The property has seen better days. Our unit felt very dated and sad. I could see how paint and modern decor, new furnishings could make it really cute. We spent as much time as possible away, so we didnât have to sit around inside.
We enjoyed our stay in Gulf Shores--it's a beautiful location outside the hustle and bustle with well kept grounds, but the unit itself left alot to be desired. The beds were little more than sleeping on hard box springs, their was no ladder/steps for accessing the upper bunk, no railing of any kind for the upper bunk (NOT SAFE!), the comforter and blankets were old and worn, the chairs on the balcony were also worn with holes in the fabric.
Great views and cute place. But the place needs some major upgrades. The mattress on the queen bed is unbelievably uncomfortable. The tub is clogged. There is another color paint showing from where the top of the ceiling meets the top of the walls. Also, the front door doesnât lock and the door frame is very loose. There was a large accumulation of dust on a door behind the sink. Also, the hand towel holder in the bathroom was broken.
I have been vacationing at the Gulf Shores Plantation for over 15 years. Most of the time I stay in Building 5 and when traveling by myself, I like the studio units at the end of the building. Asides from the view, there isn't much to say nice about unit 5104.
The walls are scuffed up and have holes where fixtures had been removed or careless tenants banged into them. The paint has faded streaks, as if someone sprayed bleach on them. My guess, there was mold and whoever tried to clean it up was careless.
The bed felt as if it was 50 years old or found on the side of the road. You also have an electrical outlet at the head of the bed. It's where your arm would be if you wrapped it under a pillow. Surely this isn't to code.
The vacation killer for me was that on the first morning of my stay, I discovered the shower was not working. Had housekeeping cleaned the unit, they would have discovered this and either a) it would have been fixed or b) I would have been placed in another unit. Oh, there were also used shampoo bottles in the shower. It was determined the valve was broken and parts were not readily available.
I will give Vacasa credit in that they relocated me to another unit. The downside was that it took all day with me stuck in a unit with no running water (had to be shut off by the plumber) and when relocated, it was to a unit with no cable tv (the owner had yet to install it).
If you are considering this unit, wait until the owner repaints the place, replaces the mattress and gets the plumbing fixed. Vacasa did okay with their response but took way too long in relocating me and should have put me in a unit with all the amenities working. But look at other studios. The low numbers face the beach and the second digit is the floor they are located. 5104 is in building 5 on the first level. 5503 is in building 5 on the fifth level. And so on.
The queen bed mattress is old and uncomfortable. It needs to be replaced. The floor lamp is old and unsteady. Overall the condo needs to be updated. The condo needs alot of TLC. The only positive is the beach view.
The price and view were amazing. We loved the pool, wish the hot tubs were operating and the mattress needs updating. We loved it and will definitely be back.
We will stay here again! We only sleep at the condo, it definitely could use some updating. The bed was not the most comfortable super sandy floor I guess is to be expected for being on the beach? But did not walk barefooted in condo. Would have been nice to know they were doing construction on our side of the building so we couldnât go out on our porch and see anything but the workers and there covers going down the building or sleep past 7:00am because drilling and saws going on outside the wall we slept on. But they did accommodate us after complaining about it! The hair dryer didnât work but they had someone bring a new one immediately that day. Other then that loves the location and being right on the beach pool was nice and clean easy access getting in and out!
Great location.
The room was filthy when we checked in. Razor and wash cloths left in shower. Sand was everywhere! (I know itâs the beach, but legitimately piles of sand was left in the room). Overall it was an okay room and I would stay there again with hopes it would be cleaner next time. There was also reconstruction going on so you couldnât access the balcony and construction started early in the morning and was very loud and invasive. I wish we would have been made aware of that because that took away the ocean view. Overall itâs an okay room.
The location and amenities of the property saved this vacation from turning around and driving home. The âcondoâ itself was small, but expected. What wasnât expected was how dirty and old things in the condo were. The sheets had sand in them, I donât think the place has ever been dusted, spider webs in the corners of the ceilings, uncomfortable bed, toaster didnât work, nasty ceilings and walls need repainted, some type of leak from the sink or fridge that left a puddle on the floor every day. I could go on and on. EVERYTHING (furniture, appliances, cookware) is old and just feels gross and dirty. The kitchen has one pan and one baking sheet so donât plan on doing any actual real cooking. The listing makes this look much nicer than it is. Like I said, the building itself, pools, and location on the beach is nice. The room is NOT. I would not recommend anyone to stay here, not worth the money.
It is overpriced and outdated. When we got there it was pretty late. The shack guard was kinda rude and not helpful at all so we had no clue what we were doing because there is also no office or staff to direct you on where to go. When we finally figured out where our room was after walking the green mile to get there we were exhausted from driving and just wanted to lay down. I pulled the sofa bed out to make it up and the whole frame was broken on one side and rigged together on the other and wouldn't even fold back up all the way. We ended up having to take the mattress off of it and sleep on the floor! The floor was so gritty with sand where they hadn't even swept it and the bathtub had hair, sand and the cover to a razor in it so that let me know that it hadn't been cleaned either. There were no dish rags or towels to wash dishes with and the balcony could use a small table. Overall, I was very disappointed with this place. The staff at Vacasa was very friendly when I called and told them about the couch bed though and I appreciated that but I would never recommend this dump to anyone. EVER! I honestly feel like I should have been compensated for the lack of comfort
check in was so easy they texted us the code no 3rd party location to check in. They even sent us a text to make sure everything was okay with our stay. If you send a text they respond swiftly. Cabin was neat and clean. Hot tub, fire pit with logs to burn, BBQ, and some corn hole games. We went the scenic route at little river canyon and swam at the falls it was beautiful! We will return to see Desoto next!!
Love it being beach front, the room itself is nice and great convenience to the sassy bass. Cleaning needs a little to ask for and the mattress on the main bed is absolutely terrible. To some that wouldnât be a problem but itâs hard to enjoy your days when the bed gives neck and back pains. I wouldnât say itâs a deal breaker, the layout of the room is nice and basic kitchen amenities are nice too.
Save your money !! I have stayed in several Condominium before, I know you are on the beach here which was the only good thing.. The bed had sand in the sheets, bathroom ceiling is dirty , walls dirty and had a bad smell.. This should only hold 2 adults and 2 children.. itâs all open except for the small bathroom .. The building and property was nice, didnât have any access to use the indoor pool, or exercise room.. I would not stay in room 5104 again!!
Great location to enjoy the beach!! The apartment left much to be desired. The furniture needs some serious repair or updating and the apartment had a funny smell, some of the bedding and pillows had stains but the sheets were clean so that was a plus. We enjoyed opening all the windows and left the balcony door open during our stay which helped with the smell which was also great to hear the waves.
Room stated is was suited for 6, but found the pull out couch was broken, and just too small for 2 adults and 3 kids. Also two worn out chairs were left in room to unknown reasons! Elevator only on one side of building wasnât that great either.
The atmosphere, secluded, beach, etc was absolutely amazing!!! Would go to this area again but definitely be more picky about our room!!!!