We had booked originally at Island Echos (see my less than favorable review), which is just a few buildings away on Santa Rosa Blvd. Island Echos was unacceptable because the pool was under repair, and we were given a two-bedroom condo at Water's Edge for the same price. What a bit of luck for us.
First of all, all the units face the gulf for an unobstructed ocean view. There is a four-level parking garage on the street side of the building. Our unit was immaculate, perfectly decorated, and fully equipped with dishes, tvs, DVD players, VCRs, towels and linens. We even received a welcome package with coffee for our first morning.
The pool was huge (they claim 5000 square feet). There are actually two separate pools, separated by a small ribbon of concrete. Nearby there are two or three charcoal grills. Beach setups were included - an umbrella and two lounge chairs for each day that we were there. The beach was wonderful, the weather was perfect (we were there between hurricanes: we got extremely lucky with the weather), the gulf looked like a sheet of glass on our second day. Our only complaint was that the water was so still, we had trouble hearing the ocean from our open bedroom window at night!
Water's Edge is relatively new (built in 2001, I believe), and evidently was built with severe weather in mind. Having just survived Ivan, Dennis, and the residual winds and surge from Katrina and Rita, the only damage we were able to observe were two missing screens from the bedroom window and one side of the sliding glass balcony door.
The master bedroom had a view of the gulf, with a patio door that leads to the balcony. The master bath included a huge walk-in closet, separate tub and shower, and dual dressing areas with separate vanities. The hall bath included a tub and shower combo. The second bedroom had a queen bed and closet, tv/vcr combination, and a window to the street-side of the building. Across the hall from here was a bonus bedroom with twin bunk beds, tv/vcr combo, and a dresser (no closet). The kitchen was fully equiped with all appliances, including a small washer/dryer combination in a small closet. The owners even included a chess board, board games, playing cards, and books and puzzles that our four-year-old loved. A broadband Internet connection was also available.
All I can say is that we will be back to visit as soon as possible. I can't imagine a better place for our family of five to enjoy one of the most beautiful spots in the country.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
