Vacation Rentals by Owner

Great Place for a Wonderful Vacation!

Guest: Neen (Tampa, FL)
Date of Stay: 04/28/12 Review Submitted: 05/06/12

A couple of girlfriends (from up north) and I just returned from our trip and had an awesome time! I will definitely return with my five sisters for one of our annual Sisters Weekends. The only problem I fear is finding available time for this particular property in a fabulous location! Anna Maria Island is a lovely little beach town and we found everything we wanted/needed. Living nearby I brought beach chairs, etc, but did not need them. Everything you might need is already there (including three bikes)! The house was great for us but certainly roomy enough for a larger group. The beach was SO close and we nearly had it to ourselves. The house has everything you need and the owners were great!

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway.

Loved it!

Guest: Dianne & Don (Spanaway, WA)
Date of Stay: 10/01/11 Review Submitted: 10/13/11

My husband and I recently stayed at this property. The photos were spot on, the home clean and well maintained and the owners very helpful with any questions. We loved the island, restaurants, beach and shops. We took the trolley just for fun and rode bikes non-stop. We love to golf and golfed at three different courses near-by. The home is so comfortable we just hung out there as well. We will go back in a heart beat.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Comfy Beach House - Great Location - Wonderful Time

Guest: George (Dunnellon, FL)
Date of Stay: 09/10/11 Review Submitted: 09/25/11

Great beach right across the street - sandy and shallow for swimming - walked a little to a great "honey hole" and landed some monster jacks. Convient to everything - took the trolley and bus all the way to St. Armands - The Columbia is a great place to eat. Sept a great time of year to be at the beach. House has everything you need - except cats - but we brought our own!!

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, pet owners.

Look no further, this is the house for your beach vacation!

Guest: Family of five (Bettendorf, Iowa)
Date of Stay: 08/13/11 Review Submitted: 09/06/11

We just returned from spending a week in August, 2011 at this adorable beach house. We picked the best spot on island and were lucky enough to find this house. Well maintained, nothing was broken (as we've experienced at other beach rentals) and had everything we needed, including sand toys for our kids and best of all.....a rolling beach cart! There was also a beach tent, which was perfect for our young kids. The beach access path is right across the road, 20 feet from the front door, and this part of the beach is practically all yours. The sand was like walking on white flour, the water was blue/green, crystal clear and warm. The seashells were the best I've found in a long time. I would go for early morning walks and photograph blue heron that let you get within five feet of them, and turtle nests that are roped off with signs afixed. There's a lot of wildlife to see here! Alan, the owner, was very helpful in answering all my questions and quick to respond when we couldn't connect to the Wi-Fi (our error). The flat screen TV is top of the line with DVR pausing capability and endless channels - nice to have after a long day at the beach in the hot sun. We loved the beautiful landscaping in the fenced in backyard, a lot of time and money was put into it. My young son enjoyed seeing all the little lizards scamper away whenever we opened the back door! The outdoor shower was a hit, the kids loved rinsing off before going into the house. Make sure you go to dinner at Rod n Reel Pier and sit outside. It's exactly half a mile from the house. We had a great meal and were entertained by swooping brown pelicans, black skimmers, white ibis birds and dolphins swimming underneath the pier. The Sandbar restaurant is also not to be missed. That was by far the best meal and we got right in. Anna Maria is filled with quaint gift shops too. There are places where you can rent bikes, two-person canopy bikes, or golf carts. We took a boat ride with Island Adventures one morning (approx. 2 hours long), which was a highlight of our trip. They pull up to a "sandbar" which is really a shallow area, and everyone can get in the water and pick up live sand dollars! You're allowed to keep two per person. My 7 and 2 year old kids loved it. We saw many dolphins, exotic Gulf birds and a few manatees when we stopped at a beach. If you want a beautiful location, quiet, relaxing, comfortable and convenient, then this is the perfect beach house for you!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with young children, sightseeing.

A wonderful place to be!

Guest: Claudi (Kelkheim, Germany)
Date of Stay: 07/20/11 Review Submitted: 08/08/11

Just got back from this wonderful place on Anna Maria Island. Loved staying there! Very clean and maintained, great beach-location! Covers all the needs of a small family. Would always go back there (hope it´ll be soon!). While staying on AMI, go to Stonewood Grill on Cortez Rd. for dinner, great food, excellent service!

