Tops'l Beach & Racquet Resort in Miramar Beach by Vacasa — Hotel in Miramar Beach

As another reviewer posted, the Tops'l property is great but Tops'l has gone through a lot of changes especially in the beach area. Dolphin Beach Service and Tops'l seem to be rental chair partners. Tops'l has also made it very clear to it's owners they have no beach rights.

Since 1999 my wife and I have stayed in the Summit or Captiva Circle. A very close friend owned a condo in the Summit and later purchased a home in Captiva Circle back when Captiva Circle was developed. This was around 2001. We were there a couple weeks ago and experienced Tops'l new beach rules.

I knew there had been battles of beach chairs so before we left I researched and found if you bring your own chairs their website reads there is an area east of the rentals. Our first morning to the beach sure enough to the east of the rentals directly in front of the boardwalk was a coned off area which had a few bring your own beach chairs and umbrellas. Very few where there but it was around 9:00AM. We setup and began our week vacation. About four hours later a school kid stopped and asked if we were owners. I said no and we were told we had to move to another area farther east. The area he pointed to was packed. I asked why did they wait four hours to tell me with no response. I kindly told him I would move at 3:30. Next was a guy who claimed to be Tops'l security. He had on a shirt about two sizes larger than needed so I questioned was he really security. He also said we must move. I told him as well I would at 3:30 but he kept on saying no and kept asking for our room number. I finally gave him our room number and asked him to call the Sheriff and we will let them settle it. The security guy claimed Tops'l owned the beach all the way to the water but that's not what S Walton map online shows. I then received a phone call from the owner. The owner relayed a message from the General Manager that if the Sheriff came we would be banned from all Walton county beaches. We stayed until 4:30 and no Sheriff or anyone else came around.

As to newest Tops'l beach rules they have segregated the beach area into four sections. 70% of the beach area is for beach rentals regardless if the area is needed. This 70% area is split 35%-35% owners only or owners and guests only. They pretty much have only allowed 15%-20% for guests who want to bring their personal umbrella and chair. Keep in mind this is for the entire Tops'l resort. The remaining area is for owners who bring personal umbrella and chairs.

Having friends living nearby, we have visited public beaches such as Dune Allen. The next day we visited the John Beasley public beach in Ft Walton and had a great peaceful day. A couple resort areas in Ft Walton seem to be the way Tops'l use to be.

We have a lot of past memories and pics of our Tops'l stays but the past 2-3 years haven't been as enjoyable. Moving forward Ft Walton will be our...

0/5 Stars||Our vacation at Villa 33, has been a disaster from start to finish, primarily due to a complete lack of crucial information and misleading details provided by the rental host. If I could give zero stars, I would.||Upon arrival, despite being a gated community and having a parking pass for the resort, our car was towed – not fined, but towed – for parking in a parking lot within the TOPS'L resort. We were told by our rental host that our resort parking pass would suffice to park in all parking lots within the resort, which was clearly false and resulted in significant inconvenience and expense on the first day of our vacation. This is an unacceptable lack of clear communication regarding critical parking rules, especially for a gated community with a complex mixed-use layout.||Adding insult to injury, we discovered after arrival that access to any resort amenities, including the workout facilities, requires a special band which was not provided to us. This renders a significant portion of the advertised resort experience completely inaccessible.||While we were told we could access the beach, we were not informed that a shuttle is required, nor were we given any information on how to access this shuttle (e.g., a phone number or pick-up locations and run times). This makes beach access, a core reason for a beach vacation, unnecessarily difficult and frustrating.||Villa 33, as rented through this host, has been an exercise in frustration and unexpected costs. The complete lack of vital information regarding parking, amenity access, and beach transportation made what should have been a relaxing vacation into a logistical nightmare. Save yourself the headache and choose a different rental with a host who prioritizes guest experience and provides accurate, comprehensive...

0/5 Stars Our vacation at Villa 33, has been a disaster from start to finish, primarily due to a complete lack of crucial information and misleading details provided by the rental host.

Upon arrival, despite being a gated community and having a parking pass for the resort, our car was towed – not fined, but towed – for parking in a parking lot within the TOPS'L resort. We were told by our rental host that our resort parking pass would suffice to park in all parking lots within the resort, which was clearly false and resulted in significant inconvenience and expense on the first day of our vacation. This is an unacceptable lack of clear communication regarding critical parking rules, especially for a gated community with a complex mixed-use layout.

Adding insult to injury, we discovered after arrival that access to any resort amenities, including the workout facilities, requires a special band which was not provided to us. This renders a significant portion of the advertised resort experience completely inaccessible.

While we were told we could access the beach, we were not informed that a shuttle is required, nor were we given any information on how to access this shuttle (e.g., a phone number, pick-up locations or run times). This makes beach access, a core reason for a beach vacation, unnecessarily difficult and frustrating.

Villa 33, as rented through this host, has been an exercise in frustration and unexpected costs. The complete lack of vital information regarding parking, amenity access, and beach transportation made what should have been a relaxing vacation into a logistical nightmare. Save yourself the headache and choose a different rental with a host who prioritizes guest experience and provides accurate, comprehensive...