Choosing a property
After viewing many properties, we had our desired property narrowed down to a few: Grand Pointe, Caribe Resort, Phoenix VII, and Turquoise Place. We liked Caribe and Turquoise for the resort atmosphere and luxuries; however, the cost was much too high for only two people. We actually had a difficult time finding a condo with a good rate for only two people, as most of the units in this area have more than one bedroom. The prices are great, if you are looking for something with more room. Some of our criteria: A balcony with a view of the water, and access to the balcony from the bedroom and living area. We also wanted a heated whirlpool tub onsite, preferably outside and open all year.
We did not like the layout of the one bedroom condos we found because the bedroom was located by the entrance instead of the water and balcony. We then started to look at two and three bedroom condos. Something else we had to take into consideration, is that the add-on fees, taxes, and such, were higher than what we had paid when we stayed in Panama City Beach, Florida a couple of years earlier. After much time searching, we were very happy with the end result.
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| One of the murals on the inside wall at Grand Pointe |
Grand Pointe Condominium amenities
We absolutely loved this property! It is peaceful, well maintained, and we liked the location.
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| View of Perdido Pass from Grand Pointe pool area at sunset |
This property has an inside and outside pool, and an inside and outside hot tub. The outside pool was not heated, although the outside hot tub was nice. There is also a steam room, sauna, fitness center, and picnic area.
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| Another view from the pool area at sunset |
The covered picnic area included two gas grills and a couple of picnic tables. The beach was easy to access via a boardwalk from the pool and picnic area. I think there are beach chairs for rent during the warmer months. We visited during off-season, and there were no beach rental businesses open during our stay. The beach is just like other areas of the gulf we have visited with soft sugar white sand!
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| Our first amazing sunrise from the bedroom in unit 601 |
Arrival - 3 bedroom condo unit 601
We received an email four days prior to our stay with check-in information. There is a code for the parking lot, and one for the condo unit. We liked this much better than the key we had to receive in the mail and then return after our last rental (different condo and location). Check-in time is 4:00 PM, and our instructions said not to access the unit before then unless we had received a text saying it was okay to do so. I sent a text in the morning on our arrival day with our estimated arrival time, which we expected to be around 3:00 or 3:30 PM. I received a reply saying that the unit would be ready by 3:30 for sure. We decided to stop for some extra groceries last minute, and arrived just after 4:00 PM (4:03, to be exact). The door to the unit was open and it was still being cleaned. The person cleaning said she was almost done. I waited outside on the landing, and we were able to get inside around 4:15 PM.
Condo 601 at Grand Pointe
We were very happy with the view, provided amenities, and location of this unit. Everything listed in the description of the condo was provided. There were also a few extras, like hotel size shampoos, lotions, and shower gel in the bathrooms. A couple of fold-up beach chairs were in the bathroom closet and on the balcony. I did not realize this, and we had unnecessarily packed our bag chairs in the trunk.
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| Master bath with shower amenities on counter |
The ice maker in the wet bar area is a fabulous feature. This was not working properly when we arrived, and the "clean" light was lit on the front of the ice machine. It was fairly easy to figure out how to run the clean cycle, and then restart the unit. After this, it worked wonderfully! The only items not supplied in the kitchen area that we would have used were a martini shaker and champagne glasses.
The bar chairs and kitchen table chairs were very comfortable. Bring some chalk, if you want to write on the chalkboard on the kitchen counter. I have a lot of chalk at home from our son's younger days, and I wished I had brought some.
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| View from kitchen. Notice Perdido Pass bridge reflection on the TV. |
I did not think any of the living room furniture was comfortable. My husband and our son (he stayed with us a couple of nights) were both fine with it, so that is probably because I am not a very big person.
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| Master bedroom |
I loved the silky soft sheets on the bed! I had not noticed that there is not a closet in the master bedroom when I looked at this unit online. There is a closet in the master bath; however, it seemed like it was more for cleaning supplies than clean clothes, as it had cleaning items inside, and it did not smell fresh. There were only four hangers in this condo. I hung our clothes on them in the front bedroom closet. There was one hanging hook in the condo, on the inside of one of the bathroom closet doors, and it was somewhat loose. It was a plastic sticky hook, so it was not a very sturdy one. I imagine someone hung something rather heavy on it. We would have loved a couple of hooks in the bathroom, to hang damp suits, pjs, towels for re-use, etc.
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| View from balcony condo 601 |
The balcony and sliding glass doors are great! We enjoyed the sunrise every morning; from bed or the balcony. There are curtains on the glass doors in the bedroom; however, there is no window covering on the living room windows. This is not really a big deal, unless you plan on having someone sleep in the living room who is not an early riser. The sun shone in as far as the kitchen in the mornings during our stay.
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The dots in the water are dolphins, which were visible below our
balcony (601) later in the mornings. |
We watched dolphins swimming in the pass just about every morning, and we saw a few fighter jets overhead. I did not get any good photos of the dolphins or jets. At this time of year, the sun only shone on this balcony in the mornings.
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| View of unit location from walkway between the bridge and Grand Pointe |
I have included a few more photos with information. Remember, you can enlarge any photo by clicking on it.
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| Sunset view outside front door of condo 601 |
Misc. and overall
We liked the location of Grand Pointe, and we liked unit 601. We usually travel to different areas from year to year, and we are seriously considering a visit to this same location again next year. There are a few businesses within walking distance of Grand Pointe, and we liked the location on Perdido Pass and the gulf.
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| View of the main road in front of Grand Pointe; Looking around corner from balcony |
We left the condo at 9:00 AM when we checked out, and I did not confirm what time checkout is. The rental agreement we received via email said 10:00 AM; however, the agreement on the app said 11:00 AM. We had mailed in a $300 deposit, and the rental agreement said we would receive information about our deposit refund within five days of checkout. I had not heard anything on the sixth day after we had checked out (counting weekend days), so I contacted Alabama Getaway. I was told the check had been voided, and I could either have it mailed back, or they would shred it.
There were a few minor damages/signs of wear in the unit that did not affect our stay (cracked cupboard door, a piece of the blender top was missing, cracked tray drawers in the fridge, cracked tray in bathroom...). When we were waiting for confirmation of our deposit return after checking out, I began to wonder if we should have taken photos of these things when we arrived. This was only our second experience renting a place like this, and we are still learning things. We had no reason to worry, and the rental process was very easy. When I sent a text after we arrived (I had not seen our parking pass in the arrival envelope when I took the papers out), I received a reply right away.
Here is a link to my next
post with information about the area: recreation (biking and boating), dining, and Happy Hours.
Let me know if you have any questions!
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