Overall, we enjoyed our time at this property the location is an easy walk to the beach, even with a 5 and 2 year old. Just a close but in the opposite direction is a great ice cream shop that our girls enjoyed nearly every evening, and Redfish Tacos, which we visited more than once during our stay. Blue Mountain Bakery is an easy walk or bike ride down the street.
My opinion is that Blue Mountain is best for those that want to get away to the beach in a more secluded and natural setting. There’s. It a ton of development around the area, just a handful of strip mall style shops with local bakeries, a bike shop, etc. For those looking for more entertainment, nightlife, and pizzaz, the Watercolor/Seaside/Rosemary Beach area is probably more your speed.
Specific to this property, it did look as described. The pool was great for after the beach, and the owner kept the temp at a very comfortable temp without charging a heating fee, which is common in the area. That was much appreciated. The local pool company was lacking, as the pool was consistently dirty during our stay. I finally cleaned it and the skimmer so that our girls would get in. And one day the chemicals were so out of balance the water was green, and we were advised not to get in while the pool was shocked. Unfortunately, the outdoor shower was also not working. It also appeared to only have cold water running to it, as it was tied into the garden hose water supply line. That wasn’t what we expected from the pictures.
Finally, inside, there were very few amenities included. I’ve not stayed at any rentals where the expectation was to supply your own hand soap upon arrival as well as your own beach towels (especially when you’re coming to the property due to its proximity to the beach). For those not driving to their vacation, this can be a problem, or an unnecessary expense. Candidly, those elements just degrade the rental experience and make it feel like you’re not getting a good value. The kitchen was supplied with enough to get by, but no extras (such as Tupperware). And our impression was capped off by the visit of a dead or dying cockroach on the kitchen floor or climbing up the walls by the stairs 4 of the nights we were there. Again, the home is in a natural setting, so expected to see some bugs, but not inside that frequently.
The owner checked in on us and was engaged, which was appreciated.