The home was well-appointed, but a few too many knick-knacks that interfered with the placement and storage of a normal family’s vacation “stuff.” This home sits right on Gulf Ave., a very busy (noisy) thoroughfare, and so the front deck is useless unless you like looking at traffic. The sliding glass door to this front deck has no privacy shade or drapes which is disconcerting on such a busy street with the harsh street lights glaring in. The back deck is quiet and has a table and chairs, but no umbrella to shade you from the strong Florida sun. There is no safety lock on the front door to keep babies in, the 18 month old kept flinging the door open. Scary! The beds are soft pillow topped and only two bedrooms have dressers to store clothes.(one closet had no pole to hang clothes and another had one door off the track). The rental agency left a note for our arrival that there were some known issues with the house that they were aware of and would correct, but they never came while we were there. My guess is these were the issues and they will possibly be fixed soon.
The real treat about this house is the fun lower level which has a nice private pool with spa waterfall, living space, grill, table and chairs for 8, pool table, tiki bar and an enclosed laundry room which also houses another refrig/freezer, and beach and pool accessories (toys, beach towels, some chairs, umbrellas). This lower level is all open to the elements and landscaped very nicely, except the cement decking needs to be repainted.
You are close to the stop for the trolley, which is great, but we had to hold children’s hands tight as soon as we came around to the front of the house because of the proximity of the street, and to wait for traffic to stop so we could cross to get to the beach only 2 short blocks away. Overall my family adapted to the location and had a very nice time, but next year with our small grandchildren, we will look for a home that is off the highway.
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