Island Tower 701

We stayed in Island Tower #2401 in March 2025, and it was wonderful. We've rented in Gulf Shores for over 20 years, and this is our favorite building. The unit was very clean and well stocked, and we'd stayed in it before, so the recent upgrades throughout the apartment were a welcome extra. The kitchen and bathrooms are bright and modern with useful storage, and the views are excellent. We highly recommend both the building and this unit.

The room and the view were wonderful, but the parking situation made our stay painful for my wife, who is disabled and needs a cane or walker to get around. I had saved for months for a beach place, and we were told we'd have two parking spots. My truck couldn't fit on the upper levels, where only small vehicles were allowed, so the first night I had to park across the street in a dirty lot. The next night I managed to park at the building, but woke up to a citation because I had marked the room tag with a pen as instructed. Security said it had to be done with a Sharpie. We fixed it, but then I was sent back across the street again. I contacted the people responsible for our room, and they said they'd look into it and call the condo owner. The next day I got a voicemail saying to park upstairs because there was handicap parking by the elevator. Again, my truck wouldn't fit. When we called the following morning, the woman said the owner thought it would fit. We offered to have them watch us try to get under the bar and pay to fix any scratches, but it felt like nobody was listening. The first security guard had seen us hit the pole and ran over. On our last night, a woman security guard spoke to my wife while she waited for me to return from parking across the road again. She said she'd spoken to management because she felt bad for her, and explained that I had already tried to get the problem addressed. My wife had to sit on the curb waiting, and the pain made it hard for her to sleep for hours on some nights. For what we paid, the way we were treated was sad.

We stayed in 1302 with family and friends and found it spacious, clean, and stocked with just about anything you could need. The appliances and furniture felt up to date, and I especially liked the closet space in the master bath. The balcony had lovely views and plenty of privacy. The walk to the beach was shorter than at other places I've stayed. The outdoor infinity pool looked modern, with a depth of 3 feet across most of it and 5 feet at the deeper end, which seems handy for families with small kids. There's also an indoor pool and workout area, both being renovated, along with some of the parking. The grilling area was nice, charcoal only. Restaurants are walkable, including two favorites of mine, Bahama Bob's and Surfside pizza. We went to Bahama Bob's every day for Bushwackers and Bahama Mamas. We were near the elevators and trash rooms, and I was initially concerned by reviews about slow elevators. We didn't have any real trouble, even when one elevator was out for a few hours one day. The parking deck was my only complaint. Larger vehicles may find it hard to maneuver. My husband drove each time, otherwise I'd have been stressed or scraping the wall.

Unit 2303 gave our family of four plenty of room and privacy, with three bedrooms and three bathrooms. The Gulf view from the living and dining areas was terrific, and we could also see west toward the Gulf and lagoon on the other side of Gulf Shores. The unit was outstanding and matched the listing, and we had a great stay. The 23rd-floor view was worth the wait for the elevators. There are only two small elevators for the whole 26-floor building, so waits can be long on upper floors when the tower is busy. Parking seemed plentiful, but very large pickups or SUVs may struggle with the tight turns between levels. We tried the stairs once to the 23rd floor, but that's not a realistic option. A couple of interruptions could have been better coordinated. At 10 pm, a security employee came to the door for a liability waiver for winter maintenance work, though I'd already completed it online and his record wasn't current. An exterminator also knocked at 10 am wanting to spray while guests were there. I recommend unit 2303, but those visits should be arranged better.