Every year my extended family takes a week long vacation in a VRBO home at various locations at a beach or in the mountains. This was a beach year, so after some research, we chose this house on Dauphin Island for the first time. We LOVED the island and the beach in front of the house. The neighborhood is a gated community and very safe and secure. We took our bikes and easily were able to bike around the island, as well as take a short walk to the Audubon Bird Sanctuary, which is beautiful and a must see! We also visited the Sea Lab, which was great on a rainy afternoon. We rented kayaks and were able to use those from our beach, but the current was a bit stronger than anticipated for this. Others had mentioned the posts sticking up on the beach when entering the water, but if you are careful, you figure out where they are and avoid them. Overall the water and beach were great, and the best feature of this property! The house itself, as another reviewer mentioned, does have issues. As most reviewers have already said, the mattresses need upgraded to anything halfway decent. We planned ahead and invested in some mattress toppers, which helped. Upon arrival, we found one set of sheets on a bed were dirty, but luckily there was a clean set in the closet. We did have an issue with ants as well as other insects in the house, which was reported and the property manager had the exterminator come the following day. The chairs on the decks were not the greatest, and some of the dining chairs provided were cracked/broken. The kitchen was stocked, but there wasn't enough silverware for our family of 10. For the most part, things were clean and it was a comfortable stay; however, for the money we spent for this rental, we have stayed much better accommodations on the beach. We will return to the island, but likely not this same house.
