Collins Vacation Rentals invites you to come to St. George Island NOW! Our beaches and bays remain clean and safe, uncrowded and beautiful! You may notice the boom that has been deployed in the Bay as you cross the bridge. This is a precautionary measure designed to help protect our oyster beds and sensitive coastal wetlands. Please note that the presence of floating boom does not mean there is oil in the water. You may also see hired boats in the Gulf and Bay every day looking for oil. Again, local officials are simply taking the necessary preventive measures should the oil enter our waters.
     Amidst the uncertainty surrounding the oil spill situation and its potential impact to our beaches, we share the concerns of our guests and owners. Collins Vacation Rentals has been committed to excellent customer service for the past 37 years and we continue to keep our guests’ satisfaction and well being upper most in our minds, whether in a hurricane evacuation or oil spill disaster. As the oil spill situation changes daily we will continue to review our policies and adjust them as needed.
     Please note these revisions to our current policy:
     In the event of confirmed oil contamination of our beaches, we will issue a 100% refund of all monies paid toward your reservation to any guest who has booked a property through Collins Vacation Rentals. If oil contamination occurs while you are here, we will issue a prorated refund. As our beaches remain clean and untouched at present, guests who decide to cancel before any beach contamination will be referred to our Rental Policies in effect at the time of their booking. Please consider coming NOW; if you have a vacation planned for later this summer or fall, we will be happy to help you reschedule it to June or July. You may also choose to pay your balance due when you arrive, rather than 30 days before. Our Vacation Planners are committed to working something out for each guest’s needs – and we have many specials offering 20% off rental rates or “book 4 nights and get the 5the night free”.
     Take a look at our live beach webcam and beach photo (changed daily) to see our absolutely beautiful beaches and the guests who are enjoying them now! Follow us on Facebook to stay up to date on the latest beach conditions and SGI happenings.
     We remain in close contact with our local officials and monitor all daily updates. For the latest developments as well as a list of FL response phone numbers, visit Florida DEP. For inshore and off shore maps and fishing closures, as well as daily trajectory maps, we suggest you visit NOAA. A new website www.geoplatform.gov/gulfresponse is a new online tool that provides you with near real-time information about the response effort. For daily live beach reports, please go to Franklin County Tourist Development Council. Rest assured we will keep you informed of any changes in the condition of our beaches in a timely manner.
     Collins Vacation Rentals has received numerous calls from concerned citizens wanting to help. Please visit the Apalachicola Riverkeeper.org to make donations or volunteer while you’re here, if it is needed. 
              NOW is the time to come! Call today and talk with our Vacation Planners - toll free 866-966-0297 - and ask about our summer specials and discounts!

     Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who are affected by the Louisiana BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.