Sand Castle Vacation Rentals — Local services in Indian Shores

Nice vacation rental in terms of the property/location, but definitely encountered a few kinks/issues relative to the 3 other properties in the same area (Clearwater/Tampa) that we have rented in the past year:

1. Had to sign landlord/tenancy agreement prior to rental with curt legal language, which was not the case for the other 3 rentals. The document seemed to be more appropriate for a landlord-tenant contract.

2. Construction was ongoing right across the street starting at or before 8 AM every weekday, which was not disclosed prior to arrival and ruined the sleep of some members of our party. If we had known, we would have gone elsewhere.

3. No cold water in kitchen during the whole duration of the stay due to a repair issue that was not disclosed prior to arrival. Member of our party sustained mild burns as a result because she assumed that the water coming from the faucet would not be scalding given the cold setting it was on. Pam was notified via email that there was no cold water within 2 days of arrival; we were not able to get cold water running after leaving the faucet on as implied....

4. Starter kit is quite sparse (i.e. 2 toilet paper rolls for up to a party of 8, no dish soap, detergent, etc.), which was pretty unusual for a property in this price range compared to the others we have rented. A little welcome kit goes a long way as a gesture. Other properties had K-cups, many paper towels, and even a little welcome gift. Between this and the other factors, it gave the impression that the bottom line was a little more important than ensuring the guests have a good experience.

All of our other rental properties supplied beach chairs and even bicycles!

5. The cleaning prior to arrival could be improved - a few pans had caked on food on them and the fridge was not completely clean, which raises concerns as to the thoroughness of cleaning procedures particularly in COVID times.

Due to these factors/lack of disclosures and the general sense of a lack of hospitality/customer orientedness from Pam compared to other property owners, we would not stay again although we did like the property itself.

We did find the photos to be fairly accurate (the property does look more dated than in the photos, but this was not a significant...

I stayed here in late January 2017 with 2 friends from Ireland. The weather was perfect, a little windy the first night but afterwords it was beautiful.

This condo has to be the nicest condo I’ve ever rented EVER and I’ve rented quite a few over the years in all places around the globe. The view is amazing and it overlooks a beautiful beach that is well maintained. The condo itself is PERFECT. I don’t think I’ve ever stayed in one that was so well stocked with pots, pans, dishes, utensils etc. But the place itself is beautifully decorated, the chairs are my favorite, I even asked the owner where she bought them, I’d love to have a pair for my own home. Everything about the place is comfortable, well thought out and truly perfect. The balcony chairs, lounge chairs and table were so comfortable. The bedrooms were wonderful, the bathrooms well stocked with hairdryer and plenty of towels. There's even an ironing board should you need it. Plenty of closet space and the beds were just right, not too soft, and not too hard. A washer and dryer, too.

This is not your typical beach rental; this is someone’s home that they let you borrow. I was very impressed by the effort the owner put into making this feel as if she was letting you rent her home. She totally gets it. What a class act.

It’s very easy to find as well, the parking lot has plenty of spacious parking and the restaurant across the street was excellent. I wasn’t impressed by the outside of the restaurant but it truly impressed me on the inside. Nice view over the inlet and great food.

Rent this place, you won’t regret it. I’m so compulsive about how I decide on a place to rent. I investigate everything, up to and including the safety of the area where I decide to stay. It takes me months to decide. This place has everything you need and was exactly as pictured and described. The owner is organized and responsive, it was such an easy transaction. We whimpered as we left, it was just such a great place.

To the owner: Thank you so much for making that place so special. I will...

I Was not entirely happy.

First the welcome mat at the entrance needs to be replaced….not welcoming at all. The locks were very confusing and could not open the top lock to access the key. Had to leave the door unlocked at first….

I know this is not anything you can do, but my husband was not happy about all the aggressive dogs in the condos.

Also when we arrived there were so many cockroaches in the parking lot I was afraid what I was going to find In the condo.

For the most part things looked nice when we arrived. But after looking around, I found the Condo needed to be cleaned. The sliding glass door was extremely dirty, the medicine cabinets were also very dirty….had to clean both. The master shower tiles had scum at the bottom. The back of the door in the master bath around the door knob was very dirty. The balcony was also dirty. The chairs were so sticky had to clean them also. The refrigerator was not cleaned. There was no cutting board in the kitchen. The kitchen cabinets are in need of repair on replaced.

You asked for us to do a tub of towels, it would have been nice to have laundry detergent….the bottle was empty. I know this is a rental and maybe I expected too much.

We did enjoy our stay and would probably stay again but hope the above issues...