We have stayed at Emerald Isle at least 5 times over the past 7 or so years. We lived on Pensacola Beach for many years, too. Always booked a 2 bedroom unit at Emerald Isle when visiting. Location right on Gulf of Mexico beach with nice balconies. Restaurants available near building and ample parking. This time was different. The 2-bedroom condo on the 15th floor seemed smaller than those we had rented previously. There was a tiny TV in the master bedroom but it was mounted at ceiling level. TV in living room was in a cabinet that had doors which did not fold back and the lack of a swivel shelf made the very old and heavy TV difficult to see from anywhere other than the uncomfortable living room sofa. There was a flat screen TV in the second bedroom (twin beds were the only furniture in that room). Upholstered furniture was old and uncomfortable and needs replacement. Dining table and breakfast bar provided ample seating. Beds were ALL old and uncomfortable. My husband had problems sleeping in the king bed and discovered that the twin beds in the second bedroom were also uncomfortable. Housekeeping was terrible-particularly bathrooms, which looked like the floor had been mopped but there was dirt and grime where the walls met the floors and hair floating around, too. I stay in condos frequently and have owned several in the past. I have never found one with so few basic necessities available upon arrival. Very limited amount of toilet tissue, no dishwasher tablets (not even ONE for the first day),no laundry detergent sampler sizes for even one wash, low quality bar soap in bathrooms. No paper towels. Linens and towels were in need of replacement and blanket on king bed was shabby and looked like it needed washing. It also smelled of cigarette smoke even though this was a non-smoking unit. Very disappointed with the condo unit, which was listed on VRBO and also managed by a professional management company that we had used before without problems. I booked through the management company and was not warned about the condition of this condo. The weekly rate was reasonable but not for the unit we stayed in. A bargain is not always a bargain here. In the future, I would probably not use a "vacation resort by owner" listing without questioning the owner about the condition of the unit but felt that the management company would not represent a unit that was in the condition this one was in. The photos on the web site looked very attractive, too! One other concern -and this one applies to the building-was security. Key cards are not used here. Previous units we rented had a chain lock on the door. This one did not. Since it was January, only 40 condo units were occupied. Anyone with a key could enter easily since the door key and deadbolt used the same key. There are outside corriders on all floors of this building. The windows to the second bedroom (children's room) opened on to these corriders and we were not comfortable leaving the windows open at night. We stayed 6 nights and left for the 7th night in a hotel, which was clean and comfortable with nightly rates that were similar to what we ended up paying after cleaning fees and check-in and miscellaneous other costs were added. We will not return to Emerald Isle for our next stay.
- Emerald Isle Pensacola
- Emerald Isle Pensacola Florida
