Thank You Letter from a Happy Vacation Rental Guest

One of the greatest joys of owning a vacation rental is hearing about all the wonderful memories families have created within our home. I simply love connecting with our guests, and establishing friendships through the common bond of a home and community we've all come to love. If the walls of Summer Dream could talk, I know they would tell us some beautiful stories. With permission from our guest, I'm sharing Labor Day memories at Summer Dream....

The Stark Family travelled from different locations to meet up at WindMark Beach. Summer Vacation Home features a unique layout with private suites connected by porches and decks ~perfect for family reunions!

WOW! We’re back from a truly amazing weekend at your SUMMER DREAM house in WindMark Beach and I want to take some time to send you a note to thank you for sharing your beautiful home. While we were anticipating a beautiful “rental property”, Summer Dream is clearly a home and it felt like that the minute we arrived. From the décor to the layout to the furnishings to the smallest of touches (including the guest books and the fantastic album of restaurant options, things to do, etc), Summer Dream was just that ~ a “SUMMER DREAM”, and WindMark is truly a treasure!

We loved the quiet and peacefulness of the beach and neighborhood, the always available bikes and kayaks, the extremely well kept grounds and the quality of the boardwalks, benches, bike racks, pool, landscape, etc., etc., etc.

Quick summary: It was a wonderful weekend filled with a combination of relaxation, celebrations (our wedding anniversary, my daughter’s birthday, and my birthday), giggles over time issues at WindMark (**cell phones kept switching back and forth from Central to Eastern time!), and fun in the sun ...

Ghost Crab on WindMark Beach

We enjoyed walks on the beach, floating in the ocean and discovering a multitude of sand dollars, watching the jelly fish (from afar), observing a trio of dolphins playing in the ocean, flying a kite on the beach, saw a ghost crab walking up on the sidewalk/bike path (thanks to a book in your home, confirmed the name of the creature!), sunsets on the beach, kayaking, biking, time at the voluminous pool, making meals together in the gourmet kitchen...relaxing on the porch with the porch swing, and simply put: spending time together. It’s time we always cherish and our weekend at Summer Dream will definitely be a treasured memory.

We do have one negative comment: The days just weren’t long enough, and our time at Summer Dream was too short!! This past weekend truly is a memory our family will forever treasure and we thank you so much for the opportunity.

Thank you to all our guests who visited this Summer and throughout the years we've owned the home. The pleasure is truly ours to welcome you to Summer Dream in WindMark Beach.


** Cell phone coverage is dicey at Summer Dream because it is rural community located at the Eastern/Central Time Zone line. To make it easier to call your friends and family who couldn't join you, Summer Dream provides FREE long distance calling and WIFI.

NEW Virtual Tour of Summer Dream Vacation Rental in WindMark Beach

Check out our new virtual tour of Summer Dream Vacation Rental in WindMark Beach in Northwest Florida from Panhandle 360!
The most luxurious porch bed swing is calling me home!
In celebration of our new partnership with Pristine Properties, we are offering 15% off ALL Fall rentals through the end of October!!

Your SUMMER DREAM awaits this Fall in WindMark Beach.

Peace and Solitude at WindMark Beach

Ahhhh, peace and solitude .... a true getaway from it all vacation at WindMark Beach.
Your SUMMER DREAM awaits anytime of year at the WindMark Beach Idea House....

Many thanks to "pltjaden" (YouTube screen name) for capturing the serene beauty of WindMark Beach, and for posting it for all to enjoy.

Summer Dream Porch - "A totally sexy place to hang out"

"No matter how many years I've worked with designers and showhouses, I'm always surprised to see the finished product. I've poured over the floorplans of this house, studied the board presentation by Dale Trice, had numerous conversations about this outdoor furniture by Frontgate, but still, when I walked into this house

it took my breath away.

I'd somehow not remembered that there would be curtains on these porches, nor rugs, and I loved how cozy and inviting this seating arrangement was. It's on the breezeway, which they call the dogtrot, which runs down the center of the first floor. The curtains billow in the breeze all day, changing positions.

It's a totally sexy spot to hang out." ~MyHomeIdeas.com

Southwest Airlines is Coming to Northwest Florida Beaches

Starting May 23, 2010, visiting Summer Dream in WindMark Beach will become even easier! Southwest Airlines offers routes to Northwest Beaches International Airport in Panama City Beach, Florida from Baltimore, Houston, Nashville, and Orlando. Bags fly free, and rates are very affordable!

Your SUMMER DREAM awaits!

WindMark Beach "Day on St. Joseph Bay" Video

WindMark Beach -- FREE Activities!!

WindMark Beach Village Center offers an abundance of FREE ACTIVITIES for Guests of Summer Dream!

The WindMark Beach Club features a large free-form community swimming pool with a beach-style sloping entry for wading. The pool offers a fish-shaped bar surrounded by beautiful green lawn space.

A 1,500 square foot children’s playground area is located in the pool area.
Nearby, the community amphitheater includes a sheltered, open-air stage and a sloping green lawn leading down to it; visitors can enjoy concerts, movies and other outdoor venues and local community events.

One of WindMark Beach’s stand-out features is its beautifully landscaped BeachWalk, a three-mile walkway connecting the community to the one-and-a-half mile stretch of stunning shoreline. Step outside the front door of Summer Dream onto this uninterrupted pathway which offers pedestrians, cyclists, rollerbladers and runners stunning views, while making their way along the walkway and miles of meandering footpaths.

WindMark invites Summer Dream guests to explore the beautiful BeachWalk and pathways with FREE Bikes available in the WindMark Village Center.
Explore St. Joe Bay as well. The WindMark Village Center offers guests FREE KAYAK USE!! Visit the sales center to reserve oars and lifejackets for all your family staying with you at Summer Dream.

