Sea Side Villas — Attraction in Upper Grand Lagoon

Don’t waste your time. I was returning to Sea Side Villas, a place where I spent many summers as a child, and was excited to return with my own family.

I rented a 2 bdrm/2 btrm oceanfront unit on the 3rd floor (no elevators). We walked in and I quickly looked around to notice it was spacious and the decor was decent enough. I opened the curtains immediately to assess the most important thing…the view. It was spectacular! I then quickly hurried off to the bathroom since we had been on a long road trip.

It was while I was in there unwrapping the new toilet paper roll that it seemed to me that the roll seemed almost wet, like it had maybe fallen in the toilet and had dried some but was still feeling humid and moist. Then I looked around and noticed mold on the back of the door. I then realized from the conversation outside the door that something was going on.

I came out to my husband saying, “This place is covered in mold! We can’t stay here.”

It was ALL OVER….walls, floors, doors, the standing fan in the bedroom and even on the furniture!

We went back to the front office. The man came out from his back office since the front desk woman was on the phone. I told him of the the leak and the mold all over the place. He showed concern, but barely reacted. He did a lot of “hm” and “um” and didn’t really know how to proceed. He went back to his office, did something on the computer and came back to say he had no other available condos. The woman then got off the phone, turned around and nonchalantly asked what our condo number was. Again, no reaction to the mold issue.

They issued me a complete refund of course, and eventually I got an “I’m sorry”’from the woman and the man said, “I hate that this has happened”. But they were barely apologetic to the issue and the massive effect it had on us….here we were on a family vacation with no where to go at the last minute. People make big efforts and save money to be able to enjoy a vacation, and we are no different.

So while they were “nice”, I will say they did not seem overly concerned, nor shocked. Their reaction, or lack of it, makes me think that they knew this condo had an issue. They said that no one had rented the condo the week prior and the a/c unit was not on. (This is suspicious because I was originally told the condo was available for 2 weeks, and then the next day I was told it was now only available for one week, meaning that someone had booked it for the week prior to our arrival.)The amount of live mold spores covering the walls, the floors and even the furniture do not occur in one week’s time. This occurred due to their lack of management and concern. Perhaps they thought some fool would rent it without batting an eye. The man went on to say that he couldn’t get anyone until the next day to clean it. That condo needs more than a day and much more than a cleaning.

So we were left with no where to stay in the late afternoon of peak season in Panama City Beach. We had to spend the night at a hotel since we could not check in anywhere else at that time. We rented another condo (a much nicer one for the same price), but we couldn’t check in for another 24 hours, so because of their negligence, we had an entire beach day of our family vacation taken from us.

I am convinced that they were aware of this issue/condo. There was no reaction to our claim by either employee. Word to the wise, if you’re going to pull this crap on customers, go invest in some acting lessons.

I will not give them a second chance and advise you to book with caution, especially if you’re in unit...

My family has stayed here since I was in elementary school. We went every summer through our HS years but not as much afterwards. My brother has his own family and I moved far away when I was in my late 20s. But we have managed to get together at Seaside a few times since then and my husband and I have gone with my parents a couple of times. I have gone with mom several times. It truly felt like home away from home every time I went and has provided me with the fondest memories I have of my childhood and beyond. All the units we have stayed in were clean and comfortable. We usually stayed in either 2 or 3 bedroom beach front units. They are awesome. The two sides of the complex with beach front units are 3 stories with an elevator and the rest of the complex is two stories with stairs. One of the best things about the units at Seaside is that everyone has a screened in porch/balcony which helps keep the bugs away. The sun doesn't blast in which keeps it cooler. Some balconies even have ceiling fans. Seaside isn't all shiny and new with slick amenities like all the newer high rises. The pool is kinda small and the rec room is very sparse. But the feeling of a smaller complex is so much more homey. You feel like family with the people in the office. They all know your name and are friendly and helpful should any problem arise. They just really seem to love their jobs. When you call to make a reservation just tell them what you're looking for and they'll do their best to accommodate. They are very knowledgeable about each unit and will describe the interior of the available units if requested. I think one of my favorite things about Seaside is that it's at the far end of PCB near St. Andrews State Park, so it's private and quiet. If that is what you are looking for then this is the best place on the beach. However it's still near several awesome restaurants. There's also some cute shops nearby. Another big plus is the proximity to the major thoroughfare that gets you into Panama city where you can find everything you could possibly need. (Major shopping centers, malls, theaters, hospitals etc.) My parents loved it so much they considered purchasing a condo there but ended up taking too long thinking about it before it was snatched up by someone else. My husband and I have decided to buy a beach front condo in the next couple of years and Seaside is my first choice. I just hope something will be available. They don't come on the...

Three bedroom condo. Nice view but balcony had no screen lots of bugs. Balcony had really moldy run down table and chairs. Condo had mold on everything stale and high humidity throughout unit. We kept all doors shut air just couldn’t keep up to cool. High humidity is due to no ventilation system washer and dryer vented within a tray of water on floor. Roaches seemed to crawl in at master bedroom. Mice droppings found in the kids bathroom on top of sink. Reported issues to office and someone entered leaving three traps around while away. Used hair dryer and blew breaker causing half of unit to go off for half the day and shutting off cable so no tv for the kids. Called for two hours no one on call to help. Office Window said call for emergencies for on call but apparently that stops after five?!? Called ahead and was told during covid that there was more cleaning effort. In the last ten years it has ever had more food on walls and dirty floors fridge and bathrooms! On top of that we were swimming at the pool and pool maintenance decided spraying pesticides all around it and it was windy. So not safe for kids! Seriously what are you guys thinking!! Last year was disappointing but this year we will never return! Vacation just ruined and condos were not completely filled yet they would not change us to another. Lost our business! Room 404 not all rooms equal some are in bad shape and some...