Starfish Wishes

We stayed for a week and it was great! We would definitely stay here again. The walk to the beach was about a quarter of a mile so you need a wagon to carry everything. Overall the house and neighborhood were great!

Unfortunately our stay was clouded by the fact that the bedding, namely the top quilts and decorative pillows were filthy. I had to wash 3 quilts so my family could sleep that night. Benchmark sent the house keeping manager round the next day to collect the remaining dirty quilts/pillows and agreed the house was in need of a deep clean. This house does not have a second set of quilts to swap out. It must have been months since they were laundered. There was a comforter in the master wardrobe that was also stained. I also showed the house keeping manager the trash that had been left behind the bedside table in the bunk bed room. There was a lot of trash left from the previous guests which we had to drag out for pickup.
I wrote to benchmark detailing my complaint and attached photos but I did not get a reply. Pretty disapppointing all round. The kitchen is well equipped, clean and tidy. Pool was very close which was great. Beach is a hot walk away if you are carrying beach chairs and towels so we dropped our stuff off in the car first then biked back to the beach. The cowgirl cafe was surprisingly good even though it was very busy. Market village cafe was also very good.

Love the neighborhood and the house was what was promised and expected. The one thing that was disappointing and cost us more - was the grill was rotted out and not useable. We like to cook in and grill and had to go out most every night.

Manager's Response

We enjoyed this house and neighborhood. It is in a great location (between the two pools) on a quiet street. We were very glad to have the two screened in porch areas. The outdoor shower was very helpful to have with young children. The kitchen had all the cookware and storage containers we needed and was of good quality. We would gladly stay here again!

Manager's Response

This was our first time renting a house, while visiting Florida, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Starfish Wishes was such a great place. We had more than enough room for 7 people and I loved the location. I would highly recommend this house and area.

Manager's Response

We loved this darling cottage. The porches and open living areas were such a draw. We spent many an hour on the back porch with friends and grilling. Loved this little gem!

Manager's Response

We loved this darling cottage. The porches and open living areas were such a draw. We spent many an hour on the back porch with friends and grilling. Loved this little gem!

Manager's Response

My husband and I came to Seaside for a wedding--couldn't have picked a better place to stay! It was perfect and the fireplace outside was the icing on the cake for our November stay!

Manager's Response

I am from Birmingham, AL and grew up coming to the beaches of Walton County and now live in New York City. I wanted a home setting in this lovely part of the world for a family reunion with my sons, my mom and step-dad, aunt and close family friends to meet my sweetie from NYC (who had never been to these beaches) and Starfish Wishes was absolutely perfect! No we all did not stay in the house it was just five us us the rest of the crew had their own accomodations close by, but the open kitchen, screened porch and deck with fire place and grill offered the perfect setting for a cookout with the family and it meant so much to me to have a place to host this large group and feel like a family again. We loved it and hope to book it again next year!

Manager's Response

Starfish Wishes is indeed a "cozy" cottage - a little bit small, but the layout is perfect. It's nice to have the back porch for dropping off things when coming in from the beach. The interior was clean as could be, but the exterior could do with some power washing / clearing of leaves & pine needles. The Queen bed was mushy and the King hard as a rock, but the linens were nice and felt new. We LOVED having the bikes. We had a few minor issues come up during the week for which we had to contact the property service and they responded very quickly and courteously. This neighborhood is so lovely and truly relaxing.

Manager's Response

We can't wait to come back! The house and bikes were exactly what was shown online. Easy access to Seaside and beach - wonderful vacation!

The house and location could not have been better!