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, families with young children.

Terrific Vacation

Guest: BJ & Steve (Colorado)
Date of Stay: 06/01/11 Review Submitted: 07/03/11

My two sisters and I rented this great house for the month of June and brought all our grandchildren down at different times during the month. It couldn't have been more perfect. The house had absolutely everything we needed for fun on and off the beach. The beach is very shallow and wonderful for our kids of all ages. They loved the shell hunting, looking for crabs and sand dollars, and seeing dolphins and manatees out in the water. This is our fourth time at Anna Maria but the first time at Alan and Amy's house. We couldn't recommend either more highly.

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, pet owners.

Great Memorial Weekend!!!!!

Guest: TEAM 5! (Miami, Fl USA)
Date of Stay: 05/28/11 Review Submitted: 06/02/11

I rented this house for this past Memorial Weekend for my family and my little pet! It was perfect, we had a great time!!! The house is very well located, well equiped, clean and very cute!! I do recomend this vacation rental a 100%! Thanks Alan!

Recommended for:

Comfy Cottage -

Guest: Kat (Canada)
Date of Stay: 04/16/11 Review Submitted: 04/28/11

The location of this friendly pink home near the beach, near the piers, and near Pine St. shopping is wonderful. Everything in the house was easy to find and well taken care of. We would certainly recommend. I had a very nice meeting with some dolphins too!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, people with disabilities, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, pet owners, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Terrific beach house!

Guest: Nancy (Conway, MA, USA)
Date of Stay: 04/02/11 Review Submitted: 04/23/11

Our accommodations were very adequate at this cozy, retro beach house, just a 3 minute walk to the beautiful beach. The house was clean and well-supplied. The beds were comfy, TV was current, and the landscaping and backyard patio were lovely. We felt very much at home there and look forward to returning next year! We hated to leave this beach cottage. Also, it was very easy dealing with the owner, who was so helpful and attentive.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, people with disabilities, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, pet owners, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

anna maria

Guest: linpot (u.k)
Date of Stay: 11/15/10 Review Submitted: 12/02/10

a lovely home to rest and relax in.clean ,well maintained close to the beach,close to the sand bar a great place to eat.......its everything you would want in a holiday. home.owners very friendly and helpfull.we would recommend to friends and family and hint they can take us with them

Recommended for:Age 55+, romantic getaway.

Great place to stay!!!

Guest: Allen & Meg (Atlanta,GA)
Date of Stay: 09/18/10 Review Submitted: 10/19/10

The house was very comfortable for our family of five. The kids loved being right across the street from the beach. Everything was very close to the house so we had a lot of choices when it came time to eat out or explore the Island. Truly allowed us to relax and enjoy our surroundings. Beautiful sunsets!!! The owners were very helpful and friendly. They got back to us very quickly if we had any questions, both before the trip and even during our stay. I look forward to renting this house again in the future! It was truly enjoyable!

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, families with young children.

Amazing Experience!!

Guest: Jodi (Pennsylvania)
Date of Stay: 06/19/10 Review Submitted: 07/03/10

Our family of 4 stayed at this charming beach cottage for a week in mid June. It is literally steps away from the path that leads directly to the beach. We have been to Anna Maria Island previously and this was our best trip yet!! The cottage was clean and spacious, very well-maintained, and exceeded everything we needed. We ate every meal out on the beautiful patio surrounded by geckos and chattering birds-a true paradise! The most amazing experience of our trip occurred when we were setting up our umbrellas one morning around 10am. A pod of 12-15 manatees were swimming right off the beach!! We quietly slipped into the water and swan with them for about an hour. They were very gentle and curious creatures and didn't seem to mind the company. They allowed us to touch them as they swam past. It appeared that they were interested in eating the sea grass in that section of the water and my husband could hear them munching the sea grass and communicating with clicks and squeaks under the water. The next morning we were able to swim again with about 4-5 manatees that had come into the area, however, they didn't stick around long. We also had several dolphins swim around this same area and my fearless husband was right in there with them! This northern part of the island is quite beautiful; there is crystal clear water, soft white sand, tons of wildlife and no crowded beaches!! In the mornings you can watch the wildlife conservation folks out on the beach monitoring the hatching progress of the Least Terns, Snowy Plover, and sea turtle nests. Our kids found the most beautiful shells, sea crabs, sand dollars, conches and sea urchins right in the waters off the beach. Restaurants are nearby with great, fresh food. We have traveled to the Caribbean a number of times and this area rivals our experiences! If you are looking for uncrowded beaches, a caribbean island feel, and a laid-back beach vacation-this is definately my top pick!!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, pet owners, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

