Five Star Properties and Bliss Beach Rentals

We rented this beach home for 7 days for our annual Summer trip to the Destin area. This home is in a secluded location in a gated community with a pretty decent ocean view. A very beautiful, private beach was only a few minutes drive away. Unfortunately, we found this rental to be in need of many repairs and a good deep cleaning. The couches were very dirty with black stains on the cushions and there were dead bugs laying in the floor. The tile floor in the master bedroom is missing lots of grout and is continuously losing more with each step. Tiles are making cracking and popping noises with each step. Twice we had to pull sharp pieces of grout from our feet. The headboard needs to be secured to the wall because every movement causes it to bang into the wall. This house is older and dated so these things are inevitable BUT this is clearly noticeable if someone is actually inspecting the property or properly cleaning it. The master bathroom has baseboards with water damage, peeling paint and black spots. Bedrooms have doors that are cracked, missing finish and peeling. The twin bed bedroom door does not close correctly. The bunk beds downstairs did not have a ladder to climb up into the top bunk. The fridge in that unit had what look like rust stains on the front and did not cool properly. The outdoor area is fantastic, but is in need of pressure washing and painting. There is also a hazard near the sliding doors that several people tripped over the uneven section. I take no pleasure in leaving a poor or negative, but I think for the price point that this unit is being rented at that these repair are inexcusable. We certainly would not have paid what we did had we been aware of these issues. We come to Destin every year and we have not encountered issues like this before this was also our first time renting with FiveStar. On a positive note, the kitchen is fully stocked with dishes, utensils, pots, pans, etc.. the stove and microwave are new and worked great. The air conditioner cooled the house adequately. There were even box fans in the closets to use as well. The tv in the living room and master bedroom were nice and large and worked great. The kids were able to use the Wi𝔣i and they also enjoyed the foosball table. This rental does not have trash pickup. You have to drive your trash down the road to the dumpster on Monday and Thursday. On Monday the dumpster was full as they put a sign up on it NOT to put anymore trash in. I called the management company and they took care of it right away by having maintenance come and get our trash from the outside cans and take away. At the end of the day We would not rent this property again or recommend. This home has huge potential and with a few fixes can be worth the price being asked. I hope these things are checked out and can be repaired. I also have photos of the things I stated above if the property management would like to see.

Five star properties is truly the best costumer service I have encountered on a vacation. They repeatedly checked on us. When asked how my vacation was going, I had mentioned that we were disappointed it had a charcoal grill and by the next morning we had a gas grill. I can’t say anything negative. We have rebooked with them for thanksgiving.

Great property. This was our first time staying in a beach home and the pool alarm was a surprise. Otherwise property is great. Close to the beach.

Beautiful home for seven couples. Any issues were attended to so quickly - even on Mother's Day! Loved the beach access and the pool ocean side.

The condo was nice and clean. However not having the elevator was dreadful going up and down all of those stairs.

Good view of Gulf looking east. Nice property overall.

The house was immaculate. Location great. View perfect. However everything wasn’t e signed the day of arrival. No one contacted me about this. So we had no code. Also freezer didn’t work. The controls for the pool were hidden by a picture that was off the wall. However when we called they responded to our problems right away. Can’t wait for our September vacation that is booked through Five Star.

Awesome location, clean, organized, and very quick response to issues. Overall, awesome vacation rental.

We loved our experience at Family Traditions in Blue Mountain. The staff was helpful and all of the processes were easy. When the house was not ready as promised, the Five-Star team worked with us to make it right. We hope to make this stay a “family tradition” every summer.

The golf cart was the true MVP of the trip.

Great property and great experience with Five Star. The house was better than expected. It was extremely clean and well stocked and appointed. I appreciated the packaged towels in each room. Response to questions was quick, courteous, and helpful. I would highly recommend this property and Five Star. I certainly will use them for my next trip to 30A.

Our stay started on Saturday, May 1st through Sunday, May 9th. Five star was not able to get our pool/ beach access passes until 11am Monday. Needless to say I was almost in tears. I was told I would be compensated- I have yet to see any restitution or anyone reach out. The property is nice, but the on-site office has no ability to help with this unit.

