We made a reservation at Sunset Paradise for a nice Mother's Day week since this was the first beach vacation place we stayed at after our daughter was first born and we've stayed in other units at this complex during the following years and had a great time. It is also a smaller complex, which means less people and crowds and it was an easy walk to our favorite restaurant, Guppies, which is right across the street. So, we booked it through Florida Lifestyles Vacation Rentals and were looking forward to a relaxing family beach vacation. While the check-in process is rather pointless for this unit given that it is a keyless entry, we drove to the Florida Lifestyles Vacation Rental Office a few miles away, picked up our packet and headed to Sunset Paradise. Pulling it, the complex was just like we remembered with easy undercover parking, elevator to the floors, crystal clear pool with a spa and the beautiful Indian Rock beach waiting for us. Unfortunately, this is where the great beach experience ends.
As we entered the unit, we noted a strong musty odor coming from the unit and it was quite muggy inside. So, after checking the AC thermostat, which was set at 78 degrees, we turned it down. We then noticed that the musty odor had become increasingly worse and that there was dust blowing out from the AC vent in the main living room. We checked the AC filter and found it clogged with dust and hair, so we changed it with no issues since there were extras in the hall closet. The AC vents throughout the entire unit were black with dirt and mold with the exception of the one in the laundry room which had black mold growing across the ceiling in front of it as well. Sand in the couches, leftover food on the floor, both bedroom windows with mold growing along the caulk line, cracked walls, a dirty refrigerator and drywall mud falling from the bathroom ceiling rounded out the issues. Let's be realistic, this unit is in dire need of updating and cleaning.
Needless to say, we did NOT spend any more time in this unit and immediately contact the renting agency. Unfortunately, it was afterhours for them, which meant we were left playing phone-tag with several of their employees, but from what we last heard the agency did have a cleaning crew tend to the unit. Apparently it took them THREE days to clean it, so fingers crossed that the issues we had are no longer present and no one has to see, smell or experience what we did.
