by Hong Li+
on 2019-12-30
We had a wonderful holiday and loved the house, it was clean, tidy, safe and comfortable. Close to the sea. Will consider booking again next year.
by Deepa Vasoya
on 2019-09-03
We stayed at 120 Caribbean Dunes during Labor day weekend. It is a cute little place with modern feel. We are two adults plus two children and it was a perfect size with one queen bed, double bunk bed, 1 bathroom and good size kitchen-dining-main room setting. Here are pros and cons from our stay and the reasons why I gave my stay 3 stars.
Pros:
1. Location is awesome. It is walking distance to the beach and many restaurants. Just few mins driving distance from Harbor Village and many other activities. You can rent a golf car or bike just around the corner and really explore surroundings for added fun!
2. The place is either new or updated recently. It has fresh modern yet cozy feel to it. The owners have left diary there to jot down your thoughts from your stay. This little thing really connects you with the place. Reading through earlier renters' thoughts was one of the sweet things my kids liked doing and I enjoyed reading and adding my thoughts as well.
3. Very friendly neighborhood. When you sit outside on a patio, its fun watching people pass by on bikes, motorbikes, walks, pet-walks etc. It sets the mood in the morning just waving and saying hi to by-passers.
4. We reached there at around 10 pm and had some hiccups when just entered, had to call their after hour line. The lady on the other hand was extremely helpful and came help us take care of things even that late at night. It did take her about 40 mins to come but considering where she was coming from and the traffic, that's understandable.
5. I planned the whole thing a day before and still was able to book things and had a good time through out. That's a plus. I would highly recommend to plan earlier though. They provide you some free tickets to several places including snorkeling, golf, deals to some restaurants etc.. We coudn't use any because many of them need 3 day prior planning, but I liked the idea of them providing a little surprise to their guests.
Cons:
1. When we arrived at 10 pm, we were tired and ready to go to bed. With 2 little kids with us and having all day spent at harbor village, shower was a must before hitting the hay. To our shock, we walked into a dirty house. Floor was dirty, shower tub had mud marks and toilet had pee stains all over. Bedding was stripped down and no clean bedding provided, there was basket full of dirty linens sitting in the bathroom. Kitchen had some funky smell which we couldn't figure out until the last day. Dish washer had some standing water sitting at the bottom for many days and it stank real bad. I feel like throwing up even just thinking about it right now. carbon monoxide alarm was beeping loud and scared my kids, apparently no one cared to change the batteries. We called the emergency line and the lady came with bedding and new batteries in 40 or so minutes. We did tell her how dirty the bathroom and toilet was and we were tired to care much about it then plus it was late to call cleaners but we would have appreciated if she could send someone next day to clean the place a bit, especially when they were charging us heavy cleaning fees. But there was no response from her. We ended up cleaning the tub and toilet, vacuuming the floor etc. BTW, the vaccum stank real bad as soon as we turned it on. some kind of moldy wet smell. I think they never cared to clean to filters. Took us somewhat 30 mins to get rid of that smell. Hence the 3 stars and I am being generous to be honest.
2. On the day of departure, I was on a beach early morning, but my kids and spouse were sleeping late considering late party night before and long 8 hours drive coming up. I wanted to make sure they get good sleep, so I tiptoed my way out. I had whole plan ready, when to come back from beach, when to wake them up and when to leave. But I guess they don't trust the tenants even though they have made a note to check out the place by 10. In my absence, my spouse was woken up by knocking on the door right at 8. Some guy asking if he left his tools inside. First, we don't appreciate strangers at strange place knocking on our doors and second he must be working for realjoy, why knock instead of going through who ever hired him? Hence, we figured it was a free wake up service to make sure we vacate the property on time. Not appreciated!
3. I would not prefer to stay near this beach again just because there were a lot of seaweeds in the water. I noticed beach near harbor village was cleaner. Our last trip to pensacola was also clean water beach. Not sure if its because of season or is it the beach...but there were crazy amount of seaweeds in the water. Not realjoy's fault, but something to consider if you want clean beach experience.
Overall, we had great stay despite of some hiccups. Hope this review helps others in future. Have a good one!
by Deserrae De Leon
on 2019-08-04
Perfect location!! Inside was still sandy (don’t know you ever actually get rid of it) the vent in the restroom has lots of dust & the tub filter cover had black spots.
A great location & very welcoming environment though.
by Alberta Stewart
on 2019-07-31
We really enjoyed staying at Caribbean Dunes and are looking forward to staying here again next year. The accommodations were fantastic.
by Dagoberto Candela
on 2019-07-08
The stay was great, only recommendation would be deeper cleaning on the floors and restroom sink was clogged up. Other than that great place, good vibe. Definitely will be back
by Amber Asbell
on 2019-06-30
by Sunny DeWeez
on 2019-06-12
For several years we have chosen units in the Caribbean Dunes (CD) complex in the Crystal Beach area of Destin. It's only a block off the main street and the mid-bay bridge entrance, avoiding downtown Destin traffic. The white sands and emerald waters are just across the scenic highway and Henderson State park is also a block away with less crowded beach areas.
This unit, like most in this complex, has keyless entry and we were provided the code in advance – no need to stop by an office to check in or pick up keys. We just head straight to the beach. Or the complex’s pool and hot tub. We also make a trip to the grocery store just 2 blocks away.
These units always have a kitchen fully stocked with cooking items and small appliances, so it’s easy to cook meals on-site and avoid the restaurant traffic if desired. And in #120 there was also keyless entry to the patio door for a quicker walk to the pool and beach. There is also a washer/dryer built into the hallway.
These units are over 20 years old, so there are little things here and there that come with age, but we love this complex. If we can't find a Caribbean Dunes unit on VRBO we go through a property management company to get one here. Have even considered buying here. The rental prices seem to be the same no matter how you find your unit - choose Caribbean Dunes - it's perfect!
One small note for improvement on this unit - The bathroom sink was draining very, very slowly.
by Nick Maresh
on 2019-04-30
Our 10 day vacation was awesome. Upon arrival in our condo, the place was immaculate, clean and updated as described. The access to the beach was amazing. We also enjoyed the pool and jacuzzi quit a bit. The only reason I did not give 5 stars was because the bed was very uncomfortable. Being there for 10 days, both my wife and did not get good sleep because our back and shoulders were in pain.
by Loreal Randle
on 2019-04-15
