Liar, Liar, Liar: Your pants are on Fire.
I specifically requested a room on the Gulf.
I requested that I would be directly on the beach.
If you consider getting in your car, driving one mile, across the bridge, then parking and unloading your beach stuff and then walking to the beach: on the Gulf. Then go for it.
Not only are the pictures deceiving, but the sales agent that booked the room for me told me that I was on the Gulf. I have e-mails to prove it.
I am incensed!!! I only have three days to enjoy the beautiful white sandy beaches of Florida, and Caribe Resort has ruined that for me and my children. Teenage boys do not want to stay cooped up in the room all day. They want to be on the beach. But now they have to be driven to the beach. All I can say is this is the worst vacation of my life. What a waste of money.
Liar, Liar, Liar: Your pants are on Fire!

Just returned from a week in Orange Beach/Gulf shores. Overall our vacation was a very positive experience. We had never been in this area before but had heard nice things about it.
We decided to spurge and stay at the Caribe Resort and were not disappointed at all, this place is first class all the way. The pictures from their web site didn't lie at all. From the minute we walked in the door of our condo our jaws dropped to the floor, it was beautiful, well furnished and spacious. We stayed in D901, from the balcony we could see the ocean, the bay and the pools.
I recommend Jake's Steakhouse in Orange Beach, our steaks were cooked just the way we ordered and were very tender. We also drove up to Foley and ate at Lamberts Cafe what an experience, kids loved it and the food was really good.
For fun we went to Adventure Island and the Track, both were alot of fun. And by all means drive over to Pensacola and visit The Naval Aviation Museum, this is also home to the Blue Angels, who practice Tuesday and Wednesday. One day we went to the beach and discovered jelly fish all over the beach so decided not to get in but overall the beach was very nice, real soft sand and clean water.

The Caribe was beautiful and absolutely a great vacation. We stayed June 2 through the June 9th 2007. The place was immaculate with a ton of amenities. The condo (a two bedroom) was as advertised. Huge with all the newest appliances and the balcony was large enough to lay out in the morning or hold a small party. Our two children (12 and 9) loved the pools and the lazy river. The fear of not being on the beach should not scare you away, the trolley is convienent and makes the 2 minute ride fun. I cannot say enough, our trip was awesome!!

Our family of 4 stayed here March 31st through April 4th (just returned home today). This is one of, if not the nicest condos we have stayed at!

The Room: We rented unit 809D from Meyer Real Estate. It was fabulous! tile floors throughout, Huge Kitchen with KitchenAid appliances, wet bar with ice maker and wine cooler, Master with a King, and Guest bedroom with a Queen.

The View: Our view was absolutely gorgeous. we had views of The bay all the way into Florida, The glistening Gulf of Mexico, and Ono Island. We had a special treat of getting to see Dolphins right outside our balcony. There wasn't a day we didnt see them, and the day that we left we saw two young ones playing right near the balcony. An unforgettable experience. Here's a tip: the higher the floor, the better the view, and we were on the 8th floor.

The Complex: There's plenty to do here. Each building has it's own Indoor pool, hot tub, and Fitness room, with 3 more outdoor pools, two three-tiered and one two-tiered, 4 waterslides (all of which the boys said were fun) 2 saunas, one wet one dry, and a very long lazy river, as well as there own beautiful atriums, with 4 high speed elevators (never waited more than a minute, and they were 13 story buildings). Plenty of parking as well, with 1 spot assigned to each building, along with guest parking.

The Location: Alot of people see the fact that it is not ocean front is a downside, but in our families opinion, it's a positive. The ocean is a 5 minute walk under the bridge, plus most rooms have a view of it. We like the view of a bay or intracoastal better, since we love watching boats go by, so not only a perfect location, but we didn't have to pay the premium to be ocean front!

The Price: It is not a secret that Caribe is a exclusive property, and an expensive one to that. here's my tip to you: do not rent onsite. Try to look into property management companies that have deals (we got in on a 4 nights for the price of 3 deal) even though you have to pay the $20 parking pass and $20 for the fitness center (which is optional, only if you use it), it is definitely less expensive than renting onsite.

Overall, we had a great time at the Caribe. There were no major downfalls to it, and I definitely recommend it to anyone going to the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach/Perdido Key area. Feel free to send me a message with any questions you have, I will be glad to answer them.