The Horn Family

Guest: Curt (Jefferson City, MO)
Date of Stay: 06/05/10 Review Submitted: 06/20/10

Thank you for letting us spend 2 great weeks at your home in Anna Maria. The only thing wrong with this place is that we are not still there!!!! The home was exactly as described here on VRBO and the location was perfect. The beach was just across the street and had fantastic white sand and clear, calm water. The beach was not crowded which was perfect for our small children. The kids also enjoyed the short walk/bike ride to Rod and Reel Pier and City Pier as well as the sand toys that Alan left for them. Mom and Dad enjoyed the short sunset walk on the beach to The Sandbar for dinner on the deck. What a great place. Thanks again. We will be back again assuming you will have us!!!

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway.

Great palce to stay

Guest: PeteSC (DC)
Date of Stay: 05/26/10 Review Submitted: 06/21/10

My family (2 adults, 1 infant and two grandparents) stayed here for 5 days over memorial day weekend. This house is conveniently located across the street from a wide beach with powdery white sand. Even on a holdiay weekend, there weren't many people on the beach. Perfect for families with small children. Also, great sunsets and at low tide, you can walk out at least 150 yards. Great for kids to wade and also makes for good shelling. This house is well appointed and has lot's of nice amenities. Patio area is great for relaxing, dining outdoors and grilling. For fishermen, there's a good fishing spot on the beach just to the right of the entrance. Lot's of seatrout and ladyfish. I was told by the locals that during the spawning season (April) it's also one of the best pompano spots on the gulf. Also, Rod and Reel pier is only 10 min walk. Good fishing and decent food. We woudl definitely stay here again!

Recommended for:Families with young children

Michelle & Andy Wade May 2010

Guest: Michelle & Andy Wade (Horsham, West Sussex, UK)
Date of Stay: 05/08/10 Review Submitted: 05/23/10

Thank you so much for letting my husband and I stay in your lovely home on AMI. What a fantastic location and beautifully decorated and appointed your house is. We have been visiting the island for the past 7 years and found your house at the north of the island simply perfect in every way and would recommend to anyone. We particularly loved the view of the sea from the kitchen window! We hope to visit again soon. Thanks again and best wishes :-) Michelle & Andy

Recommended for:People with disabilities, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway.

Guest: Susie & Ron (Bloomington, IL)
Date of Stay: 01/27/10 Review Submitted: 01/27/10

We are at the end of a two month stay in this wonderful beach getaway. The pics and description are right on with what you'll find here. Lots of windows to let in the beautiful sunshine and ample space in this nice little cottage. Walk across the street to a beautiful and quiet beach. We will be back, hopefully for years to come! Thanks Alan and Amy for sharing your home!

Recommended for:

Guest: Sarah Schuette (Brooklyn, NY)
Date of Stay: 09/09/09 Review Submitted: 09/09/09

Thank you for a wonderful beach getaway! Your photos and description of your house on the vrbo website are spot on. It truly is a great place to unwind and get away from it all. I highly recommend it to other potential visitors.

Recommended for:

Guest: dottie gross (suwanee, ga)
Date of Stay: 07/01/09 Review Submitted: 07/01/09

Alan and Amy thank you so much for sharing your home with us. What a beautiful place you have. My husband and I have stayed at this charming and cozy beach house numerous times. It's very comfortable and a GREAT location, directly across from the beach and some of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen. It has all the comforts of home and it's a wonderful place to stay and enjoy all that Anna Maria Island has to offer. The location could not be better!

Recommended for: