filled review rife with falsehoods, despite getting the booking $3000 below market with a 6 day stay, 10% discount, and below market rate. There were no complaints day 1-day 6. On day 7, AFTER LEAVING, we received a complaint about wasp nests, a leaky faucet handle, and "two missing bedrooms", along with a demand for $2000. He had been informed a month before, as soon as we found out, that the third floor bedroom would not be available due to contractor malfeasance outside our control, giving him ample time to change venues. Despite my request he refused to provide the required documentation. It was only after the vicious review that I learned that the "two missing bedrooms" were on the third floor of the addition , which despite never having seen it, he decided was two bedrooms. The addition was 3 rooms in the rear of the house, yet in his mind he "found" "construction problems" throughout the original house and that the addition rooms were representative of the rest of the house. REALLY? The two main baths are tile and marble. The kitchen is tile with granite countertops. We added a new U-shaped couch and a new DR table and chairs now seating 12 this year. He claimed the first floor utility room was a kitchen; we removed the stove and cabinets and changed the designation two years ago when we started the addition. The main outside stairs have a 2x6 handrail and 4 sets of risers, not 3, with the outer two doubled and the middle two tripled. They were just inspected and passed by a structural engineer a month ago along with the decks. We also had the annual City safety inspection which also passed. I have backup for most systems including safety with extra fire extinguishers and fire blankets, and two independent fire alarm systems.

Thanks, Patricia, was a total pleasure having you and your great family at Beach Bird. Thanks for leaving house so clean! BTW already ordered hand rail for pool steps, great idea, thanks. Will send you photo when installed. Thanks, Bernard

Thanks for the five star rating. Wish you had called about the low pressure, my policy is to fix immediately if at all possible. We have 5 showers, believe it was the outdoor shower which had not been turned on inside, my miss. Thanks for leaving house so clean, you are welcome back anytime.

Hi Tina, thank you, it was a pleasure meeting you and having you and your family at Beach Bird. You are welcome back anytime and I will be sure to include a favored guest discount. Thanks, Bernard

Thanks, Eileen, it was a pleasure to have you and your great family. Having such nice people was a vacation for me!

Very disappointed to hear of these issues after the fact. My policy is to respond and fix problems immediately if at all possible. Not sure which mattress since none sink when I try them, but would have replaced anyway as per my policy. The policy with cleaning is also that any issues are addressed right away with the cleaners coming back if necessary. Will pass this along to cleaners who this year are retired military and have very high standards. Drove out to check 9/10, no mattress bowed much less "bowled", including bunk beds.

Thanks so much for your great review, much appreciated. We emphasize from day one to call for any problems, our policy is to fix or replace any broken items, wish you had called, would have been happy to fix or replace. Still haven't found what was broken, subsequent guests made no mention of anything. Your comment on room size is very helpful since it is very hard to show on a photo. The rooms are actually quite large, so I need to either include a floor plan with dimensions or list the dimensions. Great suggestion. Thanks, Bernard

Thanks, Dot. It was a pleasure hosting you and your fantastic family. It made my day and my week to be able to be a small part in this wonderful family reunion. Talking with you and your sister on your initial visit and again on arrival was a pleasure and very helpful. I am so happy to hear you had a good time, makes all the hard work worth it. You and your family will always be welcome at Beach Bird.

Thanks, Sharon, it was a pleasure having you and your wonderful family at Beach Bird. Your enjoyment makes all the hard work and long days worthwhile. We love hosting families like yours. Thanks, Bernard

Many thanks, Michelle. It was a pleasure meeting you and hosting you at Beach Bird. Very much appreciate the feedback and suggestions. Welcome back anytime. Thanks again, Bernard

Key is guests having a good time; that is what all the hard work is about. All problems could have been easily fixed with communication. Putting greens were in storage shed. Any cleaning problems the cleaner returns as soon as notified and rectifies any problems. Most of walls are paneling but will certainly check more carefully on paint in some of first floor rooms. Thanks.

