I stayed at Vistas on the Gulf #408 and had an amazing time. The condo is located directly on the beach, the pool was always spotlessly clean and very warm. and the beach was beautiful. We looked at other places on the beach and Vistas on the Gulf was the best value for our money. Even though this is listed as a 1 bedroom the den was converted into a small second private bedroom and the couch in the living room folded out into a bed. This place easily sleeps 6 people and has 2 bathrooms. There was also a dining room table, fully equipped kitchen, a good size balcony and a washer/dryer in the unit. Felt more like a home then a rental unit.
#408 came complete with all kinds of beach chairs, umbrellas, coolers, beach toys, wave boards, etc. which made our beach experience perfect. There is a sand bar right off the beach that you can easily swim out to. Bring your snorkel gear to see all kinds of fish, crabs, shells, and even dolphins. At times the dolphins would swim very close to us out on the sand bar - It was fantastic! We saw them everyday. The sunsets on St. Pete Beach were some of the best I have ever seen. There were also plenty of great restaurants and bars that you could walk to from the condo. The location was perfect.
The downside to this unit was that it faced another building. However, we still got a view of the pool and a partial ocean view. We looked at other units with a better view and decided to go with #408 as it was kept up much better - not all units are alike! Some of the units we looked at were cheaply furnished and/or outdated. #408 was nicely decorated, it looked like it has been recently painted, it had a large plasma tv in the living room and cable tv in both bedrooms. The condo also had a really comfortable leather couch and recliners. Unlike the other units, this unit had curtains which made you feel more at home (The other units have cheap looking vertical blinds with some of them missing). There were a lot of little nice touches in this unit and we would definitely stay here again.
TIP: There are a few management companies that rent out these units. The main one is Liberty and they have an office on site. They are very friendly, and go out of their way to help you. If you book with a different management company, the people onsite can't assist you if you get locked out or need anything. You could also probably save money by booking direct with the owner which is what we did. Call Terry at [--], he is very helpful!
Overall, it was a wonderful, relaxing vacation and I look forward to going back for years to come.
- Vistas On The Gulf Hotel
