Holiday Villas III 605 — Hotel in Indian Shores

While my husband and I have traveled to many countries and taken many cruises, this years vacation was so relaxing and less than 400 miles from our house. So, we decided to drive instead of flying. We definitely did not “settle” for a Florida trip. Instead, we hit the jackpot!!! This complex is an older property but it’s been very well maintained throughout the years. The unit we choose in Holiday Villas III was perfect! It has recently been remodeled and is absolutely beautiful! It has a seaside decor that flows perfectly with its ocean front location. We rented unit #204 and it gives you a breathtaking view of the Gulf of Mexico. While it’s decor is nice, neat and updated, it doesn’t feel too fancy that guest can’t just sit back and put their feet up! And when we say that they include all the amenities, we mean everything! We always pack too much for our trips but there was no need for that with this rental. All you need is your clothes and food! The owners provide a cooler, several beach umbrellas, beach towels, kids beach toys & four beach chairs! The kitchen is fully stocked with all your essentials including dish detergent, plastic bags, cooking oil, and many other miscellaneous items. We’ve never seen that included in a rental. A large dining table and cozy living room. It also has a second bedroom that is huge! There are two queen size beds and tons of storage to unpack (instead of living out of your suitcase)! This bedroom is directly across from the hall full bath, which makes it feel as an on Suite. The master bedroom is just that….it’s a master!! The ocean views are perfect as you wake up in the morning and can watch the beautiful sunrise. There’s also ample storage & the night stand lamps are supplied with electronic plugs. But something we used everyday, was the spacious balcony. We ate all of our meals out there. This unit is on the 2nd floor which isn’t too high but it’s high enough to give you a birds eye view! And at night, we often relaxed in the two chaise lounges chair’s. ||Since this property is directly on the beach, it’s literally steps away from this paradise beach and ocean. This complex has plenty of showers to rinse off the sand. The pool area is gated but easy to access. There are plenty of chairs and a covered picnic area. ||We have never been to Indian Shores but have spent many vacations in Clearwater Beach. Although we still love the Clearwater area, we simply wanted something a little less crowded. And Indian Shores offers both. We drove into Clearwater for a dinner cruise and some shopping one night. We also drove down to John’s Pass, just south of this unit. And, when we first arrived we shopped in Tampa for our food supply. Although, there’s plenty of areas in Indian Shores area to stock up. ||While I (we) mention this wonderful condo, it’s the owners (Wanda & Arturo) that made our vacation even better! The communication between them prior to and after our rental was GREAT! They make your check-in and check-out process painless. They supply you with ample policies including parking and other rules. These owners set the bar high because they both know that their business (their condo), is ready and set for you to unpack and have fun &/or relax! And this was the most we’ve actually “RELAXED” while on vacation in many years!||We recommend that you choose Unit 204 at Holiday Villas III for your next beach vacation! Thank you so much Wanda & Arturo for a great rental! ||Patti &...

We stayed in condo 605. 2 bed 2 bath oceanfront. A family of 5 that included myself, my husband, our 1 year old, 6 year old, and mother in law. Staff were friendly enough. The condo was well stocked in the kitchen complete with coffee pot, double toaster, bowls, cups, plates, silverware, and cooking utensils. Even pizza pans! Kitchen and bathrooms do have tile and granite which was nice but the rest of the condo is in serious need of updating. There was very little decor on the walls and what is there is very 80's. The bedrooms definitely need to be updated. Headboards were very loose and just rolling over in bed would cause them to hit the wall. There was no overhead light in the master bedroom or spare room. Both of these rooms only had a small window so it was very dark all the time. Furniture in general needs updating. Each had 2 lamps but only one lamp in each had a light bulb in them. Same thing in the den. Also condo had tv in each bedroom and 1 in den but all 3 were very fuzzy. A 10.00 HDMI cord would fix this and not make it seem like we were watching t.v. back in the 80's as well. I realize we are on vacation at the beach and tv is minimal but with children this small it's needed. Den and hallways need new paint and trim and doors need to be replaced they couldn't possibly stand anymore coats of paint. There was plenty of towels and wash cloths for all of us for the 7 days. Condo was clean except the tv stand hadn't been dusted in weeks. Vents need to be dusted one was so covered it was just gross. The laundry was in the hallway and operated only with quarters. I wish there was a way to change this to bills or credit card. Quarters in this day and age is to a hassle to go get. However the laundry area, washer and dryer was well kept and clean. There were laundry baskets and plenty of coat hangers for clothing which was a nice surprise you won't find anywhere else! Hallways can get very noisy and can be easily heard inside the condo but that will be the same almost anywhere and the noise never lasted long. The pool was very nice and clean. This location although close was a bit too far from Clearwater for us. For our first vacation on the gulf this was a good place to be but we will probably stay somewhere else next year. However for the price and views we would recommend as an option to family...

Before I go into the bad, the hotel staff was awesome. Everyone was very accommodating, friendly and helpful. To be clear this has nothing to do with the staff. It is completely and solely on the condition of the hotel. For the price that someone has to pay for these rooms it should be better. I understand that it's about location. And it is a great location. You are literally just minutes from the beach, eateries and shopping. Which is fantastic. I really hate giving bad reviews, but sometimes it needs to be done. I can only advise on the room that we received. 218. (Don't do it). The oceanside view is partially obstructed by the rooftop. It smelled like a cross between freshly cracked boiled eggs and sulfur. Or fresh Vomit maybe? We literally sang a song Everytime we had to go back to the room. "stinky room, stinky room what are they feeding you" mimicking the song on the Friends show. The whole hotel could use an upgrade. However, to concentrate on this room. We had a tiny, older TV, as far as TVs go today. It was stuck on Spanish. So for over 2 hours we could do nothing with it. Yes, I know how to change settings. But, because someone locked the screen settings with a password I could not make changes. The settings were in Spanish. I had to reload channels to get English back. The remote was not an original so I couldn't do the remote trick either. The screen size was still stuck on the smallest version on top of the unit size already being disappointing. I love Holiday inn expresse's, that is why we have so many points. But if I didn't have to be there for my brothers 50th birthday I would have asked for my money back and left.

The air conditioning unit was older, a little noisy/cranky. I had to set it on 60 in order to get any relief. As a norm 72 is more than comfortable for me. However, I am in my 50tys so maybe...it was me.

On the plus side, it was extremely quiet considering the location and the bar being just below us. It is on a lower floor. Which was important to me. Especially since the fire alarm went off the very next morning. You do have a private balcony which was also really nice. The sheets &...