Excellent Choice for Visit to the Cape

Dear Barbie,
You have an absolutely gorgeous home! Even though the pictures are accurate, they still do not do it justice. It is very clean, stocked with all the amenities anyone would ever need, and so very comfortable! The price is right and definitely worth every penny! You were kind enough to let us bring our dog, Bailey, who loved running in the water. We walked on the Gulf of Mexico white sandy beach twice a day on our stay April 12-17, 2009 and saw a large family of dolphins just off shore (as close as 30 feet) each time. We ate at Gracie O'Malley's, the Dockside Inn at the Marina, and Papa Joe's. Papa Joe's was definitely the best: large quantities, reasonable prices, and popular with the locals. We walked on the .5 mile nature walk just before you entered the St Joe's State Park on your right, an absolutely gorgeous view of St. Joe's Bay.
We wished the Blue Mermaid was available for next year, but we can understand why it isn't. Barbie, you were very obliging in finding us another lovely home to rent and we thank you for your courtesy and tremendous customer service.
Thank you for a week in Paradise,

Wonderful little duplex beach house! Barbie (the owner) was very helpful with restaurant recommendations and things to do. It is a beach house, (<5 minute walk to the beach), so it is up on "stilts" - the main floor is 2 short flights of stairs up, so not appropriate for handicapped. The master and one other bedroom are on the main floor (each have one bed) and the loft is upstairs with 2 double sized futons (probably more appropriate for kids, who should love the spiral staircase). There are 2 full baths - the master has just a shower (no tub), and a full kitchen well stocked with pots, pans, dinnerware, etc.
When we arrived, the unit was very clean, nicely decorated, and charming. Our dogs loved the beach - we did twice daily long walks with them, and they didn't want to come back home!
The unit sits on the first part of Cape San Blas (where it juts out from the mainland), and is about a 10 minute drive from Port St Joe, and about 25-30 minutes to Apalachicola. There's a fairly large grocery store in Port St Joe (Piggly Wiggly) as well as more stores in Apalachicola, and a couple minimart kind of shops on the cape, as well as numerous places to get fresh seafood.
As we were there in October, the weather was great - about 68 in the morning, warming to about 83 in the late afternoon. We only had one day of rain while we were there. Just a couple notes: as with any beach property that's not directly ON the beach, mosquitoes can be quite aggressive as soon as you leave the beach, so don't forget the bug repellant. Also, in October, there is a grass that lets go of it's seed - a nasty little sticker called a "sand spur" - we learned quickly not to take the dogs out in the grass so we wouldn't have to pick the sand spurs out of their fur and from between their toes. Once we quit walking them in the grass, though - problem solved!
Anyway - we had a wonderful, very relaxing time; I understand the beach there is never very crowded, but when we were there, we often felt like we were on our own private beach. This is a spot not to be missed, and the Blue Mermaid is a great place to stay for a small family or a couple. Thanks again, Barbie!

We just got back from a weeks stay at The Blue Mermaid in Cape San Blas. This unit is awesome! It's beautifully decorated, but very homey at the same time. It included everything we needed which really cut down on the amount of "stuff" we had to bring with us. The only problem we had was with the beach umbrella. We had a really nice one at home that we could have brought, but since it mentioned having beach umbrellas we left it at home. There was a brand new umbrella in the storage room that had never been used, but unfortunately it was very cheaply made and barely made it through the week with regular use. I felt it necessary to replace it before we left so that the next family would have "something" to shield them from the sun. I would rather have spent the money on a t-shirt or something. :) The screened in porches saved us from the few mosquitos buzzing around and the fish cleaning station came in very handy while cleaning the scallops we collected one day. Happy Ours Kayak across the highway was a great choice for rentals on our scalloping adventure. They couldn't have been more helpful or convenient! We enjoyed visiting the lighthouse area. The gate and gift shop are open Wed. - Sat.(?). We also spent most of our "beach days" at St. Joseph Peninsula State Park. The water was very clear there during our stay. Lots of shells on all the area beaches!! We ate at Indian Pass Raw Bar (awesome), we made multiple stops for ice cream at Cone Heads (yummm), and drove into Apalachicola a couple of nights to dine at Papa Joe's. We saw our first "wild" alligator swimming around the docks there. All in all, a great, relaxing vacation.

This is a beautiful house--the decor is wonderful. The location is great...the screened porch? Great for sitting and eating dinner, as the sun sets over the bay...or sitting up rocking and catching up with family members!

The week my husband, sons, and I spent here was wonderful. The weather was less than cooperative, but we still enjoyed the beach (which we had to ourselves!- in JULY!) and the house.

The house has everything you might want-fully appointed kitchen with every appliance you may want/need. The owner has done a wonderful job decorating as well.

We used the grill below the deck nightly-what a wonderful convenience that that area was also screened in-made cooking so much more pleasant. Local shrimper in St. Joe's had the most incredible shrimp-we went back three times during the week,each time buying more!

Barbie, the owner, was so accommodating and helpful-she was willing to help us with any questions/requests as well.

Looking for a quiet, peaceful place to recharge your batteries? This is IT.

Looking forward to visiting again, hopefully soon.

It was a great place to visit, and the owner was very responsive to our needs and interests. Her home is filled with lovely and amusing mermaids, which adds to its charm. We were very comfortable, and found the short (3 minute) walk to the beach to be not a problem. The beach in May is amazingly empty of other people, but full of shells, birds, and porpoise. The home is close to kayaking, fishing, bird watching, sightseeing, and restaurants. The circular staircase to the loft was fun, but is not for older guests. The living and dining room are small for a party of 6 or more, but we made it work.

The blue Mermaid was wonderful...Perfectly set up if you have dogs or kids. We loved having the large decks off the back and the screened in porch up front. It was so quiet and peaceful, you could not help but be relaxed. The decor was beautiful, the bathrooms were nice and it was nice to have the sink and grill downstairs. A little bit of a walk to the beach, but worth it to be away from everyone, I think. The beds could have been a little more comfortable but otherwise everything was great. I highly recommend this rental.

Barbie, we wanted to add to the comments we put
in the guest book at the Blue Mermaid - the Blue
Mermaid was wonderful, beautifully decorated, with
every comfort of home. We could see the ocean or
St. Joe's bay from any window, and loved the
sundecks. The beach was great for walks and the
kids even went swimming regardless of the cold
snap. We loved our stay there, and thanks for all
your help finding the horseback riding places on
the beach and everything else!

Thank you so much Barbara for your warm hospitality. Our stay for the months of January and February was the most relaxing vacation we have ever had. The house had everything we needed. The day you greeted us you gave us some scallops you caught in the gulf and they were absolutely delicious. I would definitely recommend your property to anyone who is looking for peace and quiet during the winter months.