Castaways 9C ~ Gulf Front, Prime Location ~ Walk to Town!

****

Pretty place, poor communication

The location, description, and amenities were all excellent. When we arrived on our check in day, the inside condo temp was 78 degrees and the walls, floors, and counter tops were covered in sweat! We unloaded everything & went down to the beach to give the condo an opportunity to cool off. When we came back up it was still 78. I called the after hours number & reported it. This is when communication became mishandled. I was told someone would come out. I had to go purchase fans at the local Dollar General. One hour later, without a serviceman or call, I then called back only to be told 'sorry, she reported it but is off duty. Someone will come out.' It was 11pm. At 1am, still without repair or a phone call, I called for a third time. I was told if someone will come out, they'll call me. IT WAS MISERABLE!!!! Saturday morning at 9am I called Gulfsands Rentals to complain only to be met with "well is the company coming out to fix it?" WHAT?! I have no idea!! This is when I looked on the thermostat & called the company myself. The AC company confirmed that last pm someone did call & report it but did not leave a condo # therefore a serviceman could not go out. ANNOYED. Many failed to properly do their job numerous times causing our first evening, night, and following morning to be absolutely miserable. Luckily when I called the AC co. they immediately sent someone out to fix the issue. Major communication issues with Gulfsands Rentals & their after hours emergency system. I was given 1/2 of that nights rental back & the fan cost (only after arguing & emailing my receipt to a manager.) On a positive note, beach, pool, & location were very nice. Should have more than one elevator as it took forever to wait for it. The condo does have pots, pans, dishes, and utensils. Bring your own seasonings. We also could not get the ceiling fans in the living room or balcony to work. Bring wash clothes/dish rags. They only supply one each! - (Aug 2020 - VRBO)

*****

LOVE

Loved the Property and the location ! We will be back for sure - (Aug 2019 - VRBO)

*****

Just what I was hoping for

Very clean. Great view. Very responsive staff/maintenance team. - (Sep 2018 - VRBO)

***

Great time!

Great place, great location! We had a wonderful time. Only comment/complaint would be that the beds were super uncomfortable. Other than that, everything was perfect :) - (Aug 2018 - VRBO)

*****

VERY PLEASED!

The overall experience was great, we really enjoyed the condo, very clean, and very organized. Everything was exactly as explained, no problems with anything. The view from the balcony was breathtaking, and the pool was very nice. We can't wait to book our next stay here!!!!!!!! - (May 2018 - VRBO)

***

Nice family friendly condo with some major building issues

The condo itself was as described and the pictures are very accurate. The view was very nice. Access to the beach is good and it is a short walk to get there. Parking was somewhat difficult. There are four rows of parking. However, the two center rows are for compact cars. If a larger car parks there, it makes it difficult to navigate the lot as the center car sticks out too far. We had large trucks take up 4 spots in the center while we were there. To make this worse, tropical storm Cindy dumped a lot of water in the area. The lower third of the lot flooded. While this was beyond the owners control, it did make the parking situation worse. There is an overflow lot across the street with ample parking. We only had to park there one time. Wifi is an issue. It appears that the router is in a central location and each condo has a range extender. The wifi was spotty the first 4 days. Speeds were slow with frequent disconnects. The last 2 days the wifi stopped working. We probably wouldn't have minded too much but we spent more time in the condo than we would have due to the storm. Still if you need reliable access this isn't the place for you. The biggest issue is the elevator. There is a sign on the door stating to not hold open the elevator as this will cause it to stop functioning. This is a permanent sign so it doesn't look like this was a temporary issue. I've been in a lot of elevators and I don't think that I ever saw a properly functioning one stop working because you held the door open. I don't know if it was because of this or other reasons but the elevator was out frequently. It probably worked 3 out of 6 days we were there. It had a repairman working on in once but it stopped again after it was "repaired". There was an ambulance/rescue squad there one night and people gathered around the elevator. I assume someone was stuck inside. There was a sign inside that said to not try and open the doors if stuck as it will delay your rescue. It seems this is a frequent event. We stopped riding the elevator and took the stairs. This was a little rough as we were on the ninth floor. The first two days the stairway on the ground floor smelled like urine. I suppose someone couldn't get back to the bathroom in their condo because the elevator was broken. Another couple that we met while there told us that their neighbor left early because they had two people with them that had to stay in the condo because they were not physically able to walk the stairs. Overall, it wasn't a horrible place to stay but the elevator was an issue. If you can get a unit on the lower floors this wouldn't be as much of an issue. The location is nice as you can walk to a lot of dining and shopping. 
MANAGER'S REPLY:Thank you for leaving a review. We are glad to know you enjoyed Castaways 9C, the location, and the view. We appreciate your feedback and have passed your comments about the building to the building's management. We do not have control over the WiFi or building operations but we would have contacted the proper personnel had we known of the issues you encountered. It's our goal to consistently deliver the best vacation rentals, in prime locations, at fair prices. Please let us know next time you come to town, so we can deliver a proper 5-star experience." - (Jun 2017 - Flipkey)

