Bender Vacation Rentals - Gulf Shores, Alabama

Steve Murrell

Originally we had reservations on Marco Island, but because of hurricanes Helene and Milton we had to change plans. We stayed at P102 Island Royal. Beautiful views and quiet beach. Very clean and everyone was polite and accommodating. Only short drives to restaurants, shopping, and anything else you might want to do. The pool was a little small and needed some work on the hot tubs, but we didn’t come for that we came for the beach, so we are happy with our stay. The Bender team was extremely helpful and took care of whatever we needed quickly..
We will be back to stay again.

Vivian Van Dyke

Stayed at Phoenix Gulf Shores September 8-12th. Bender Vacation Rentals managed the unit we were in and I can say they were awesome with every aspect. Always prompt on answering texts and keeping us informed. Had rented another unit in different complex and had issue with balcony going to be worked on while there. The managing company (VACASA) was horrible to deal with in trying to get a refund. So I definitely appreciate Bender and all they did to make our trip enjoyable!!

Colleen Hall

The placement of 8C at the Sandpiper can't be beat! On the top floor and facing the water, with its own private balcony (absolutely loved the glider and Adirondack chairs for morning coffee and sunset viewing) as well! The large windows facing the water in the main living space is such a great feature. Loved the large, comfy sectional in the living room and all the kitchen amenities/utensils offered. There is a Keurig and every dish/pan we could have ever needed. My party consisted of 2 older adults, two younger adults, and a toddler. All of us slept very well, and the toddler loved the bunk with the ladder to climb up! There was plenty of storage/dresser/closet space and the unit was very clean. We had zero issues during our stay, and loved the sense of community that this complex offers. There's nothing like it! We all made friends at the shared pool and loved having everything just steps away from the front door. I would also like to mention that Bender was very accommodating to us, as we arrived late and also needed to have something delivered to us while vacationing. They made our week run smoothly and were very pleasant to deal with.

Eric Jackson

This was our first time using Bender Vacation Rentals. We couldn't have been more pleased with our experience. The condo was wonderful. Bender Associate, Marylyn was extremely helpful with our check-in process. She also assisted with our request to extend our stay for one extra day. She was wonderful! We had a very minor issue with our television service. An extremely nice and courteous maintenence technician from Bender responded within a few hours and resolved the issue!
Fantastic experience!!

Frances Currie

I had a great stay at Sandpiper through Bender Realty. Bender was very responsive to my calls about the incoming hurricane and the check in process was so simple. The condo was clean and as advertised. Great stay!

Meredith Kreisle

The best way to describe this place is adequate. The price you pay is for the beach view. Our room itself was aesthetically pleasing with comfortable beds and great view. The place as a whole had several issues. When we arrived the place had a strange odor to it that lasted a couple of days. Also within a few minutes of walking on the floor after our arrival our feet were completely black to the point we had to walk around in shoes for the entirety of the stay. The floors had maybe been swept but definitely not mopped or cleaned well. Almost every dish we pulled out of the cabinets had some kind of residue on them resulting in us having to rewash every dish we used before using it. The kitchen table was also off balance and wobbled every time someone put their hands on it. There was also a broken piece of furniture sitting in the corner of the outside balcony.
Our biggest issue was the sliding door to the balcony overlooking the beach. When we arrived we very quickly realized it did not lock. As a family staying there with a 2 year old, who learned how to open the door very quickly, this was a big issue. We called as soon as we discovered the issue and a maintenance man came up to our room. He wasn’t able to fix the problem with the tools he had so he let us know he would come back and fix it that day. He informed us they were able to get in without us being there so we were free to leave. By the time we arrived back at our condo that evening the lock was still not fixed and there was no notice to us as to why it wasn’t fixed yet. With our plan to have the children sleep in the bunk beds in the hall this made our situation even scarier. The 2 year old could easily go out to the balcony in the middle of the night and climb on furniture and go over the railing. Because of this concern we called the emergency line. It took multiple calls back and forth before we were notified someone was coming up to look at the lock again. When the on-call maintenance man arrived he brought a 2x4 to wedge between the door so it could not slide. It worked for the child not to be able to open the door but unfortunately it didn’t allow the adults to open the door either. It was very difficult to get the board in and out of the doorway. So while our safety concern was fixed for the time being, our new issue was we could not enjoy the balcony view that we paid for. Where a lock we could easily open and close the door as we pleased to enjoy the view. We were informed that someone would come the next morning to fix the actual lock mechanism so we could properly use the door. When no one showed again in the morning we called and they were under the assumption that the issue had been resolved. We explained it had not and they sent another person up to the room while we were gone. They notified us that the entire handle had to be replaced and they could not find the part. So in its place they created a makeshift lock that was out of the children’s reach. This worked essentially like a lock on a door would. Having to make multiple calls about a major safety issue is a big problem in my eyes. It seemed like there was a lot of miscommunication between the staff and I did not feel like they were taking my concerns seriously. I would have also appreciated them communicating with us more on what their plans for resolving the issue versus us returning to our room to find the issue not fixed. We were given a very small refund for the trouble we went through. But it was just that, very small, compared to the tragedy that could have occurred if the issue was not fixed. And we still had to pull tooth and nail to have it somewhat fixed during our stay.
Overall the place looked like it would be a great place to stay to the eye but after staying for a few days it did not make us want to stay again and we would not recommend this place to other people.

Nikki Blackwood

Best rental service I’ve ever used. Their properties are clean. Wonderful customer service. I’ll always use Bender when in the area! They also text and check on their customers regularly!

We’ve stayed at Sandpiper 14c and 8C. Both excellent!

Christina Mahl

The only issue was that the king bed actually had sand on the sheets under the comforter...I just washed everything myself and did notify the office later, it was just easier.