CONS: This vacation home has a lot of potential, however, it is quite dated and was NOT clean. The floors, particularly the tile floor, the grout was black. There was dust clinging to the walls and ceiling in most rooms. The walls and doors (especially the front door) are in desperate need of paint-lots of scuff marks and chipped paint. The area rugs were filthy. The kitchen is unorganized as far as the cookware and we pulled out dirty silverware on multiple occasions. The back patio needs to be pressure washed because there is mold on the patio and chairs.
We found a dead frog in the condo and it was apparent it had been there for awhile-gross and once again confirmed the place is not being thoroughly cleaned. It isn't inviting and welcoming when you come into a rental that is dirty, dated, and unorganized.
The beach area is PACKED. While this is a gated commuity, we expected more of a private beach feel. Not the case. There are so many condos and high rises that all use that same beach access. The rows of rentable chairs and umbrellas were 7 rows deep. We were stuck way in the back and all you could see were umbrellas. Even floating in the water, it was crowded. It was so packed with people that it was not relaxing. People were bumping into us, we were hearing other people's conversations. It just was not relaxing whatsoever. We ended up driving to a public beach 3 different days and it was much less crowded, less hectic, and more enjoyable. That was very disappointing because the last thing I want to do is load up the car with beach toys and chairs, drive to the beach, and get the car all sandy. However, we felt we didn't have a choice because the Sandestin beach was just not pleasant.
While the pool itself is very nice, the water was so WARM. Like a hot tub without the jets. I thought perhaps it was heated. I contacted the property manager and was informed it was not being heated and pools in Florida get warm because of the warm temperatures. We've been to Florida 4 of the last 5 summers and the pools at the other property we stayed at was cool and refreshing. We only went to the pool a few times because it wasn't refreshing and each time we overheard other guests talking about how warm it was.
PROS: Having the golf cart to ride around in was fun, the kids enjoyed that.
The grounds and landscaping in the area were well maintained.
No loud crowds in the condo area.