Indian Shores Vacation Rental condo

My wife and I, along with our 2 children (3 and 8) and my mother-in-law spent 9 days at this condo in June 2009. The location is perfect - 40 minutes from Tampa Int'l Airport, 10 minutes north of John's Pass and 20 minutes south of Clearwater Beach. The condo building is clean and well-maintained; it is an open-air courtyard style building with 2 elevators and covered, reserved parking. The pool area is very nice and gives you direct access to the sandy beach. There are gas grills and tables/chairs if you'd like to make dinner by the pool. There were lots of families with young children and teens.

The condo has three bedrooms (2 king rooms and a room with 2 twins). The master has a walk-in closet and master bathroom. The room has direct access to the balcony. The furnishings and bedding are basic. The bedding is a bit worn and could use a good cleaning. The king size bed has a pillow top mattress so if you need a more firm mattress (like me), then you'll want to skip this room and move into the 2nd king bed room with the bathroom (shower only) just outside the door. We found the shower curtain in the master suite covered in mold and in obvious need of cleaning or replacement.

The kitchen is pretty basic, rather dated, and in need of an upgrade. There was a mix of utencils, flatware, glasses, pot/pans, and plates. It reminded me of a college apartment - functional but not pretty.

There is a washer and dryer which was used every day so bring your laundry soap. You'll also need to bring beach towels as these are not included in the condo. There were beach chairs, a beach umbrella, and numerous pool toys (floats and boogy boards).

There were lots of extra pillows but no pillow cases that we could find.

Melody (the rental agent/owner) was very responsive, friendly, and helpful.

Overall, we rated the condo a 4 out of 5. It could be a 5 with a little more attention to detail and cleanliness, and after an upgrade/update to this condo. However, for the rental price, I do not think you'll be disappointed if you keep your expectations in line with price. This is a good deal and we recommend it for those seeking a budget vacation. Thank you, Melody. We enjoyed our stay.