Island Sunrise 268 by Youngs Suncoast

It was a really relaxing stay. We went early in the year, when swimming had yellow and red flags, but the location still worked well. There were lots of places to eat within walking distance, and we were between several tourist stops, including The Wharf outdoor mall, Pensacola Aviation museum, and Daulphin Island near Moblie Bay.

We had a comfortable stay and plan to come back. The pool was clean, the security guy was nice, and the boardwalk made it easy to get down to the sand and close to the water. There were clean grills with picnic tables, plus shaded swings and chairs for catching the breeze. The elevator and luggage carts made loading and unloading easy, and the electronic door locks were great. Lots of places are within walking distance.

The view was perfect, and the place had good space and a nice kitchen. There were a few annoyances: the pullout couch cushion was worn and stained underneath, although there were plenty of sheet sets, and the old sheet had been left on the bed. Both living room lamps were missing bulbs. The door needed a firm pull to latch properly. On our last day, the elevators stopped working while we were bringing things down, so I was glad we weren't on a high floor. There wasn't anyone inside except someone in the parking lot and a person cleaning outside in the morning.

The room looked attractive and clean when we arrived, as pictured, and the beachfront price was decent. Still, after more than 35 years away, my first Gulf Shores vacation felt a little rough around the edges. Some of that may be the place or its management, and some may be my expectations. The bigger hassles were things that never got resolved. We called the local property manager about the problems and asked for more laundry detergent and coffee filters, but she wasn't in the office, and our voicemail went unanswered. Nobody checked in, and with only a few days there, we didn't bother chasing the other numbers for TV help. The lobby was just an unattended seating area with books, posted rules, vending machines, and the elevator. One machine even kept a couple of my quarters. The laundry closet was awkward too. When I opened the folding doors, the right one came out of its top track and nearly hit me. It had to be propped open in a way that blocked half the hall, so we left it like that rather than keep fighting it. The dresser drawers were also wobbly and some stuck badly. I usually use a dresser top or spare bed for my luggage to avoid repacking at checkout, so I could work around the drawers, but it still felt surprisingly flimsy. The TVs took patience. There were three remotes per room, at least one didn't work, and the labels the instructions referred to weren't there. Some remotes didn't even match the brand of the TV or console. The bedroom sets had a reasonable selection but laggy controls, while the living room seemed limited to Roku with little to watch beyond looping older shows and weather. My bedroom TV showed a double image, which made it hard to view anything.