Geräumiges Haus direkt am Strand - Sonnenuntergänge, spektakuläre Blick auf den Golf, friedlich und privat

Beautiful locale. Lots of wildlife, we saw manatees migrating birds, daulphins. It's a hike from the house, maybe five minutes, to the beach, through water. But once we got there, it was a totally private beach. There were some cleanliness issues that were addressed. We should have had some warning about the sand fleas that are voracious at that time of year. Overall, we had a great vacation.

Nightmare. We rented a house for 10 days. I could write two pages of problems and unacceptable behavior by the landlord. I will summarize not to make it too long. It started by not having neither one of the two sinks or the dishwasher because the disposal was broken and the sinks were clogged. Landlord wanted us to wait from Saturday to Monday to get it fixed. We couldn't go without washing dishes. So I demanded on Sunday for it to get fixed. She got really upset and wanted to kick us out of the house. She said she would give us two hours to get out. Once she realized the money issue, she changed her mind and told us she would fix it. The handyman that she hired was able to fix the sinks but not the dishwasher. Also we had leaks on two of the windows. The handyman covered both top bedroom windows with a tarp to prevent the water to go down to the leaking windows. So for the whole 10 days we did not have a view from the two top bedrooms. For the whole time we were there the air conditioner upstairs wasn't working properly. We complained a few days later and she got someone to go fix it. He didn't, so he went there on Sunday and fixed it. Definitely not fun spending the day waiting around for the handyman on my vacation time! I also don't think that the description of the beach access is accurate. You have to go through a lot of bushes and to cross the lake is not that easy. We ended up walking ten houses down the street to the nice part of the beach. Also the house describes having beach chairs etc. Well, they are disgusting and all thrown towards the back of the garage. In my opinion the maintenance problems could even be fixed, but the problem is the horrible customer service and a landlord with a horrible attitude. She is not friendly and you could get into major problems if you have any issues and you complain to her. I have pictures and text messages between us and the landlord to prove everything I am saying. Beware!

The house has gorgeous views and is very comfortable. It is beautifully decorated and furnishings are good quality. Deck has been recently painted. Toilet it not sound not that this would have been a problem for us. We had plenty of towels 8 sets plus beach towels. We enjoyed the house and the beach and will return.

My wife and I, our 2 adult children, their spouses, and our grandchildren stayed a week. We had a wonderful time. The house was spacious and gorgeous. We weren't "tripping over each other." The furnishings were all very good quality. When we weren't at the beach, the adults spent a good deal of time in the main living area, a bright 2-story space. The grandchildren spent a good deal of time on the floor in the "sitting area" at the top of the spiral staircase, using their electronic devices. The bedrooms were good-sized. The beds were comfortable. The bathrooms were spotless. The kitchen was well-appointed. We ate in 90% of the time. We never encountered any difficulties with cookware, dishes, glasses, utensils, etc. The views toward the gulf are wonderful. Access to the beach is straightforward ... takes maybe 3-4 minutes. The location at the extreme south of the island was ideal for our group. Far less traffic than further north, yet easy access by car to a shopping center, drug store, supermarket, and a very fine fish restaurant.

I've read a couple recent reviews and will offer a couple comments. Yes, there was a noise at the end of the flush cycle for the master bedroom toilet. It was an oddity, or perhaps even a minor irritation, but didn't detract from our enjoyment of the house. Yes, you can get splinters walking barefoot on the main deck. We solved that by implementing a "shoes only" policy that worked just fine. The spiral staircase and rear exterior staircase might well be a problem for very young children, but our youngest grandchild was 8 and never encountered any difficulty, nor did we ever fear for her safety. The lanai, accessible from the master bedroom and main deck, had some torn or missing screens. Although unattractive, this didn't present a problem for our group ... this was not a "buggy" season. The upstairs decks ... accessible from 2 upstairs bedrooms ... were in poor shape. We didn't use them at all, but that didn't detract from our enjoyment of the house. It would present a problem, however, to a group that wanted to make use of those decks.

Despite the issues with the exterior, the interior of the house, its beach access, and its south island location were all 5-star in my judgment. Our enjoyment of the house was 5-star. So I feel the house deserves an overall 5-star rating. We'll stay again. That said, as noted, perhaps the house would not be a good choice for a family with very young children.

The size of the house is great - especially if the full 8 people are staying. Plenty of space to spread out and relax. We had our three small children along - ages 6, 3, and 1.

The first day of our arrival, they all ended up with feet full of splinters from the back deck. It has been poorly maintained and will provide plenty of opportunity to use those tweezers and needles. Certainly something that can be overcome by implementing a shoes all the time policy.

We also quickly realized that the two smaller kids could fit their bodies completely through all of the railings. And there are plenty of railings. The steps up to the front stoop, the circular stair going to the second floor bedrooms, the balcony railing all along the second floor common space, and the back deck. Our littlest even found one spindle on the back deck that was loose at the bottom and was determined he was going to remove it while we were there.

I was helping our three year old in the bathroom one evening - and, like any three year old, she was exploring the very bare cabinets. Seemingly harmless - until she opened the cabinet directly below the sink and the false door front smashed my big toes and left and open cut on one. Why the false front was not attached - I have no idea. The screws were there - just not tightened down.

My husband suffers from allergies and found that during our stay his allergies were acting up primarily while we were in the house. He noticed that there are some plumbing leaks and suspects that there is mold under the cosmetic upgrades that catch your eye.

Speaking of plumbing - every time the toilet in the main floor master bathroom flushes there is something with the plumbing that makes a very strange sound. Again - not unbearable for a week's stay - but something to be aware of if you have children that are sensitive to staying in different places.

As far as household provisions - we found 2 bathing wash clothes in the entire place and exactly 8 towels. So we purchased our own wash clothes and towels for our stay. The kitchen is very minimally stocked as well. The single baking sheet does not actually fit in the oven - but there is (1) 9X13 pan. Salt and sugar were the only condiments that we found in the cabinets. And the cabinet under the oven had mouse droppings.

Although we enjoyed our trip & spent most of our time outside - our inside time was stressful making sure that everyone was staying safe. We will not return.