Golden Retreat – Barrier Dunes

Charming 3 bedroom / 3 bath cottage less than a 4 minute walk to the beautiful beaches of Cape San Blas. Golden Retreat overlooks the larger pond and is adjacent to the playground in exclusive Barrier Dunes subdivision on Cape San Blas, Florida. This floor plan is unique because every bedroom has its private entrance onto the screen porches. Barrier Dunes is a gated community located near St. Joseph's State Park at the tip of Cape San Blas. This beachside community has a gulf front swimming pool, lighted tennis courts, smaller pool adjacent to tennis courts, playground, stocked fishing ponds, paved roads, streetlights and three beach accesses.

The moment you arrive at Golden Retreat you will be greeted with style and comfort. The coastal casual décor is welcoming and the layout allows everyone to have their own space while still being together. The open floor plan of the living, dining and kitchen area are perfect for the entire family or group. When it's time to unwind at the end of a busy beach filled day you will find every room equipped with luxurious bedding and mounted flat screen TV's.

Three stairs are all that separates you and the front door to Golden Retreat which allows easy access for everyone in your group. Once inside you will be greeted with style and comfort. The coastal casual decor is welcoming and the layout allows everyone to have their own space while still being together. The open floor plan of the living, dining and kitchen areas are perfect for any size group. In the living room you will find a comfortable sleeper sofa, chair, fireplace and 60" wall mounted flat screen TV. The beautiful round dining room table and kitchen bar seating give plenty of eating spots and the fully stocked kitchen, featuring stainless steel appliances, is perfect for cooking. The grill master of the group will love cooking on the large gas grill on the wrap around screen porch. Also on the first level is the laundry room, a full bath and one of the three bedrooms. The main level bedroom is open and airy and has access to the porch perfect for those quiet early mornings. This room has a beautiful queen bed with custom headboard, ample storage space and flat screen television that will make you feel like you are in your own private paradise.

As you follow the staircase to the second floor you will find the remaining two bedrooms. The first bedroom has two twin beds, a flat screen TV, seating area, en-suite bathroom and private access to the screen porch and spiral staircase to the first level. The master bedroom is a vacationers dream with a king bed, en-suite bathroom, seating area and walk out access to upper level screen porch. When you want to enjoy the outdoors without leaving the second floor just step out and enjoy the seating area and unique floating bed which is perfect for those late afternoon cat naps!

Golden Retreat has a 3 car driveway in the front of the house, outdoor shower behind the house and beach chairs for your enjoyment. Plan to pack light...we've got everything for you!

Sleeping Arrangements:

Master 1 - Queen Bed (first floor)
Master 2 - King Bed (second floor)
Guest 1 - (2) Twin beds (second floor)
Guest 2 - Queen Sleeper Sofa (first floor)


Please visit www.capebeachvacations.com for a complete list of all of our properties.

• Near The Ocean
• Swimming
• Sailing
• Cycling
• Fishing
• Horseback riding
• Golf
• Wind-surfing
• Water skiing
• Scuba diving or snorkeling
• Hospital
• Bird watching
• Deepsea fishing
• Freshwater fishing
• Paddle boating
• Surf fishing
• Boating
• Kayaking
• Parasailing
• Shopping
• Wildlife viewing
• Lakefront
• Snorkeling/diving

"Best house in Barrier Dunes"

"The Golden Retreat was great. Plenty of room and wrap around porches set up a for a great relaxing stay. The unit is well furnished and was very clean. There are beach chairs and toys available as well. Very nice Weber gas grill to use for grilling steaks. The house also has a 70 inch TV in the main room and TVs in each bedroom...plus fast Wifi. Stefani and Debbe were great to work with as well. Any questions I had, they responded right away. Definitely consider Golden Retreat for your stay while on the Cape." — Shawn Gillis Mar 23, 2019

"Our rental was clean and we had everything we needed."

"We had a wonderful stay. It got cut short by hurricane Michael but we are getting reimbursed for our days missed. I highly recommend this property and renters. ❤️" — Jason and Jennifer Bell Oct 06, 2018

"Family Vacation"

"The house was large enough so everyone could be comfortable. The walk to the beach is not that long as there are three ways to get to the beach. We would put our beach supplies in the back of the car and drive to the front of the clubhouse, then my husband would drive the car back to the house and walk back. It was nice only having to go up one floor to two of the bedrooms and only a few steps to get in the front of the house." — Shirley Lazarus Sep 08, 2018

"Beautiful! Beachy elegant!"

"We had a wonderful time at this beautiful home. Super easy walk to the beach. Everything was as described and even better. The home was exceptionally comfortable and very clean. Beautifully decorated. The pools and tennis courts are very nicely maintained. We on;y wish that we could have stayed much longer." — AnnMarie Grace Aug 31, 2018

"Great way to spend the last days of summer."

