Our Gulfview Escape

The beach is only a short walk away, and the pool is the best on 30A. The cobblestone streets give the neighborhood a quaint feel. We rented a vacation home, and the residents were incredibly welcoming and kind. A truly special place!

The house was roomy and comfortable for all seven of us, and we did enjoy staying there with Realjoy rentals. But the problems started as soon as we arrived. The bathrooms had sand everywhere and hair in one shower, the sheets were inside out, and a mattress topper was hanging off the side. There were stains on several carpets, most of the kitchen utensils were broken or coming apart, and the nonstick coating was peeling on almost every pan. The washing machine seal was moldy all the way around, and the living room TV never got fixed after we reported it. Of the six bikes, only three worked. The WiFi also went out for the last two days and never returned. We couldn't swim without wristbands, even though a code was needed to enter the pool gate too. Forgetting a band could mean the police were called. It was frustrating to clean up after the paid cleaners when we'd spent over 3 grand on the stay. Still, we enjoyed the house.

We paid a lot to stay here with our four young children, but a wristband mix-up turned into a frightening mess for my family. We had left the pool bag at the house. I went straight back for it and returned with the bands about 10 minutes later, but while I was gone, security guard Heather repeatedly approached my husband, called the police, and said we'd be removed from the pool. Our eight-year-old was hysterical, thinking his parents were going to be arrested. My husband sarcastically said he'd jumped the fence using the code, and Heather said she was calling the police because he'd admitted to breaking in. Even after I showed up with the wristbands and rental paperwork, she said she'd do everything she could to get us removed. We left because our son was so upset. We understand the wristband policy and HOAs, but we had simply forgotten the bands and got them within minutes. This felt extreme and unprofessional. Heather wouldn't give her name or identification, and we only learned it when the sheriff said her name later. When we tried going back that evening, she approached us again and said we were trespassing and had to leave. I contacted Debra Williamson with First Service Residential to report the second incident and got no response at first. When she eventually replied, she blamed my husband and me. The whole disruption led us to find other lodging for the rest of the trip. There are plenty of places at this price, so I wouldn't rent here if you don't want to be harassed by the rent-a-cop.

The pool is great and the people are great, but that female security guard is ridiculous. We had music on for ten people to listen to, and she told us to turn it down even though it wasn't that loud. We asked other people there if it was too loud, and they all said to play it so they could hear. We paid $4500 to stay here and got harassed by her. She called the police on a guest over something stupid. We won't be back, and we'll let our friends on Facebook know.