If your have any reason to be in Birmingham, do not pass up the chance to stay at this cute, clean, comfortable, stylish and well-located condo. I cannot think of enough positive word to describe our stay. From our initial contact with the owner to our arrival to our wonderful 5 day stay, it was all perfect.

My husband and I planned to use Birmingham as our home base to explore Birmingham, Huntsville, Tuscaloosa and several golf courses in the area.

We had a little trouble finding the condo our first night as it was dark when we arrived and our GPS was a bit "confused", but after a few wrong turns, we found it...and what a welcome sight it was after 12 hours of driving. A cozy living room, comfy bed and a well equipped kitchen...we immediately fell in love with our home for the week.

We ventured out to a nearby restaurant recommended by the owner (Rojo) and got a great dinner as well as some tips about what to do in the neighborhood. As a result of that info, we checked out the nearby Pepper Place Market on Saturday morning...a farmer's market with crafts, great local food and produce...before having a yummy breakfast at The Red Cat. During the week, we also dined at Babalu and Five and enjoyed them all.

I mentioned our desire to play golf to the owner in an early email, and she even provided recommendations on the best courses to play. Again, we took her advice and were not disappointed. The Highland Park course is literally around the corner from the condo, and Ballantrae is a 40 minute drive out of the city. Both were beautiful courses and very enjoyable to play.

We have had great experiences with past VRBO rentals, and this one kept our string alive. While we were packing (and listening to Linda Ronstadt and Eagles albums on the turntable!), we were already trying to figure out a reason to come back to the area to stay here again.

Trust me, for a couples' getaway spot, it does not get any better than this!