Smoky Mountains · Perdido Key · Florida Keys
The mountains one week,the Gulf the next.
Nine homes we own and look after ourselves: cabins on the creeks and ridges of the Smokies, oceanfront condos and a beach house on Perdido Key, and an apartment on a Key Largo canal.
Renee and Val Morel have owned and looked after vacation homes since 2006. Every home here is theirs or in their care: its photos, its rooms and its calendar on one page, and every question answered by one of them.
Hear first when this host opens direct rates or adds a new place.
Where to
Gatlinburg · Wears Valley · Cosby
Two cabins of king suites for a crowd, and two quiet places on a creek.
Perdido Key
Two condos side by side at Perdido Sun, one at Beach Colony, and a house with a beach of its own.
Bring the dog
Four of our homes take well-mannered, house-trained pets with approval before arrival and a per-pet fee. Ask us when you book.
From the owners
Val and I both grew up around New Orleans and have always loved boating, reading and the mountains. In 1998 Val surprised me with our own wedding at a chapel in Gatlinburg; we still visit it on most trips. By then we had owned and managed beach condos for years, and in 2006 we bought our first two cabins in the Smokies and brought what we knew to the mountains. One thing led to another, and we were soon looking after homes for neighbours, family, friends and past guests too.
We still answer the phone ourselves. Val keeps us organised and quick to reply; my background is in banking and real estate, and I hold licences in Louisiana, Alabama and Florida. What we promise is simple: a home that looks like its photos, the amenities you need, and the kind of care you would give family.
Renee & Val Morel
Owners, Sea & Sky Rentals
In motion
Short clips of the homes and the water and mountains around them.
Send the place, the dates and the headcount, and we will come back with what is open and a quote. Families, reunions, four couples in four king suites, or a month in the Keys.
Between Pensacola and Orange Beach
Perdido Key is the sliver of Florida between Pensacola and the Alabama line, with sugar-white sand, water the colour of the Caribbean and an average temperature of 75 degrees. It was named the best beach in Florida and has stayed that way by staying quiet: a state park and seven miles of national seashore take up most of the island. Paddleboard, kayak, fish inshore or offshore, watch the dolphins, eat seafood on the water, and drive twenty minutes for the Naval Aviation Museum, the outlets or The Wharf when the kids need a change. Our three condos are on the sand; our house has a beach of its own on the Intracoastal.
Pools and sand
Perdido Sun and Beach Colony both put pools, hot tubs and gyms between your door and the beach.
Things to do
Photos courtesy of Google.
Getting there
Perdido Key Drive runs the length of the island. Perdido Sun and Beach Colony are on the Gulf side, a mile apart; Beachfront Retreat is on the bay side off River Road, near Holiday Harbor. Pensacola International Airport is about 25 minutes, Orange Beach and Gulf Shores twenty minutes west.
