A Review of Beachfront Florida Motel (Booked on Vacasa via Wyndham Points)

See our Advertiser Disclosure and Editorial Note here.

I’ve written about the new partnership between Wyndham and Vacasa a few times, and finally had a chance to stay in one property over the weekend. The experience was mostly positive, but there were some negatives as well. Overall, the entire process handled by Vacasa team was relatively smooth, and I look forward to redeeming my Wyndham points towards another rental.

With that, let’s get into the review itself. I booked a three-night stay in the second unit of Two Mermaids resort, located in Treasure island near Clearwater beach (link to Vacasa listing). I paid 15k Wyndham points per night, a total of 45k points for three nights. That seems to be the minimum stay requirement for this particular place, except for holiday weeks.

The “resort” part of the name is a total misnomer, but I knew that from looking at the photos. This place is most definitely an old motel, but a motel that’s located right on the beach.

In fact, the beach is the only reason to stay here in the first place. And it didn’t disappoint!

Soft sand, clear water, relatively few crowds. What’s not to like? My blood pressure is going down just looking at the photos of our trip. It really is beautiful. I actually called my mom in Belarus (where it’s cold and dreary right about now), and gave her a beach tour via video chat. She was able to hear the birds, the sound of the ocean waves, the whole enchilada. She is a total beach fanatic, and really appreciated the scenery.

It’s a little bit of a walk from the motel itself, but nothing terrible.

I liked the fact that there are picnic tables and lounges right next to the apartments.

 We were fortunate to have a good weather during our stay, though it was a bit windy.

The review of our unit

The reason I didn’t book the first unit that faces the picnic area was twofold. The second unit had a chair, plus I was concerned that there would be people gathering well into the night with our living room windows facing all the action. In retrospect, I wish I would have gone with the beachfront unit, so we would have a little bit of a view. But hindsight is 20/20.

That said, our apartment was relatively nice, and the photos on Vacasa.com matched reality 100%. The whole check-in process was also very smooth. I got a text with a lockbox code, and that was it. Below are some photos.

The decor was on the kitschy side, and had old Florida vibes. I liked it, but it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. The two window a/c units worked well, but I imagine they struggle to cool the place in the summer.

The king-size bed  was comfortable.

The bathroom was quite small, but good enough.

Now, let’s get to the negatives. The towels were scratchy, and the linens were a bit worn out (just as you would expect in a motel). The kitchen had only a few dishes in it, definitely not enough for a family of four. I wouldn’t consider those things to be deal breakers. We have stayed in Florida state cabins, and enjoyed them. This apartment was definitely nicer by comparison.

There were two things that will probably prevent me from returning, however. One, when we got into the apartment, I’ve noticed that bed sheets didn’t seem clean. There was some sand on them, and I found hair. Yuck. This is something I absolutely won’t tolerate, so I called Vacasa.

I was promptly connected to an agent who promised to pass on my complaint to the property caretaker The latter texted me a few minutes later, and told me how to get clean sheets from a linen closet located on the property. I was happy with the resolution, but we got there around 4:30 pm.

If this happened after a late flight, it would be a huge annoyance. Unfortunately, it seems that having used sheets is a relatively common occurrence, even in  nice hotels. It’s a pet peeve of mine, but it is what it is. I was able to fix the situation, and didn’t let it ruin my trip. I was impressed by how quickly Vacasa took care of everything, and it gives me confidence to book with them in the future.

Another thing I didn’t like was the fact that the motel is located close to a relatively busy road, and you can hear the traffic from the bedrooms. We brought the fan with us, and it did drown the noise some. It wasn’t terrible, but light sleepers should probably stay away.

The motel is on the left

Another thing that will probably prevent me from staying here as a family is the fact that my daughter didn’t find sleeping on the couch to be comfortable. This one is not the fault of the resort, as we booked a one-bedroom unit and knew what we were getting into.

Unfortunately, our kids are getting bigger. She didn’t complain too much, just requested that in the future  we get a rental where she can have a real bed, if at all possible. I told her I won’t always be able to do that, but will do my best to accommodate her.

Thankfully, my son is still happy to sleep on an air mattress. For now.

Attending Sandhenge festival 

The main reason I booked this particular rental was because it’s located within walking distance from a Sandhenge festival, held annually on Treasure island.  It’s a pretty cool event, with various food vendors and attractions for kids, plus a giant slide on site. They even have amazing fireworks show right on the beach on Saturday night.

But the real stars of the show are unique sand sculptures.

My cousin-in-law and her kids drove up to attend the festival with us, and we all had a blast. Since the rental itself doesn’t have a pool or other amenities, this gave the kids something fun to do, besides just playing in the sand.

Bottom line

All in all, we had a fantastic weekend. This rental wasn’t fancy, but it was most definitely good enough. Once again, location location location! This is one of the best beaches in Florida, at least in my opinion. Plus, it’s located only 35 minutes from Tampa airport, in case you are flying in.

So, no complaints. We got to relax and order restaurant food delivery via Uber Eats and Doordash (my referral link, get $10 off your first three orders). And I was able to use Wyndham points instead of real cash, which is always a win in my book.

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