"The house has everything. From backpack beach chairs, a high chair and fishing gear, the house was filled with plenty of surprises. The beach access has showers and a wooden walkway down to the sand, great for strollers or wagons. The proximity to restaurants and the general store make this house and neighborhoods truly unique. We will gladly visit again in the future." — Michael Martin Aug 02, 2018

"Piece of Heaven"

"A beautiful house in a great location. We loved every, single minute of our short time here." — Jennifer Gillotti Jul 18, 2018

"Beautiful home!"

"My family and I enjoyed our stay at this beautiful home in Barrier Dunes. The walk to the beach was not bad at all. The upstairs deck was perfect for relaxing after the beach as the porch swing was great to have! The only negative is the kitchen could use some additional items for preparing dinner, such as better knives, large baking dishes and tea pitchers. That’s very minor overall as everything else was perfect!" — Christy Lynch Jul 28, 2018

"Awesome place to vacation. The beaches and water are gorgeous."

"Very nice house with all the comforts of home. We appreciated all the extras that were provided. The screened in porches definately made sitting outside enjoyable in the evenings. Will definately stay again!" — Amy Drawhorn Jul 14, 2018

"Beautiful home made for a wonderful vacation!"

"We were very pleased with the house and the location. While it's always nice to be right on the beach, the short walk was no problem. The outdoor living areas were sooo nice and the upper deck outside the master bedroom was my absolute fave! The swinging bed was super relaxing and we all enjoyed it. The house has beautiful finishes and we truly enjoyed our stay! I would highly recommend this location to anyone! :-)

If I had to make any recommendations, there would be two very minor things. The vacuum cleaner doesn't pick up very well so it probably just needs a really good cleaning or perhaps a new filter. And the knives in the kitchen are not sharp at all. It made cutting the pineapple and watermelon quite the chore. But, you're at the beach...who cares? LOL

" — Cindy Austin Jun 23, 2018

"Living the good life!"

"This house was the perfect location for us during a family reunion. It was close to all the other places family stayed including the cabins. We rented a golf cart and were able to drive it everywhere we wanted (except on the main road) and this house had 3 parking spaces in front so we always had room for it. The house is beautiful inside and out. We were in love with the interior decorating- very sophisticated but user friendly. The kitchen was big and had new, high-end appliances we all were in love with. Everything we needed was there. Of course, the most sought-after item was the hanging bed on the upper porch! So much fun. Having the 2 screened porches gives so much more space. We hosted a reunion dinner (40 people!) and they all said this house was the best. I can tell you honestly that you would love this house!" — Anonymous Jun 10, 2018

"What a wonderful vacation home!"

"Our family had an excellent time vacationing at this property. We will have memories for years to come and are looking forward to coming back!" — Brittany Reid Jun 02, 2018

"Nice Cottage and true reflection of the unit is represented"

"Pros:
Very relaxing low keyed isolated area. We arrived during TS Alberto but never lost power. Three parking spots directly in-front of the unit. Keypad access door pad/handle worked flawlessly the entire time. Unit was clean overall, well decorated, and stocked with extra trash bags, toilet paper, dishwasher pods, etc. Great room had a 70” TV. WiFi works from any area of the unit. Pantry area w/washer & dryer and access door to trash shed. All rooms had TVs, clean bedding, freshly towels, and extra pillows and blankets. Kitchen was turnkey. Coffee pot, toaster, microwave, cooking utensils, plates, bowls, dish towels, etc. Porches on both the 1st & 2nd floors connected outside via a circular staircase. Weber gas grill was full and worked great. Central AC blows ice cold and evenly throughout the unit. No issues with hot water even with 6 people. Beach is about 100 yards from the unit with multiple access points. Mangers are residents so when an issue cropped up (TV reset) they were Johnny on the Spot and very nice folks and a pleasure to deal with.

Cons:
No exterior lights: L ext. light was burned out and the R was broken off in the socket. Great room side blinds are see thru - privacy comment. Great room needs a coffee table not the decorative chest (coffee drinkers). Stove is located in the main kitchen extension, no vent, so be aware of steam burns and move kids back and away from bar stools while cooking. Dishwasher cycle completes it sounds off, buzzing, every few minutes ALL NIGHT until you opened the door. Washing machine is excessively LOUD…HUH? I said LOUD! Cell service bounces No Service to 1 bar for Verizon. Area is CST so check the local time if driving to lunch or dinner BUT check-out time is EST. WiFi speeds runs hot & cold so reboot often due to it B-O-G-G-I-N-G down. 3 TV remotes in the great room...This needs to be streamlined to 1. Deck to trash shed had overgrown shrub and algae on the stairs making them extremely slippery/dangerous also multiple cigarette butts. Trimming and cleaning needed. Dogs. Guests don’t respect the leash policy. I suggest leave Rover at a kennel. Guests fish from the beach trying to lure sharks in. You need to be aware of “where” the fishing lines are located and two, do you want your kids swimming where Buford is trying to catch a shark and pull it to shore? Beaches are highly eroded. What’s left is nice but shrinking rapidly.

