We are new owners at Escapes to The Gulf at Orange Beach and we had our first visit
there in March, 2008. We have vacationed in the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach areas a
number of times and we really enjoy the area. The beaches are always great and there's
lots to do for the whole family. During this visit, the weather was too cool to enjoy the
Gulf water and the beach so, the heated swimming pools were a real treat.
The check in to the unit was a breeze, even though we came in late. Steve Gaydos, the
security guard, welcomed us with a great attitude and immediately I felt that we were
going to have a great stay. The next day we met Donna Davis in the office and we
couldn't have been in better hands. From Steve, Donna, and the others, to Anne Mitchell,
the property manager, the people were great.
There was no pressure to go through a sales pitch. There was a very nice man who set up
an appointment to come to our unit and tell us about Escapes and the new one scheduled
to open soon just down the street. He said that if we were interested in purchasing in
the new building or converting to points, which would allow us to use the new facility,
we could come by the office and set up an appointment. This was a very short, yet very
informative, visit.
The unit that we stayed in was on the ground floor in building A, so it was probably
damaged in the hurricane and had been renovated and was in great shape. We didn't get
to see other units but, given the attention that we saw being given by management, I
believe that this place is well taken care of. There was plenty of everything in the unit
and everything was clean.
The kitchen area was just a bit small but there was room for us to prepare meals and
everything worked great.
The only thing that didn't work was the wall jack for the fast internet connection. I called
the first night and the repair team showed up early the next morning and replaced the
jack.
The master bedroom was roomy and comfortable with a TV and has a comfortable king-
sized bed. The master bath was very roomy with plenty of storage and had a great
Jacuzzi as well as a large walk in shower with a bench. One important little touch that
you just don't see much was that they had installed coat hooks by the tub and also by the
shower. This has been such a problem in other timeshare condos over the years that we
had to buy over-the-door coat hooks to have a place to hang our makeup and shaving
kits. This bathroom had a large vanity with two lavatories and a large mirror. There was
plenty of drawer space to unload the suitcases into. There was one suitcase caddy in the
unit and it would have been nice to have more but, that's something that we've rarely
seen anyway.
The other bedroom had a comfortable, according to the adult couple that slept there,
queen-sized bed with ample storage. I didn't stay in this bedroom so, I can't remember if
it had a TV or not. The bathroom was not as roomy and had a tub/shower unit. There
were no complaints from the couple that stayed in this bedroom.
The pullout bed/couch in the living room slept two adults and, according to them, was
comfortable. There was no complaint of the dreaded sofa sleeper bar that we've had to
endure in other places, and it was comfortable as a couch as well.
The unit was well decorated and the furniture was positioned well and comfortable. We
were too busy getting ready for a wedding so we didn't get to check out the activities at
the unit this time but, we will next time.
We're looking forward to coming back next year and highly recommend the Escapes as a
great place to vacation.