I categorically dispute the tone and terms of this review. The terms used are pejorative and not descriptive or constructive. 1. My cleaners are retired military and meticulous. As anyone with military experience knows, their standards are extremely high (white glove) 2. I do a walk-through after each cleaning and did not find a single item mentioned. 3. I tell every guest on arrival to call me immediately for any issues so they can be promptly resolved. There were no calls. 4. I personally visit the house every mid-week to check the outside and pool; nothing was mentioned. 5. Any "giant cockroaches" are not cockroaches but palmetto bugs, also called water bugs. They do not seek food but water. The operative word was dead; pest control was working. The sectional couch with recliner and sofa-bed is in excellent shape and well shown in photos. J. B. du Buy, M.D., Major, USAR, 1969-1972

This totally dishonest troll review is expected after withholding part of deposit for cleaning, worst mess in 21 years, and first time ever held any deposit for cleaning. Changes from website were upgrades, extra bedrooms heavily used by this group who numbered in the upper 20's vs. lease 17. Both down baths have identical Broan vents. Need to flip switch to activate. Dingy and musty= troll words. Garbage complaint more trolling, collection date is Tuesday. I personally take enough home to leave room in both reg. and recycle bins. New cabana made with 4x4 posts and 2x6 rafters. No cobwebs. Grill #1 brand new this year, #2 one year old, #3 only used to store gas gauges and extra grill tools. Grills cleaned weekly. Re: mess left by this group. All countertops covered with rotting and perishable food, in turn covered with flies. Upstairs doors and windows left open on rainy day, probably to dilute smoke smell, two hours extra cleaning to remove. Dishwasher broken, filter loaded with food, plastic, labels, even twist tie. Soaking wet towels left on laminate floor with ceramic floor just 3 feet away. Downstairs toilet covered with feces. Cleaners showed me SECOND Swiffer mop cloth still black. Day after left bad smell developed, finally located coming from upstairs fridge area, crabmeat scraps and juice in refrigerator condensate tray, requiring removal rear plates to access and clean. Pool pump turned off without my knowledge or permission, required hours to clarify. The one statement in review with which I concur is Never Again. Thanks, J. B. du Buy

The most pertinent part of this review is the first six all caps words: "OUR FAMILY HAD A GREAT TIME". This refutes the rest of the all caps note. I completely dispute that the photos are not representative. I also have several factual corrections to the litany of complaints: 1. there was a small amount of water on the floor under an ac vent which also happened to be directly in front of a window. There was no moisture on or in the vent. AC vents are sealed and wrapped with insulation. There is no way rain can get into them. A partially open window, however.... 2. Non-smart TV's plural; only one was non-smart, as per my usual policy, I offered to replace that day, declined. 3. Bunk beds, again plural; only one had a loose bolt in one part which was secured with a safety tie. 4. Professional linen service and up-charge; it is clearly stated that linen package is an option. Bring your own, pay nothing. Or he could have ordered professional linen service. Sample prices: one towel set $9, beach towel $5, one king set $19, etc. Total with making beds as demanded =$492.. (We make kings and queens up and down, gratis. 5. I was not " in process of fixing AC support ", it was fine when I left prior Sat. Offered to fix 3 loose boards on spot, declined. 6. "I understand from owner": misunderstood. I focused on important items like reinforcing and partly rebuilding decks with stainless steel screws up and down, completely replacing salt water pool chlorinator control system; and servicing both heatpump/AC units. 7. "attractiveness of gazebo area": the spare third gas grill and furniture were in the back behind a tree and beside the storage shed. All "broken boards" were removed in trash months earlier. 8. Underscoring the nature and level of these complaints were the ones not mentioned in the review: a. several lightbulbs needed replacement. b. one of electric can openers was not working. c. four slice toaster one half not working. As per usual policy offered to replace that day, declined. d. Stain line at high water mark on pool liner. Note: all items declined fixed or replaced following Sat. taking minutes, not "some time". BOTTOM LINE; THEY HAD A GOOD TIME. Mission accomplished.

I take issue with every item in this vindictive review. There is constructive criticism which we welcome and then there is blatant negativity as in this review. In our experience this usually occurs when demands for money are declined. This is what happened: my manager and I were confronted by some members of this group over unhappiness with BR 6. A refund of about 2/3 of the total was demanded or else. We offered a full refund if they left the house. Leaving was clearly declined by another person in the group. Specific items: 1. the house was clean, I took photos to document this. 2. The yard was recently weed-whacked. 3.The outside shower was replaced by the addition which will have a full inside bath convenient to the pool area. 4. Floors were freshly mopped after sweeping and vacuuming. 5. BR 6 had a new mini-split HVAC ceiling cassette, no "gaping hole". 6. Every bedroom has a closet; MBR has a walk-in closet. See the great review for the week prior to this review. The guests in the week following left a very nice personal thankyou note on the counter as well as a very nice note in the guest book. We work very hard and upgrade every year to make Beach Bird a wonderful vacation home and happy guests are our mission and goal.