Originally Posted by slariz

We’ve done this before and really enjoyed it. The unit we rented through VRBO a few years back is no longer available for rentals, but we found another one for an upcoming stay.

A couple points:
- during normal times, you have full access to the hotel amenities. Last time, the front desk set us up with a “dummy room” with our credit card attached to we could bill using our name and room just like we were a guest at the restaurants, etc.
- you pay a resort/membership fee at the golf club to access their pool, Boat House and gym. I think it was like $65/day which covered up to 8 people. Some rentals include this in the price.
- early on in covid, they shut down the hotel amenities to residence guests, only allowing hotel guests to use them. My understanding is this has been loosened, but just know you may not have access to everything including the hotel pool
- you need a golf cart. Most rentals we saw had them included but you need it
- the pool next to the golf club house is very nice, but hotel is better. There’s also a residence only pool in the middle of the parking lot that was always empty (pretty nice but mostly a basic pool with no ocean view)

We did the math and it’s obviously way cheaper to book a residence unit. Plus you get a kitchen so can make your own meals. But, it’s a different experience than the hotel.