Where do I start; When renting 910 Jade East, the property becomes available to you at 4pm or when they call you to say it’s ready. We got the call 30 minutes early, great! We walk in after a long, 14 hour drive and see food on the floors, sand all over the floors in each room, every counter top was filthy and covered in sand and food, mirrors and bathroom faucets had toothpaste and spit all over, there was still food left in the refrigerator from last guests, there were crayons on the floor, the windows and glass patio doors had so many smudges you could barely see outside. Just wait, it gets better: I walk in the master bathroom and the counter top still had makeup items from the last guest, toothpaste in the sinks, blonde hair in the shower and sinks, the shower had black mold all over the walls, AND the toilet had blood all over it. Yes, blood. Not only did the toilet have blood that appeared to have smeared and dripped down from the seat but it was on the floor, wall, and the door which separates the toilet from the rest of the bathroom. Needless to say, the unit wasn’t cleaned AT ALL. Each bathroom only had 1 roll of toilet paper which was still wrapped in paper sitting on the back of the toilet. The unit is advertised to have 2 rolls per bathroom. The toiletries were sat on the counters but I still don’t understand how all this filth and disgustingness was missed. Why pay a cleaning fee when cleaning doesn’t happen? I called Five Star and the gentleman that answered apologized and sent a cleaning crew over. I asked that the sheets and bedding be replaced because I couldn’t even be sure that was done. They quickly cleaned the unit but over the duration of our trip, we questioned everything. We had to clean every single dish, pan, pot, etc we wanted to use. I checked the bathroom again and it still had mold in the shower and the floors were still filthy. Walking around on the tile barefoot for 5 minutes and your feet were black. The bathroom still had makeup items on the counter. The kitchen sink faucet wouldn’t stay in place and fell when trying to turn it on or off (removable sprayer). The blind guard at the top of the sliding blinds was broken and on the floor. The furniture was covered in sand and was so uncomfortable and sunken in. The smoke alarm in the second bedroom beeped as if it needed a new battery. It was relayed to the cleaning guy who sent a picture to management of the battery needed; it was never replaced, just pulled out so it wouldn’t beep. The blinds in the middle bedroom were bent and nearly destroyed. The view is great, the beach is amazing. The balcony is amazing. But for $5200, this was absolutely ridiculous. The walls are all dinged up with large gouges and paint chipped all over. This unit looks like it had been partied in a lot and the damage done was never repaired. The refrigerator door storage shelves were broken. They say you “have to” wear a wrist band. Our unit was provided 5 but there was a sign saying if we didn’t return 6, we would be charged $25. Told management via the message portal and they never got back to me. You need to rent an umbrella and chairs from the company on the property. It’s expensive. The photos on the websites (Expedia, Bliss, Five Star) don’t show the issues. I have pictures and videos of what we walked into and I was sad, disappointed, and angry as this was a family vacation gifted to my parents for their birthdays. Beware.

The property is very nice and the finishes and furnishings are top of the line. The location can't be beat and we enjoyed this area of Crystal Beach very much. There were several issues, however, that made the stay less than satisfactory. First, the parking situation is a NIGHTMARE. There are two spots allotted per rental. However, in a house this size it is unreasonable to expect only two cars are coming to stay. Most of the rentals had 4 or 5 cars there, leaving no place for people to park who are staying in other units and no consequences for the people who do bring 4 or 5 cars. The spaces are even numbered, but it doesn't matter. People ignore the numbers and park in your space. Several times we came back from the grocery or from dinner and there were cars in our numbered spaces. So we had to track down the owners and get the cars moved or call a tow truck in order to get the car towed ourselves. Five star did nothing to help the situation. About mid way through the stay we were given 2 parking passes and told cars without passes were going to be towed. They never were and people without passes were still parked there! The owners should make an arrangement with the hotel/lofts across the street for overflow parking. And the dumpster is taking up a parking space as well. The parking is the biggest reason for the two star review (coupled with the light issue I will address in a moment). You couldn't leave the property without fear of having your space taken upon your return. EVEN WITH NUMBERED SPACES corresponding to the unit. The second huge issue is that the fans and light in the fan in the master bedrooms on the second and third floors are operated by remote. In the middle of the night the light would just turn on by itself. On our first night it turned on every 30 minutes for 4.5 hours. From midnight until 4:30 I was woken up and had to turn the light off. Also, the fan would just randomly turn off, which was also not conducive to good sleep as that side of the house is VERY hot and the fan is necessary for any sort of cool air to circulate. So we were also woken up to turn the fan back on as the room got very hot without the fan. For the rest of the stay it happened less- which is baffling- but it still happened 1 or 2 times a night. In the master on the second floor the hot water didn't work unless you first turned on the hot water in the bathtub. The first night I could not get hot water in the shower or the sink, but the hot water in the tub worked. So from then on I would turn on the hot water in the tub and then the shower or sink would get hot, but if you didn't turn the tub on first you would have no hot water. Odd and inconvenient. The kitchen wasn't very well equipped with utensils-no spatula, no corkscrew, no bottle opener, only two large flimsy spoons for cooking- would have liked more of that type of thing. But that was a minor inconvenience. The unit wasn't all that clean upon arrival- there were a few dead bugs and the floors and baseboards were dusty, which makes me think it hadn't been cleaned prior to our arrival. Told Five star about ALL the issues on our second day and were told a work order would be made. Nobody ever came and we never heard from them about it again. Nice unit but several problems that need to be worked out. Don't think I would rent here again if the parking situation isn't resolved with an overflow option.

This is either the third or fourth time we have stayed here, in the same house, 6 Starboard Lane, Don’t Worry Beach Happy. When we arrived the ice maker didn’t work. It still doesn’t. The pool light didn’t work. It still doesn’t. We never got a garage door opener. In the course of one week(for which I paid $10,000) two sinks fell out of the counters upstairs, the circuit breaker for the outside and dining room lights had to be flipped to turn them on, the fire alarm began beeping and the battery had to be changed and there was only one lounge chair on the patio. Just didn’t expect this and total lack of concern from you.

House was beautiful and clean, just as described. Amazing location!

Everything was exceptional but I think there could be improvement on communicating HOA rules and things not allowed. So people are not surprised when arriving.

Excellent home.

We loved this place. A couple of things did not work, ice machine and hot tub. They could use a few more plates and bowls. Very clean and comfortable. Would rent it again.

The house was amazing and working with the people from Five Star was very pleasant. Everything was as expected and when we called about a small maintenance issue someone came promptly and fixed it. It was nice having the bikes and paddleboards included in the rental.