Overall 4 of 5." — Michel Greaux May 27, 2018

"Perfect for our short getaway!"

"The house was beautiful! Perfect for our group. The walk to the beach was a bit long, but the privacy made up for it. We would definitely stay here again!" — Stacey Jones May 24, 2018

"Great home beautifully decorated. It had everything we needed."

"The kitchen and master bedroom were my favorite!!" — Pam Todd May 03, 2018

"Best place yet that we have stayed at in Barrier Dunes."

"Everything was wonderful. Our dog had fell ill on the way down, but got better throughout the week. Cooked out once on the grill, read a great book the property provided, and relaxed." — Walt Coulson Apr 15, 2018

"Very comfortable cottage"

"This cottage had everything we needed and was very comfortable for our teenagers and my parents. We loved the screened-porches which allowed us to eat and play games outside at night. The decoration was unique and full of character rather than being cookie-cutter. The appliances are also top of the line. We hope to stay again in the future!" — Erika Hansinger Mar 25, 2018

"Serenity and beauty!"

"My husband and I are retired and we thoroughly enjoyed our experience at Golden Retreat in the Barrier Dunes during the days of February 2018.For quite a few years now we drive from Ottawa, Ontario to Cape San Blas with our 5-year old golden retriever, Grace, in tow. We favor this beautiful coast first, because it has to be the most dog friendly beach in America that is so welcoming with many dog stations providing bags with disposals. This quiet beach is so clean and the sand looks snow-white. Grace is so happy in the water and fearless of the waves relentlessly retrieves her floating toy.

In the past, we have rented many nice cottages in Cape San Blas, mostly in Barrier Dunes and Golden Retreat has been so far the very best. The house was spotless, comfortable and tastefully decorated. The master bedroom with it's own spacious balcony has a cathedral ceiling, a most comfortable Californian king bed (wider than king) with a large walking shower. The daily provisions of soaps, shampoos, conditioners were found in each of the bathrooms not to forget paper towels, cleaners in the laundry and kitchen. The appliances are Bosch and the large microwave is a pulled drawer which is now my next bucket list item !

It exceeded our expectations and we were disappointed only of one single thing... finding out it was already rented for next year. Many times a rented holiday property can be fine overall but we can fault some little things, but this wasn't the case. I highly recommend this one!" — wayne shaw Feb 01, 2018

"Great place!"

"Thank you so much, we loved our stay. The house was well decorated and very comfortable. Great amenities at the clubhouse and short walk to the beach." — John Eaves Sep 02, 2017

"Nice property. Good location. Great value."

"This is an individual cottage in what is primarily a townhome condo development. As far as the development itself, nice landscaping and plenty of walkways. Pools are small but adequate as we aren't really pool people anyway. We are however dog people and had our two labs with us so the numerous poop bag dispensers were convenient. I will also say that the pet owners whether visitors or residents are very conscientious about cleaning up after their dogs because we never saw any that wasn't. CSB is one of the few dog friendly beaches in the panhandle so you can expect to see more dogs than normal and on the beach, leashed of course.

As far as the property itself, it was well furnished with what you'd expect (hope for). Nice touch for us was the "dog towels" that were supplied even though we had brought our own. Internet was fast with good coverage everywhere in the house. (enable wifi calling on your cell phone if you want to be able use your phone, cell coverage stinks on the cape)
Furniture is comfortable and in good condition. Grill was in excellent shape with plenty of propane, which is not something you always see, especially in a coastal rental. A nice floor fan has been added to the upstairs master. It does the job just fine. The screen porch off the second floor master was a great place to hang out. The couch there seems to be on its last legs but was still functional.

Overall we were more than happy with the rental. No it's not directly on the beach but it's a very short walk and you have more privacy with the cottage. And, you aren't paying beachfront rates either, so it's a really good value.

The only suggestion I have is around the check in/ check out times. I would have like to have seen an hour better allowance on one or the other, whether 3:00 check in or 11:00 checkout. To have a 4:00 pm check in and then a 10:00 am check out too seemed excessive, especially compared to other places we've rented. I realize the property has to be turned over for the next guests but five hours should be plenty of time to accomplish that. Whether you getting there and wanting to catch sometime on the beach after you unpack or want to squeeze in a last walk on the beach before you go, that extra hour might seem like a minor thing but would mean a lot. Just my 2 cents.

