Faxo's Retreat | Pet-Friendly + Outdoor/Kiddie Pools & Dock

Had a great stay. Close to the beach and everything else. Easy to get to and plenty of room for our family.

Property was exactly as described. We had our adult grandchildren and our 2 great grandchildren with us and there was plenty of room . I love all of the cabinet space in the kitchen and master bath. A special Kudos to Martin our host. He did an amazing job . He was very prompt to help and resolve any issues. I appreciate him going beyond his “ call of duty”. Thank you again Martin for your patience. We will be back next year!

We had some issues right from the start, but reaction to them was very good and once they were cleared up it was a great vacation! The house is very roomy, inviting, beds are great, master bathroom is huge! First time staying on the lagoon, the pool and the back deck are wonderful especially for morning coffee! Private and quiet back in that cul-de-sac. We would rent again!

The stay was unfortunately very disappointing from the moment we arrived. The most immediate issue was a strong odor of urine both inside the home and outside near the pool area, which made it difficult to feel comfortable settling in. It wasn’t a faint smell—it was noticeable and persistent, and it impacted the overall experience right away.As we looked around further, we noticed visible stains on the couches, curtains, and even some of the walls. This gave the impression that the home had not been properly cleaned or maintained between guests. Cleanliness is one of the most important factors when booking a rental, and this did not meet basic expectations.The outdoor area also fell short of what was advertised. The patio and exterior of the home did not appear freshly painted or well-kept, and there were rust stains throughout the patio space. Around the pool, there was litter in the sand, which raised additional concerns about upkeep and attention to detail.Overall, the condition of the property did not match the listing or the standard we expected for the price. While the location may have potential, the lack of cleanliness and maintenance made it hard to enjoy our stay. I hope the host takes steps to address these issues for future guests. (Urine stains on bed covers, old off white towels, dirty curtains, fridge, oven , pool, stained carpet in masters bedroom, spider webs, lights don’t work in kitchen or living room & the list goes on!)

Overall, the house was what we needed for an amazing spring break vacation! Traveling with 8 people and 2 dogs, there was plenty of room for everyone. The pool was nice, while its not heated, it was plently warm for late March/Early April. We enjoyed coffee on the deck every morning while watching pelicans diving into the water and fish jumping. Our teenage boys loved casting out off the dock and doing flips into the water. We all loved that everything was within walking distance- beach access areas all around, shopping, restaurants, ice cream shops, groceries (pro tip! The Pier 33 store on the corner was very expensive, best to venture to Walmart!). We did have to reach out to the property manager for new deck chairs as the chair that were provided were unusable. But within an hour we had a new set of chairs! The beds and linens were exceptionally comfortable. Our boys used the day beds and couch pull out every night as well. The in unit washer/dryer was wonderful to have as well.A couple things that would have enhanced our stay- a few more kitchen basics; oven mit, additional spoons, a cookie sheet and only half of the grill burners worked. Seems minor, but we cooked every meal at the house and these items would have been useful. The cleaniness of the home upon arrival was ok. It did not look to be vacuumed, didn't smell freshly cleaned, one of the doorwalls was left open and there were cigarette butts littering the yard.Overall, it was a nice home!

The property is in a convenient location; within a short distance to the beach, shopping and restaurants. Fantastic sunset views from the pier! The property could use some TLC at some point and it takes quite some time for the water to turn hot. Regardless, we had a nice time here!

Great place to stay. Definitely needs some updates but good location and we all had a great time.

2nd time staying and still one of the best places I have stayed in Gulf Shores. Private and great location for walking to the beach or hanging out by the dock. You don’t even have to drive anywhere. There is a store at the end of the neighborhood that has everything. We will stay again.

Place is beautiful. Quick response from owner everytime I sent a message. Definitely booking again for future vacations.

The property was perfect for our family. The house does need a few minor repairs, blinds, carpet, and maybe power washing the exterior. The only issue we had was the AC unit didnt cool very well. The bunkbed room stayed warm no matter the temp set on the AC.

Great location with beautiful views of the lagoon. The property is a little run down and needs some attention. Overall the stay was good.

My family had a great time fishing from the dock-caught lots of fish & 2 sting rays! The place was roomy & comfortable. Wish the heat on the pool was working, since the pool water can be cold in springtime. We also did the Dolphin Sunset Cruise with Cetacean Cruises through the discounted activities offered. It was great! We saw dolphins throughout the cruise, so many we couldn’t keep up with the count! And we saw an eagle!

We loved the location and all the attractions in the area. Very peaceful, great neighbors, and pet friendly, which was great. The cleaning lady does a very good job with what she has to work with BUT.... The pictures on the VRBO site are very outdated. We had a lot of issues:The carpeting in the bedrooms is disgusting. Stained and has chunks of something in it. Forget cleaning it - tear it out and put something pet-friendly in.The TV in the bedroom doesn't work. There were no batteries in the remotes and one remote didn't have a back to hold the batteries in place.The oven didn't work. We brought pizza's and had to leave them in the freezer when we left. The pool area was not at all what was shown in the pictures - very outdated and not cleaned. I swept the driveway, the patio area, and the steps. The shower in the master bath doesn't drain. The water accumulates around your feet.The hot water is unpredictable while showering - it gets real hot all of a sudden.The toilet in the master sounds like it is trying to fill all the time. Annoying at night. The washing machine stinks really bad - I cleaned around the rubber seal and pulled so much black mold and mildew out.The curtains in the bedrooms need to be cleaned - they are dirty and water stained. We had two dead roaches in one of the top bunk beds.Needless to say, we will not be a repeat customer.

We had a wonderful week here at Faxo's Retreat! We loved the that the back yard was fenced for our fur babies! The house was very nice for it's age. And its so peaceful. We sat on the deck and watched the sunset over the lagoon most nights. Beautiful!!! We will definitely stay there again.

Interior was clean enough but the entire place (both interior and exterior) could use some major TLC.