The location is perfect. Close to beautiful Upham Beach, shops, restaurants, and bars. The pool was surprisingly amazing! It was super clean and warm. Gulf Winds Resort keeps the main property very clean.
The lodging has everything you need with a really nicely stocked kitchen and plenty of stuff for the beach (small cooler, couple of chairs, umbrella, boogie boards, sand toys, flippers, toys) which is nice. NO beach towels that I noticed, but plenty of other towels. The open floor plan with bedrooms on opposite sides of the condo was a great layout for my little family. I always felt very safe, too.
Now for the big issue I had... The deposit policy this owner has is really not cool. You will be asked to PAY--not hold--PAY $1500 weeks before you arrive. And then I had to email and call to get my money back when I didn't see a credit back to my credit card 3 days after we left. The owner was just going to let VRBO keep my money until it 'timed out' which was a full two weeks after my departure--and she tried to make it seem like it was VRBO's policy, which is not true. Owners have full control to release the deposit after checkout. Plus, VRBO customer service rep said that most owners have a more friendly 'hold' type deposit that doesn't make you pay upfront. I think I would've chosen another property at Gulf Winds had I known this upfront.
You have to do the dishes and walk your own trash out to the dumpster or they will charge you an additional fee. Parking is great though--easy access to every unit.
The beds and pillows are very uncomfortable--2 star motel beds and bedding in my opinion. There was sand in my bed when I got in it. The condo has popcorn ceilings with a few places where mold is growing. You can hear the upstairs neighbors but they weren't too noisy. The entire condo needs updating, but when they update it, the price won't be as reasonable I'm sure.
OVERALL, you get what you pay for. A decent little spot to hang out, relax, and party near St Pete Beach for a good price.