Location: Holmes Beach, Anna Maria Island, Florida South West, Florida, USA (15 Mi NW of Sarasota Airport & 52 Mi SW of Tampa Airport) View Map
Accommodations: Beach Cottage, 2 Bedrooms, 2 Baths (Sleeps 4)
As a small boy growing up in this area, I fell in love with its sunny, “sugar sand” beaches in the summer and the contented feeling that comes from floating in the warm, gentle waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
So when I could finally afford it, I bought this little cottage in the small, modest town of Holmes Beach on a barrier island called Anna Maria.
With it came my very own beach on the Gulf with lots of that wonderful sugar sand – a very fine, powdery, brilliantly white sand that audibly “squishes” between your toes when you walk on it.
To catch even more of it (one can never have too much sugar sand), I planted interwoven rows of sea oats that have now created dunes.
Through these dunes and the swaying stalks of oats, you will take a winding little path to the beach and those balmy, caressing waves of the Gulf that are guaranteed to wash your stress away.
Then ... when you come back in the winter, you will enjoy an invigorating walk along that same beach in cool, crisp sunshine.
Built in 1936, my wood-frame beach cottage was originally part of 6-8 cottages and a lodge house. It is the only surviving cottage, many having been taken by hurricanes.
(Forward of the cottage’s beach, a street and an entire city block of the old subdivision are submerged beneath the Gulf of Mexico.) The cottage is a peach color on the outside with green awnings and is also decorated Key West – Caribbean style inside.
The front faces the street where it dead-ends, so it is private from the public, and the rear faces the Gulf, but there is a home between the cottage & the Gulf. However, the cottage’s land wraps around this home to the right, where the sea oats are, connecting it to the beach.
Also, there is a beach view from the cottage’s left end. From this view & the beach, if you are vigilant mornings & evenings, you will see 2 or more dolphins close in, patrolling the shallows.
Then every evening, you will be treated to the sun setting into the Gulf’s sparkling blue waters.
Sheets, comforters, towels, pots, pans, dishes, silverware, glasses, coffee filters, paper napkins, paper towels, dish soap, dishwasher soap, Lysol spray cleaner, laundry detergent, large Ivory soap bars, liquid hand soap, Kleenex, kitchen garbage bags, & toilet paper are provided.
Bring your clothes, hair dryers, personal grooming items, swim suits, sun glasses, sun hats, sandals to protect your feet (if tender) from shells, light jacket in the summer (for any cool night beach breezes), and heavy jackets, robes & sweaters in the winter.
Also remember good books & magazines. Reading on the beach while listening to the seagulls & the waves is so relaxing, or, if you tire, simply watching the water & the sunlight glinting off of it.
Buy your sunscreen, food & drink at the Publix supermarket only a half-mile away. Finally, bring your binoculars to watch for dolphins, distant cruise ships, faraway freighters, and, if allowed by your significant other, wandering bikinis &, um, Speedos.
Also, call or email us for a DISCOUNT IF YOU RENT 4 OR MORE WEEKS consecutively. The discount is 5%-10%, depending on the time of year that you stay with us.
Vacation Rental Features
- Amenities
- Air Conditioning
- Washer: The washer is in the cottage.
- Dryer: The dryer is in the cottage.
- Linens Provided
- Off Street Parking
- Parking for RV/Boat/Trailer
- Beds
- King Bed
- Twin/Single Bed (2)
- Entertainment
- Cable/Satellite TV
- DVD
- VCR
- Kitchen
- Full Kitchen
- Cooking Utensils Provided
- Refrigerator
- Dishwasher
- Microwave
- Ice Maker
- Outdoor Features
- Charcoal BBQ Grill
- Deck/Patio
- View/Location
- Beach View: While the cottage is not directly on the beach, its property does extend to, and does include, a 50-foot wide private beach.
- Communications
- Telephone
- Free Long Distance
- Broadband Internet
- WiFi (Wireless Internet)
- Other Amenities
- Activity & Restaurant Guide; 1 king & 2 twin beds; 32” LCD TV, 2 small TVs, 2 VCRs; High speed, digital wireless & plug-in internet; JBL Radial i-Pod dock; (bring your laptop & i-Pod); 3 ceiling fans, 2 rotating fans, & box fan, plus A/C; alarm clocks; coffee maker; toaster; blender; iron & ironing board; cooking utensils; 6 beach chairs; beach toys; and child & adult board games.