WindMark Beach Village Center -- Open for Business!

The WindMark Beach Village Center in Port St. Joe, Florida is ready to entertain you!! Book your stay at Summer Dream this Fall or Winter to experience the FUN!!

Great Southern School of Fish Restaurant

Experience the culinary masterpieces of chef and restauranteur Jim Shirley, who has been featured on the Travel Channel and in Southern Living magazine. Bringing his passion for modern Southern cuisine to this casual Gulf-front restaurant, his new menu features his signature dish Grits a Ya Ya, along with perfectly prepared local seafood, steaks, and much more. Tel: 850-229-1122.

The Fuss Boutique

Every dress, purse and piece of jewelry in this stylish boutique has been carefully chosen by owner Lauren Spring, who is regularly on hand to help shoppers pick out the perfect outfit from hot fashion lines such as Ella Moss and Free People. Tel: 850-227-7555.

Joseph’s Cottage

This charming shop features an eclectic mix of chic and comfortable home furnishing lines and unique decorative accents. Owner and interior stylist Melissa Farrell offers her expertise to help customers turn their homes into tranquil and sophisticated seaside abodes. Tel: 850-227-7877.

Melissa has been a great resource for us at Summer Dream Cottage as well. Many purchases from her shop grace the walls of Summer Dream. She has always offered friendly service and coastal design tips to ensure the WindMark Idea House remains a Summer Dream Come True for guests!

Fit as a Fiddle

WindMark Beach’s new fitness center offers state-of-the-art equipment by TechnoGym and Precor, with many machines featuring personal televisions with earphone jacks. For members’ convenience, men’s and women’s changing rooms are available with lockers and showers.

Visit the Windmark's Fit as Fiddle Website for Class Schedules and Day Pass Information.

WindMark Beach -- Beach Houses starting in the $600s!!

WindMark Beach, Northwest Florida’s newest, largest luxury beach community stretching some four miles along the Gulf of Mexico, is gearing up to draw second-home buyers, thanks to new, competitively priced luxury model homes designed by the nation’s top architects, a new casual, gourmet restaurant serving modern Southern cuisine, eclectic boutique shopping, and luxury loft homes available for rent.

Developed by The St. Joe Company, the sprawling 2,020-acre property is set on a stunning white-sand beach in the historic Gulf Coast town of Port St. Joe, 22 miles west of Apalachicola and 39 miles east of Panama City. The community is now selling homesites priced from $99,500 and four new model three- and four-bedroom homes priced from $665,000 to $735,000, located just steps from the beach on Founders Row, a short walk from the Village Center with up to 2,838 square feet of living space.

The homes embody the essence of coastal living, reflect the region’s local Southern style, and were designed by some of the nation’s top architects, including San Antonio, TX-based Lake/Flato Architects; Chicago-based Tigerman McCurry Architects; Vero Beach, FL-based Merrill Pastor & Cougan Architects; and New York-based Anderson Architects. Homes were designed to capture the essence of vernacular Southern architectural style, with such trademarks as tin roofs, open breezeways, large wood screened front and back porches offering a secluded comfortable space for outdoor living, and open floor plans inviting social interaction from the kitchen, dining and living spaces.

To sample life at WindMark Beach before buying, book your stay in the WindMark Beach Idea House located on Founder's Row. Visit http://www.summerdreamcottage.com/ to tour this fabulous home and learn more about this extraordinary community along Northwest Florida's Gulf Coast.

Read more of this article at: Unique Homes: The World of Luxury Real Estate

Summer -- Still a Dream Come True at WindMark Beach

I loved the unspoiled simplicity of WindMark Beach. Devoid of crowds most folks expect in Florida, this peaceful shoreline along the Forgotten Coast felt like our very own secret hideaway for the 4th of July weekend.

We danced along the shore. We searched for treasures and were not disappointed. Dozens of live sand dollars tickeled our toes along the sandbar -- what a thrill. We played until the sun went down, and carried home a heartfull of memories. Our Summer Dreams keep coming true each time we visit our sweet home at WindMark Beach.

Back at the house, we read the beach stories of other families (over a dozen already this year!) vacationing at Summer Dream. Our guest book is already filling up with lively tales of cuddling on the porch, board games during afternoon showers, sandcastle building, and "catching the big one" in St. Joe Bay's crystal blue waters. What a joy to share the WindMark Idea House with others. What a blessing for our children to create lasting memories as well.

Thanks to all who have visited. And thanks again to MyHomeIdeas for our Summer Dream Come True!

Summer Dream Porch Party & Decor

During our visit to Summer Dream, we added finishing touches to the decor of the main room.
A double-sleeper ottoman with tray tables, World Market table, candles, greenery . . .

Colorful and coastal serving pieces and glassware for the kitchen. The drink server was here -- we only needed to fill it with pink lemonade (and a splash of something bubbly as the night went on . . . )

The wall art in the main room includes photographic images taken during our first Christmas visit to WindMark and Summer Dream. My mother framed the hometown newspaper account of our win, which we placed in the entry to this room.

I love how the sepia beach prints (taken on WindMark's private beach) reflect the orange touches within the room. Guests to Summer Dream have filled this book basket with personal magazines and tour brochures enjoyed during their visit.

Also collected in the home by our guests: wine corks from numerous celebrations, sea shells from sunset beach searches, and dozens of beach stories in the Summer Dream guest journal.

I simply love the joy of sharing this home with others. What a blessing to know so many magical memories are created each week within this home, on its porches, and along the miles of BeachWalks and sandy shoreline of WindMark Beach. What a Summer Dream Come True!

We hope you'll visit us soon: Summer Dream Cottage