Destin Beach Break

"When we arrived housekeeping was still there for an additional 2.5 hours, but they (actually it was a single person cleaning) did not clean as indicated on the marketing sheet for this property. And the linen service that is used does not provide clean bedding. Our bedding (if it was changed) had a plethora of various bodily stains as well as some pubic hairs. I spent my first day of vacation rewashing all the bedding in addition to buying clean unstained sheets and pillow cases to cover all the beds in this place. Some pillows had mildew or mold or fungus throughout the pillows, I sprayed with clorox and set aside to not use, one had a bloody handprint or a doritos crusted hand print??. The bunk room in poolhouse had ants crawling on the beds and bathroom floor. Housekeeping left scads of dead ants on the bathroom floor. My granddaughters were bitten by the ants and I had 6 people sleeping in the living room of the main house the first two nights while the Terro I purchased did its job of getting rid of the ants. The pool was filthy and owner had to call to have it cleaned, as was the outside grill. All the pool and deck furniture needed cleaned off as well. The kitchen cabinets, drawers, and pantry was in total disarray. Again, I spent hours putting this kitchen in order so we could function better. Zero kitchen towels or wash clothes, I had to buy a few. Hot pad holders were filthy. There was silly string left all over up high from previous guests. The main dryer takes 2.5-3 hours to dry 10 towels. We were told there was 25 towels, 25 wash clothes, 25 black wash clothes. There were zero black wash clothes and maybe 5 wash clothes, and about 18 towels. Zero beach towels. Many light bulbs were burnt out and one light in my daughters bathroom was dangling from the wall, very dangerous. Not all of the burners turn on - on the stove, and a brick kept falling out of the wall on the left side on to stove. The private ocean access door shown in marketing pictures actually has signs on it that prohibit this address from accessing through the door and will be charged with trespassing if caught. Public ocean access is about 300 yards either direction from the private one marketed. The coffee pot needed scrubbed in order to see in to it AND use it. Nobody answers this owners emergency numbers when he is not available. The owner said he would reimburse me for the sheets we purchased but he has not done so. His cleaning crew is ripping him off and not doing what he believes they are supposed to be doing. On the day of departure we decided to take back the 2.5 hours we lost at the beginning of the trip and he threatened to have us legally removed with some kind of action, citing he needed all 6 hours to get the place cleaned for the next guests arriving at 4:00. My family was ready to leave at 10 per the contract, but we stayed until Noon, and guess what, the cleaning people never arrived the entire time we were waiting. And VRBO lets owner see my review first before they get to review the guests. He gave us low ratings despite leaving the place clean and in better shape, with warnings that some guests have too high of expectations. I think they did not like that we stripped all the beds including the mattress and pillow protectors so housekeeping (the one person that cleans) would have to put fresh ones one instead of fluffing out the dirty ones and reusing. Really. And then had a bunch of friends go out and give him 5 star reviews to try and hide my one star review. VRBO is definitely for the owners of the property, not for the renters. Renters be warned this property is not all the hype the owner markets it to be. I offered the owner all the pictures we took, he declined. But it is a great location."

"We had a great time. The house and carriage house were perfect for our group. We had all ages in our group and it was great for everyone. The pool got a lot of use. It was a very short walk to the beach and very convenient. We had a couple of small issues and Duane was very responsive and took care of things right away. I would definitely recommend Beach Break and would love to go back there again someday."

"Amazing Place to stay. We brought our whole (12 people) And had beds to spare. Beautiful pool. And in the "guest" house had colorful lights and the 3 bed bunk bed each kid had their own tv with roku. Just the little things made it fun. Loved how your 2 minutes (walking) to a private beach. Its a no-brainer if I was too chose Beach Break."

"We had a great time at Destin Beach Break. Duane was easy to contact and responded to all our pre-trip questions. The houses were just what we needed. The kids loved the carriage house and it allowed them their own space. The pool area was lovely and shaded by palm trees. The beach is very close with an easy walk back and forth. The neighborhood was quiet and peaceful. Thanks Duane!"

"I HIGHLY recommend staying here! Talk about a peaceful experience! The beach is SO close and you’re right by everything! The house was clean and is clearly well taken care of. There is so much space for your family/ friend beach trip, and I loved the heated pool/ hot tub! If you’re looking for a great getaway book here!"