*****

Fantastic

Had a fantastic stay! The condo was everything we could ask for! Very clean and updated. The views from the patio were astounding, loved watching the dolphins swim by in the morning while drinking our coffee. There was 6 adults in our party and had plenty of room for everyone. Loved having 2 full bathrooms and the modern kitchen. The unit was so close to everything we walked everywhere we wanted to go. We will be back and are already planning our next trip. - (Aug 2016 - VRBO)

*****

Perfect!

Stayed here as part of our annual family vacation. Loved the condo. Loved the location. It was perfect. Couldn't ask for a nicer condo and easier people to work with. Thanks! - (Jul 2016 - VRBO)

***

Great views- Clean Room- Amenities lack

Pros - Overall the room is nice. It was clean when we arrived and the beds were made. The kitchen is spacious and has all of the item you could need including pots and pans. The beds are pretty comfortable and had linens. All three rooms had cable that work and have nice channel selection. This is a top floor unit so you can see the beach for miles. All rooms have fans that work and the AC works well. Cons - A few things were just very disappointing and really made this a difficult trip. Firstly only one door lock in the entire unit works. None of the bathrooms have working locks. When you have children or you are staying with friends who do not knock this is a problem. I emailed the management company on day one and they sent someone out the next day. He said that he would be fixing it but never showed back up. No call or any email after the first day. Second is the WIFI is unusable. We were only able to get connected 1 out of 10 attempts and then it would be so slow it was not even worth the effort. I had to use my own hotspot just to do a little work. Third - The walls are thin. The second night that we were there the room next to us were really loud. You can hear chairs moving and people stomping around. Fourth - The wash machine errors out EVERY load. You get a SD error even when you are using HE detergent. So you have to babysit each load. Fifth - Water. The water pressure is amazing.... when it is working. I can only assume that everyone shares water because 3 times during our stay (4th of July weekend) the water simply stops. Mid stream... It was only off for a few minutes each time but still a very unfortunate water system. Lastly - Emails to the management company do not get answered. I sent three emails in 2 days at the beginning of our stay and none were replied too. They did send a handyman to verify that the locks did not work but they did not even reply to tell me he was coming they just showed up. Overall it is a great unit. The small issues really do mount up though. Its a shame that none of the issues were addressed during our stay and that the management company does not reply to emails. - (Jul 2016 - VRBO)

*****

Nice and comfortable

My family including my 14year old daughter, 11 year old son, my husband, my dad, my mom, and my aunt stayed pretty comfortably here. It was beautifully decorated in a beach theme and located in a great spot. We enjoyed the view from the balcony over looking the beach. However, the unit is directly above the pool if that bothers a person that should be considered. My husband and I slept in the room closest to the pool, but the noise never bothered us at night or during naps in the day. We liked the close shopping and most of all we loved getting on the beach to enjoy the water and sun. It was a wonderful vacation, and it was worth the time and money spent. We enjoy peaceful and easy retreats and this hit the mark. I would recommend this condo for sure it was great! Thank you to the owner for a wonderful place to enjoy our time with our family! - (Jun 2013 - VRBO)