We really enjoyed our mini 4 night vacation at this rental on Crystal Beach. The rental was CLEAN, easy to access, well appointed and a perfect cozy spot for my family and our 2 dogs. It is a very short walk down to the beach, but there is also car access here, and we took advantage of both. I was afraid, given it was Spring Break, we would have A LOT of traffic using the road to cut through to the beach, but all of the Spring Break crowd stayed down towards the Zoo, and it was a non issue. The house itself is comfy and well appointed. The kitchen has your basic necessities, stainless steel pots and pans, non-stick electric griddle, and standard drip coffee maker, which got a workout thanks to some unseasonably cold and windy weather. We couldn't find a can opener, so we donated one courtesy of "The Big Store". Despite the weather we also took advantage of the spacious entertaining area below the house. We set up a traveling gas heater and warmed up the area and even sat around the fire together and had one of our meals down there...and that with a rather rambunctious north wind howling across the peninsula. The old offset smoker that was already on premises has definitely seen better days....beach houses and iron grills don't seem to have lasting relationships.
I give a overall five star rating, but I think it is important to make note that this is a very narrow part of Bolivar, and as a result, you are fairly close to Hwy 87. The road noise is definitely noticeable when you are downstairs, but considerably less so when you are inside the house. Also, the beach is quite narrow to the dunes in this area (thanks Ike). About 1/2 of of the days we were there, the beach was covered by unusually high spring tides and largely unaccessible from this drive-in point. The waves were essentially lapping the foot of the dunes, and I chose not to drive on it that day, despite having a 4 wheel drive vehicle. I might also point out that there is not an area below the house to secure any belongings that you do not wish to leave unattended. I carry surf fishing tackle with me and chose to lock up my rods and reels and tackle bags inside my truck vs carry it up the stairs each day, problem solved. The only suggestion I have for the house is to upgrade to some heavier blinds, to better darken the bedrooms and muffle what little of the road noise remains there.
I want to give this rental another go during warmer months, and the dogs agree.