18 Heilwood 1

★ 4.0

We booked a 10 day stay for February. When the south half the country was mired in blizzard conditions and loss of electricity, I called and asked if we could please change our dates. April 20-30 was open and they were able to accommodate us. A little extra VRBO fee since April dates apparently rent for higher dollars. I happily paid the extra to not drive into a blizzard and appreciate the flexibility of the property managers regarding the dates. We found the VRBO easily and the check-in process was easy. Excellent communication at all times. There are 3 parking spaces for this unit, but the owner was using one of them with his car. Since we only had one car, that wasn't an issue. The location of this unit is ideal. It is a half a block from the main road (Mandalay Ave) and about 100 steps to the beach from the door. Across the street, there's a park to walk your dog which has special drinking fountain for the dogs and PickleBall courts that are in use all morning, but later in the day, we found them to be open for use and had no problem getting a court. Further down the street to the South there were tennis courts and a swimming pool facility open MWF. Then all the beach-front shops and restaurants en route to walking to the Pier and all the vendors there. Crabby's, Clear Sky, and Frenchie's were great. Mandalay Prime steakhouse had good food, quite expensive, but it was LOUD for a fine-dining venue. I would not recommend it solely based on that. The VRBO unit itself was clean, but in need of some upgrades. The dishwasher doesn't clean the dishes very well. Some were clean and others, well, not so much. Both bedrooms had TVs and a Roku device that functioned. By the time we hit the beds, we were too tired to watch TV. The TV in the main living area had a Roku, but the device didn't work to control the volume of the TV. (It's funny how often you need to adjust the volume depending on what streaming service you are using!) I suppose the most troublesome thing was the windows to the master bath face the street. The windows have vertical blinds. I noticed as I returned from the beach that a passerby could easily see into the bathroom even with the blinds "closed." At my age, I really don't care and any rumors of Sasquatch sightings should be ignored, but my wife wasn't keen on showering with the lights on. Might I suggest some privacy horizontal blinds or curtains? The toilet in the master bath is a early 1950's tiny little round toilet. The blinds and the toilet would be project #1 & 2 for upgrading followed by a new dishwasher and living room TV if I were the owner. The furnishings were just fine. We did not use the hide-a-bed option in the main living room. We both thought the beds were very comfortable. They were Doubles (not Queens). The washer/dryer access is pretty tight and I'm still wondering how they got the machines into the tiny closet where they are located. If you rent this unit, you will need to stop at a grocery store and pick up some tall kitchen garbage bags, dishwasher pods and some bar soap and washing machine detergent along with your snacks. We cooked some eggs on the stove, but mostly just had some snacks and took advantage of all the food options along the beach for lunch and dinners. I would rent it again primarily for the location and overall convenience and comfort of the beds. I would be lying if I said that next time, I would be sorely disappointed to have the same privacy issues with the master bath window installments and facilities. A pull-down shade for the front door would also be a nice touch. (We put a blanket between the top of the door and the jam to create a shade for the big window on the front door.) For the cost per night, I think that the owner could pony up and spend a couple thousand bucks to at least make the bathroom not a street peep show and replace the 1970's tired old dishwasher. Lastly, we brought our Golden with us. Technically, you are not supposed to have a dog on the beach directly out from the unit. You can have them leashed about a block or so to the North of going straight out from the unit. HOWEVER, we did witness several people with leashed dogs directly out from our unit on the beach and the beach patrol drove right by them without hassling them. I know in Destin, the cops were rabid about anyone having a dog on the beach and they only allow property owners in Destin to have dogs on the beach during certain hours. We refrained from taking our Golden out during the heat of the day, but he enjoyed the 30 minutes of pre-sunset beach walk and nobody gave us a second look with the dog other than to come up and ask to pet him.

★ 5.0

Great location. Much more attractive than I expected. Sorry my stay was so short.

★ 4.0

We really enjoyed our time at Beachcomber Beach House. It truly is just steps from the beach. The living and kitchen areas were well appointed and the beds in both rooms very comfortable. The shower in the primary bath had two issues… the door would not latch closed and the shower head frankly sucked. The outlets all over the house were difficult…you'd plug a cube or device in and it would just fall out. New outlets might be in order. We were there over a holiday weekend, so slow response isn't too surprising, but we had questions about parking and amenities that were not replied to until three days after check in. Also, there was a black Cadillac that was parked out front of the property our entire visit. Not a huge deal since we only had one car. All that said, we would totally stay at Beachcomber again. Oh, on that topic…do clarify what unit you are staying in…there are two. Another couple told us the next morning they tried accessing our unit at 12:30 AM upon their arrival not knowing there are two separate quarters on the property. 😂 Again, take this as a 90% positive review…but with honest feedback. Best, K, L and E.

★ 5.0

Absolutely loved everything about this house !!! Steps to the beach , clean , beautifully decorated , roomy , outdoor sitting area with shower . Thanks so much for everything !! We will be back !!!

★ 5.0

Very nice house steps from the beach. Very comfortable setting. Would definitely stay here again.

★ 5.0

We enjoyed our stay at the Beachcomber Beach House. The house is amazing with plenty of space. It's just steps from the beach as advertised. When searching for our vacation rental I filters pool because we have children and they love the pool as equally as the ocean. I looked on the photos and noticed there was in fact a pool behind the rental house. Only to find out the pool was two blocks down the street at the recreation center and there is a fee at the pool also. The reason we selected this home was for the convenience of the pool right next door that would have been included in our rental fee. Overall for the rental itself no complaints the perfect set up. We enjoyed our stay and would consider this rental again, when we do a vacation without children in tow.

★ 5.0

The Beachcomber Beach House Steps to the Sand was awesome! Stunning inside, location was so perfect getting to the beach in less than a minute and walking to the shops and restaurants was very easy and enjoyable. I would recommend this place to everyone that wants to visit Clearwater Beach.

★ 5.0

Great location, perfect to walk into clearwater beach. Great restaurants.

★ 5.0

We enjoyed our stay at this location. The house was very clean and a great location near to the beach. Our automatic key wasn't working but was fixed by Rick within 10-15 minutes of our arrival. Also, the restaurant recommendations were spot on! While the trip was short, we enjoyed every minute of it. If I could suggest something, it would be to replace the blinds in the front bathroom as they would not close completely. Thanks again!

★ 5.0

Beautiful and clean house. Location was perfect. Stocked with everything we needed. Would highly recommend!