Portofino Island Resort by Southern Vacation Rentals

I’m writing this while we’re still here because we’re having such a wonderful family vacation. Michaela has served us at the pool twice and has been genuinely polite, courteous, and helpful both times. Everyone I’ve encountered has shown the same kind of hospitality. The owner should be proud 🎊

Portofino is beautiful, and my uncle has a condo there right in Pensacola. I visited May 18th through the 21st. There’s plenty to do, from swimming in the ocean to jet skiing or taking a bottlenose dolphin chart cruise. The customer service was really good too. If you’ve never been to Pensacola, give Portofino a try.

We’ve stayed here many times in 3BR “elite” units with full beach views. The last two visits have been bad, and this most recent one was the worst. We won’t come back. We were in P1-1301(3BR). After the long drive, my wife and I started unpacking while our boys, ages 3, 6, and 9, went to get comfortable. When we checked on them, we found dried brown blood beside our 3-year-old’s face on a pillow. Three of the seven throw pillows had blood on them, along with a large bedroom pillow and part of the wall. Two couch throw pillows were also covered in urine. We called the front desk. They said another room wasn’t an option and wouldn’t send anyone up. A woman arrived shortly afterward with a spray bottle of cleaner, then started to leave. When I asked what she would do about the pillows, she left them in a corner. My wife was furious and asked her to take the bloody ones because we had no idea what was in the blood. We spent seven days in a three-bedroom condo, but all of us slept in one room with two beds, one of them broken, because the place felt so disgusting. Nothing suitable was available nearby, so we had to stay, with no refund or room transfer offered. If you have kids, I probably wouldn’t bring them here. If they don’t clean the rooms or replace dirty throw pillows, it’s not worth the risk. This used to be a four-star resort, but it isn’t now. It may have the amenities, yet the dryers can be counted on not to work, floor tiles are broken, and the room maintenance is poor.

Our five-day vacation with our two littles was the best, and we’re heading out now. The staff were excellent, and the golf cart shuttles to and from the beach made a huge difference. Special thanks to day shift Greg for getting our family around and helping make the trip!