We've been taking family vacations for over 20 years. Usually, we rent something down at the Jersey shore. It's not cheap, but it's local and easy for all involved. This year, we wanted to do something different and decided to look at Florida. The air fares are cheap (about $200pp) and the rental rates, compared to NJ, are very reasonable. To rent a 4 BR condo at the Jersey shore will run $3k or more. Most of the Florida properties we considered were half that--and all were full houses!

This house itself is large, well laid out, and set back from the road. It has a huge family room, dining room (which we didn't need to use), and living room. Three bedrooms are on one side of the house (for the kids) and the master BR is on the opposite side. The MBR and bath are large, and the bath has a separate large shower and soaker tub. The three smaller bedrooms are by no means small, and everyone was comfortable in their rooms. The kitchen is open and well provisioned. Everything was in working order and allowed us to function as if we were home. We did have a small problem with the disposal (our fault), and Gareth took care of it immediately, even though it was Sunday!

The house is about a mile from the beach, so you'll need to drive if you are hauling kids or stuff. There is a large, free parking lot by the beach. Gareth provides beach chairs for you to bring. Being from NJ, we're absolutely spoiled by the Jersey beaches, where the sand is soft, white, and fine. Not so with Florida beaches, which typically have course sand. The other major difference is the water, which is less rough and much warmer (more like the Caribbean) on the gulf side than the ocean beaches in NJ. If you hate cold water like me, this is a great alternative.

We stayed for 10 days, and we couldn't have picked a worse weather week. It rained most of the time, except for 2 or 3 days. The rest of the days either rained continually or it rained intermittently. That's where the enclosed built in pool came in. It was large enough to accommodate everyone in our party, and was a HUGE hit in between rain showers or when coming back from the beach. Had the pool not been there, the entire vacation would have been a disaster. The entertainment room also helped pass rainy times.

This was the best rental property we've ever experienced--and that's saying a lot because we tend to be picky about where we stay. If we decide to return to the gulf, we'd most certainly rent this home again.