Ocean Reef ResortsReviews of oceanreefresorts.com

**Gulfside 1302 Hidden Dunes** **Tried to leave this review on their website for specific condo but they denied it from posting, very unprofessional and sketchy During our stay, we encountered several issues with the condo that significantly impacted both safety and overall quality. The most serious concern was the missing handle on the balcony door, which made it impossible to properly secure. Given that we were on the 13th floor with young children, this created a substantial safety risk. Although we reported the issue upon arrival, it remained unresolved for the duration of our stay. Cleanliness was also below expectations. We found hair throughout the unit, including clumps in the bathtub drain, and both showers drained poorly, resulting in standing water. In addition, there were multiple maintenance concerns: the dryer door would not stay closed unless forced, the master bathroom door handle was loose and nearly detached, and several drawers throughout the condo did not open smoothly. Closet doors were off track or nonfunctional upon arrival and required adjustment. While some of these issues were eventually addressed, doing so required maintenance staff to enter the unit on several days during our week-long stay, which was inconvenient and disruptive. Additionally, the unit did not include the advertised complimentary beach chairs. Guests should plan to bring their own or expect to incur additional rental costs through a third-party vendor. On a positive note, the Hidden Dunes property itself is well-maintained, family-friendly, and felt safe overall. However, the condition of this specific unit did not meet expectations, particularly given the premium summer rate. We would consider staying at Hidden Dunes again, but not in this unit. Families with young children should be especially cautious regarding the unresolved balcony door safety issue.

We rented this property through Ocean Reef Vacation Rentals. While the beachfront location was excellent, the condition of the home was completely inconsistent with the luxury rental portrayed in the listing and photos. During our stay we encountered numerous maintenance, safety, and security issues, including: • Multiple windows that would not close, leaving 1–2 inch gaps that had been stuffed with towels and washcloths. • Exposed electrical wiring at an exterior doorbell. • A nonfunctional elevator. • Exterior doors and balcony doors with broken or inoperable locks. • Extremely dirty and stained stairway carpet runners. • Flickering lights throughout the home that remained unrepaired despite multiple calls to management. • Ant activity throughout the property. • Uneven and heaved pool-deck pavers creating a tripping hazard. • Broken pool furniture. • Chipped and peeling paint throughout the home. • A noticeable smoke odor despite the property being advertised as non-smoking. Several of these issues involve basic safety, security, and maintenance concerns rather than normal wear and tear. We reported problems during our stay, but many remained unresolved. The attached photos accurately reflect the condition we encountered. Had we known the true condition of the property before booking, we would not have rented it. The location is outstanding, but the home's condition significantly diminished our vacation experience and did not justify the premium rental rate. All that said, Below is the essence of OCEAN REEF's feeble attempts to take care of identified issues; -Took days to address the doorbell, and once exposed wires were secured with new doorbell the repair person did not test for function, SO, the doorbell never worked during our stay. -the unsecured patio door was permanently shuttered by repair person, SO, there was no access to the balcony during our stay. -the flickering ceiling lights throughout property were never fixed, repair person showed up and realized needed much taller ladder, left and never heard from again, lights never repaired. -multiple windows with gaps, repair person showed up, looked at the windows and gave up -the non functioning tv CABLE BOX, was never repaired/replaced, instead a new REMOTE was provided which did not solve the original problem.

DO NOT BOOK WITH OCEAN REEF. There is no professionalism with this company.

1 Star – Be Careful Booking With Ocean Reef Unfortunately, our experience with Ocean Reef Resorts was extremely disappointing and significantly impacted what was meant to be a relaxing family holiday. We booked and paid for a 3-bedroom condo directly through Ocean Reef's website for our family of six. Upon arrival, we discovered that the third bedroom was actually a completely separate, externally accessed self-contained suite with no internal connection to the main condo. We were travelling with four young children, making the entire lower level and third bedroom unusable for our family. The listing referred to a "fully self-contained guest suite at beach level," however it did not clearly disclose that the suite was externally accessed only and completely non-interconnecting from the main residence. When we raised this immediately upon arrival, we were told that we should have known this from the 3D virtual tour. In our opinion, such a significant layout detail should be clearly disclosed within the written description and photos, not left for guests to discover through a virtual walkthrough. The issues did not stop there. During our stay we experienced: A faulty smoke alarm that repeatedly activated despite there being no smoke or fire. The issue remained unresolved for several days after being reported. A faulty door lock/keypad that left us locked out of the condo and unable to properly secure the property. Missing batteries from TV remotes. General cleanliness concerns, including dust and dirt under furniture and appliances. Long delays in communication from management, with emails regularly going unanswered for days despite repeated follow ups. To be fair, the maintenance staff who attended were polite and professional. However, the overall management response and customer service were extremely disappointing. We spent a significant portion of our holiday chasing responses and trying to resolve issues that should never have occurred in the first place. What frustrated us most was not necessarily any one issue, but the combination of issue after issue and the lack of timely communication or accountability from management throughout the stay. For the amount of money paid, the accommodation and service fell well below expectations. We rarely leave negative reviews, but we believe future guests deserve to be aware of our experience before booking. We will not be staying with Ocean Reef Resorts again.

Stay away from this place. First of all do not rent room at Westwinds 4758, it's a dump. Most importantly never use Ocean Reef to rent anything at all. Tons of things were broken on our arrival and they even try to charge us for a broken faucet we had told them about when we first arrived. They claimed they had refunded that but after more than a month we are still waiting. Also they told us that they were going to give us some money back for all the inconvenience during our stay. But just today they changed their mind even admitting that we really deserved a comp. Here's the letter: Ocean Reef Maintenance 8:44 AM (3 hours ago) to me "Dear O and V, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback regarding your recent stay at Westwinds 4758. We sincerely apologize for the inconveniences you experienced and appreciate you bringing these matters to our attention. We can confirm that the $100 charge related to the kitchen faucet has been fully refunded, as it was determined that the issue was reported properly during your stay. While we understand and regret that your experience did not meet expectations, after careful review, we are unable to offer any additional compensation beyond the refund already issued. We acknowledge the disruptions you encountered and are taking steps internally to ensure these types of issues are addressed more proactively in the future." So more SCAM that this I am not sure you can find anywhere else. Plenty of rental companies in the Destin area so please STAY AWAY FROM THIS ONE! Want more proof? Go look at their F rated BBB barrage of complaints! UNREAL.