Again, happy with the property and the experience. Would rent here again without hesitation." — Scott Schneider Aug 10, 2017

"Gorgeous house! Great location! Loved our stay"

"Wonderful house, cozy and updated, very clean and great location! House fit six people and two dogs comfortably, short walk/bike ride to beach and national park. We loved our stay and would highley recommend staying at this house, we will be back!" — Anonymous Jul 02, 2017

"Perfect low key vacation!"

"Beautiful home and cute little area. Great relaxing time!" — Jodi Corwin Jun 19, 2017

"Wonderful!"

"We took our first vacation as a family of four and it was the first time we decided not to stay with family at a larger house near the end of the cape. It was perfect because our family was right down the road if we needed them. My son loves water so the fountain and turtles were a huge hit with him. The only downside I would say would be that there wasn't a fan in the master. I'm a light sleeper and used to a little white noise and air circulation. We almost brought an oscilating fan with us but it wouldn't fit in the car. Otherwise, the cottage was beautifully decorated and very clean. If Joanna Gaines had a beach house, this is how it would be decorated! Super cute. Hope to visit again next year!" — Holly Hamlin Jun 05, 2017

"Beautiful Cottage In A Beautiful Area"

"I was so lucky to come with a few friends to this home. It beyond exceeded any of our expectations of a vacation rental. Better decorated than my own dang house :P. And the neighborhood Barrier Dune's public beach access was easy to access and such peaceful beaches. So happy to have rented, and can't wait to come back soon :)." — Noelle Greig May 20, 2017

"Beautiful, well maintained property with all the comforts of home!"

"I had a wonderful weekend with my family. We enjoyed cooking meals & relaxing on the screened iporch. There was space enough for everyone. Each day, we walked to the beach only a short distance away. The community is very nice and dog friendly. I love the location." — Mary Flynn May 11, 2017

"Fantastic rental with all the amenities for a wonderful vacation!"

"We had a wonderful vacation at this cottage! We loved all the amenities that Barrier Dunes had to offer ... from this wonderful cottage (easily housed our family of 5, plus two grandparents and 2 golden retrievers), swimming pools, tennis courts, fishing ponds (we had fun feeding the turtles too) and the dog friendly beach. Coming from Atlanta, it was really nice to get away and just relax. We hope to come back very soon!" — Anonymous Apr 01, 2017

"Clean, updated, well furnished cottage. We had a great time on spring break and plan on coming back!"

"...." — jason bell Apr 05, 2017

"Beautiful house, quiet location very close to park, bay and gulf"

"We are a family of four with 2 children 12 and 9. We had an amazing time in Florida during Spring Break, grandly thanks to the house. It is beautiful, very comfortable and clean, with much attention to details. Very nice decoration, TV in each room, all you need in the kitchen. Also, we made a last minute decision to come here, and Stefanie the manager was very accomodating. Thank you guys!" — Frederic Schulders Mar 27, 2017

"It was perfect!"

"Surpassed expectations! Love the cottage and the area!" — Lonnie Lewis Mar 21, 2017

"Girls Get Away"

"Stayed for a couple of nights as a girls get away trip. What a treat!!! The place is beautiful. A short walk to the pools, the beach (dog friendly- which is a big plus in my book).
If you're looking for a great beach or pools to relax during the day, a short drive for some nice restaurants, quiet evening on the screened in porch, then this is the place for you." — Marion Hartman Oct 13, 2016

"Beautiful Cottage"

"My husband and I along with our sheltie stayed at the Cottage during the month
of February 2017. The Cottage is beautifully decorated with all the amenities and then
some, you do not need to take anything with you except your personnel items you will not
be disappointed. There's lots of places to shop for groceries etc.
The Cottage has wrap around screened balconies and lots of outdoor furniture to enjoy
to have dinner or a quite place to read a book while listening to the fountain in the
pond. There are two lovely heated pools on the complex and a 5 minute walk to the
beach, also there are three ponds on the property stocked with catch and release
fish and lots of turtles to see. If you like bike riding be sure to take yours there
are lots of places to ride and designated bike paths for safety.
The State Park is a 5 minute drive that has deer and other animals to see.
And if you like oysters and gumbo there's lots of it and very reasonable my
husband and I ate 7 dozen oysters while there all kinds of places to eat.
Ok now the BEACH its georgous soft white sand that goes for miles and the sunsets
were unforgettable. Guys take your fishing rods!!! for the ocean fishing.
The complex is very dog friendly lots of dogs while we were there, they can
even go on the beach on leash. They were all very well behaved and friendly.
I could go on and on but you can find your own favourite places and things to see.

We feel we are giving away a great secret that we don't want to share but must. We know you will enjoy every minute while there as we did.
Thanks Debbie and Stephanie for all your help!

Wendy & Wayne (Ontario, Canada)" — Wendy Gaudet Feb 01, 2017