- Suitability
- Pet Friendly: Pets are welcome, but must weigh 30 lbs. or less. (This weight restriction may be waived if I can be convinced that a larger pet is exceptionally calm indoors, but a $50 nonrefundable pet fee will be charged.) All pets must be pest-free, housebroken, & otherwise well-mannered. A nonrefundable $50 fee per pet and a refundable $100 deposit per pet are both charged, except the $50 pet fee is not charged until the total guests and pets exceed four (4), unless the above pet weight restriction has been waived.
- Handicapped Accessible (may have limitations)
- Kid Friendly
- Minimum Age Limit for Renters
- Smoking Not Allowed
- Activities (on site and nearby)
- Golf
- Tennis
- Theme Park (Amusement Park)
- Zoo/Wildlife Park
- Shopping
- Sightseeing
- Restaurants
- Kayaking
- Sailing
- Boating
- Parasailing
- Jet Skiing
- Shelling
- Swimming
- Snorkeling/Diving
- Surfing
- Windsurfing
- Biking
- Fishing
- Fitness Center/Gym
- Health/Beauty Spa
- Antiquing
- Cinemas/Movie Theaters
- Live Theatre
- Museums
- Miniature golf
- Shuffleboard
- Other Activities
- State parks, casino, horse racing, greyhound racing, comedy clubs, planetarium, Tampa Bay Buccaneers football, Tampa Bay Devil Rays baseball, Tampa Bay Lightning hockey, Pittsburgh Pirates baseball spring training, botanical gardens, and winery.
Rate Details (In US Dollars)
May 02-May 22..$135/nt 3 nt min..$675/wk..May 23-May 29.$170/nt..1 wk min..$850/wk
May 30-Jun 12..$135/nt 3 nt min..$675/wk..Jun 13-Jun 26.$135/nt..3 nt min..$675/wk
Jun 27-Jul 10..$170/nt 1 wk min..$850/wk..Jul 11-Aug 07.$154/nt..3 nt min..$770/wk
Aug 08-Sep 04..$120/nt 3 nt min..$599/wk..Sep 05-Sep 11.$150/nt..1 wk min..$750/wk
Sep 12-Nov 20..$111/nt 3 nt min..$556/wk..Nov 21-Nov 27.$140/nt..1 wk min..$699/wk
Nov 28-Dec 18..$111/nt 3 nt min..$556/wk..Dec 19-Jan 01.$145/nt..1 wk min..$724/wk
Jan 02-Jan 29..$120/nt 3 nt min..$599/wk..Jan 30-Feb 12.$128/nt..1 wk min..$641/wk
Plus $62.50 Cleaning Fee and 11.5% tax. See pet policy above.
Note: Until confirmed, rates are subject to change without notice.
Credit Cards Accepted:
Map & Owner's Profile
Cozy, Quaint Cottage with Private Beach, Wi-Fi, & Free Trolley
Year Purchased: 1998
Why the Owner Chose Holmes Beach
The beach cottage is located in Holmes Beach, a small, slow-paced beach town harkening back to the 1960' s, where high-rise buildings are prohibited. Holmes Beach, in turn, is located on Anna Maria Island, a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico 9 miles west of Bradenton, FL. Bradenton is located between the wealthy, cultural, coastal city of Sarasota to the south and the major metropolitan area composed of Tampa, St Petersburg, and Clearwater to the north, offering all the big-city amenities & experiences you might desire. The cottage's location thus allows you to choose between a slow, leisurely, relaxing beach get-away, or a fast-paced, sight-seeing, & activity-filled vacation, or a little of both. To assist you, the cottage’s Activities & Restaurant Guide has a list of 50 restaurants and 75 activities & locations to enjoy, including 18 shopping areas! The cottage itself is at the end of a dead-end street, so traffic is minimal, but a Publix supermarket, Walgreens & CVS drug stores, gift shops, beach stores, UPS store, 2 cafes, and BBQ, German, Japanese, & Chinese restaurants are all within 1/2 mile. Banks & ATMs are also nearby. The FREE island trolley has 2 stops within 200 yards of the cottage. With the trolley, a car is not needed on the island, only for the mainland.
The Unique Benefits at this Beach Cottage
Because of the beach cottage's closeness to the cities of Bradenton, Sarasota, Tampa, & St. Petersburg, after you swim, sun, surf, fish, & shell at the cottage and rent nearby sailboats, paraglide, jet skis, & kayaks, there are 2 sets of tennis courts in 2 mi., 8 good golf courses in 24 mi.(closest 8 mi.), including the Arnold Palmer, Golf Digest 4½ Star, Legacy Golf Club, Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 52 mi., Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 34 mi., Tampa Bay Lightning in 52 mi., Pittsburgh Pirates spring training in 10 mi., