The Pearl of Navarre #1505 by Southern Vacation Rentals

For our honeymoon, we chose Navarre Beach, where my family has always stayed. I was excited to try the Pearl, but the Daze off room was just okay for a 10-day stay, and there may be better rooms. The phone number for the Pearl didn’t work, and the entry code we got was wrong. It took forever to find someone to call for help, which was stressful. There didn’t seem to be anyone on the property to assist, though the stay wasn’t too bad. Unfortunately, I probably won’t return.

There are heated and unheated pools plus one hot tub, but the facility is only three stars overall, even though each unit has its own owner. The parking lot and beach access codes were a hassle, and only one elevator was working for a building with more than 13 stories of people. The hallway floors were really dirty, and I never saw them being cleaned.

Condo #1502 The location is prime, right on the beach and close to the Navarre pier, with great oceanfront views. Paradise Rentals was friendly and helpful with questions and resolving issues, and there were plenty of carts for loading and unloading. The built-in bar was convenient for storing the drinks and mixers we brought. The bedroom patio doors open to the balcony without curtains, so people outside can see into the unit at night, and anyone on the balcony can see into the bedroom. Light also streamed in every morning and made sleeping difficult. Eye masks were provided, but didn’t help much. The narrow patio had little room to move, and the side walls blocked most of the view unless you leaned against the balcony. Both bedrooms only had lamps for lighting. There were ceiling fans but no overhead lights, so getting ready was difficult in the dim secondary bedroom, which also lacked large windows. The living and dining rooms were dim too. The decor felt stuffy and formal, and the well-used sofa had worn-in dips. There were three ice makers: a large one built into the bar, one in the freezer, and a countertop model. The bar and freezer machines didn’t work, and the countertop one had visible mold inside. They quickly brought us a replacement, but it only made about a half cup of Sonic-style ice at a time, so we still had to buy bags of ice daily for our cooler and other needs. The chair rental service set up insanely early each day, taking up the whole beach in front of this building and the one next door. By 6:30, they were already set up every day we were there. If you use the rental service, you have to get up extremely early or walk down the beach to find a place to set up. There are two small pools, but no shade at either one, so being there during the day was miserable with no escape from the sun.

Navarre is my favorite place for a family vacation. We always used to travel to Daytona and Panama City, but this is the best vacation destination for us.