SMUGGLER'S COVE CONDO

I have been staying with my family at this property for over 10 years. We have been coming to Fort Myers Beach for more than 20 years. It is with a heavy heart that I will be saying goodbye to Smuggler's Cove. I've noticed in the last few years the property has been declining in appearance as well as maintenance and upkeep while the rates have increased. You can tell there are problems from within as there has been at least 3 or 4 different maintenance supervisors in as many years as well as general mangers. To be fair, I will provide the pros as well as the cons. Ultimately the growing cons made this year our last. Pros Great Gulf Views - Located right on the beach and only 50 yards to the water provides great views of the gulf and sunsets from every room. Great Amenities -Units are fully stocked with everything you need to have a great week. Wi-Fi and Cable TV are included. Some units have smart TVs. Not every room is updated or furnished the same way. Every unit has 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms,kitchen, living area and screened in lanai. Use the website and choose wisely. Grilling area is big and very nice to use. There are 4 grills and a couple tables to use. There is an onsite laundry mat that now has credit card readers installed instead of coin slots. Unfortunately this is the best upgrade that I've see here in the last 10 years. There are loads of lounge chairs for guests to use on the grass area only. I've never see them all used. Plenty for everyone. The pool is heated and is fairly large. Close to Publix - During busy weeks this is nice to avoid having to drive very far to get groceries. Ample Parking - Plenty of spots and some are covered associated with the unit rented. Efficient Office Staff - While some may not appreciate the front office staff, I have grown to like them fairly well. They are easy to deal with on the phone and in person as long as you know what you want. Cons Some units are very dated and in need of upgrades badly. Check the website and view the units before booking. Units are in need of maintenance or repair. Even some of the newly updated units we have stayed in, including his year, have electrical problems like outlets that don't work or look like they have been way to hot. Light switches that do not appear to turn anything on or off. Slow draining sink or bathtub. Hard to open lanai doors. Units are not as clean as they used to be. Recently, the property switched to a different cleaning company and I have been able to tell a big difference. The units don't smell as fresh, the floor has been sticky, mold was found on shower curtain, and the under bed area had obviously not swept in a long time.You can just tell they are taking shortcuts or hurrying too much. There was multiple areas this year that were blocked off by caution tape. Repairs had been started but nothing ever changed through the week. The community room that is used for card parties and a cocktail hour had blue tape across the glass doors because they apparently didn't work or the management didn't what them open. The yellow caution tape and blue tape was view-able from the beach and not very appealing. The pool is nice but it is behind the main building in the middle of the parking lot. Your view from the pool is the backside of the buildings. The pool bathroom was disgusting at times. I have walked in to see a toilet full of waste before. The grills are in need of replacement. A couple of them had serious rust on the inside and outside. There was a lot of buildup inside the grill that would flame up at times. Easily put out with some water but the build up should not be there. It's easy to get rid of. The walkway to the beach was cleaned off maybe once a day. Sand would build up through the day and be tracked everywhere. I saw pets for the first time this year. I even got to see some pet "evidence". Trash cans were overflowing. They were only emptied once a day that I could tell. The water at the shower and foot wash area ran constantly. Nothing was ever done to repair the faucet that stuck. Elevators at this property are very slow and frequently go out of service Seaweed! Lots of seaweed build up directly in front of the property. However, if you walk 100 yards in either direction there is very little. I'm not sure if the other properties are pushing theirs our way or if it just collects. Regardless, maintenance didn't seem worried about it. There were times that we couldn't even get into the water without walking through mounds of seaweed over a foot high. This used to be a really great place to spend a week. The outside area used to be really well kept and clean. The grills were always spotless. The trash was taken out multiple times a day. Units were spotless. Smuggler's Cove is still an OK spot but it's heading in the wrong direction fast. I'm not sure exactly why the owners are allowing this to happen. We spoke to multiple owners during our stay that were not happy with how things were changing for the worse and told us not to be discouraged. Unfortunately for my family and I, this year was our last. We will return to Fort Myers Beach, just not to Smuggler's Cove.…

Date of stay: March 2019

Rooms

Cleanliness

Service

Trip type: Traveled with family

Room Tip: Check the website to see what room you are getting. Covered, dedicated parking is really nice.

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Not smoke free

We have stayed here several times. A nice condo, not large, but comfortable. Beautiful beach, nice pool, but they allow smoking on the lani. If you are above a smoker trying to sit on your lani, it is as tho they are blowing smoke in our face. When we brought it to the mgnt attention, she said that because some owners smoke, they were not able to do anything about it. It also can have some loud partyers. The walls are not real solid, so there is some noise.

Date of stay: March 2019Trip type: Traveled as a couple

BEYOND TERRIBLE OFFICE STAFF

If I could rate the staff at the front desk (the blonde/white haired woman and the reddish/brown haired woman) with a zero i would. I had just driven across the country with plans on checking into the condo i thought i had reserved until May for work and was treated terribly. Upon arrival, they told me the condo was rented for the month. I was in shock. I said there had to be some confusion bc I was renting for the next 5 months. I pulled up my "lease" to show them and they wanted nothing to do with looking at it. They started laughing and said clearly you aren't bc this condo is taken. I felt my world closing in. I had driven over 1000 miles and put $3000 down on a deposit only to find out it was a scam. I wanted to cry. These two women were the most disrespectful humans I have EVER met. I said there had to be some mistake. As they continued to laugh, they said the only mistake I made was being dumb enough to send a deposit without seeing the place and that I would not be a guest at the Smuggler's Cove. Then they told me to leave as they laughed "you got scammed" as I walked out of the front door. I asked if they had any suggestions and they replied "nope". These two woman COMPLETELY LACK human decency. I would NEVER AGAIN step foot at that establishment. Those two women should be fired for how they treated me. I have worked in Hospitality my entire life and would never imagine treating another person that way. I hope one day the tables are turned and they find themselves on the other side of this terrible incident.…

Date of stay: January 2019

Service

Trip type: Traveled on business

Amazing location!!!

Stayed for a week with my husband and two daughters in 6b6 and had an amazing time! The condo is perfect! Clean, updated, great pool, with everything you could want or need! Great memories made, the location is amazing and we even got to see four dolphins playing in the ocean from the deck!! Would love to stay again!!

Date of stay: August 2018Trip type: Traveled with family

Great except for their elderly maintenance worker

We have stayed here numerous times over the years. Our unit was as expected- clean, updated, and reasonably stocked. All was going well until the end of the week, when we observed this maintenance worker fussing at families around the pool area during the day. His demeanor seemed unprofessional and unnecessary. Apparently he randomly decided not to allow flotation devices of any kind - although there had been, for example, a stack of noodles available all week on the pool deck and in use. The signage certainly made no reference to these, and his explanation didn't appear to ring true with pool experts who were asked about his reasoning. That's a shame to have such a staff member with poor customer skills ruin a vacation.

Date of stay: July 2018

Location

Cleanliness

Service

Trip type: Traveled with family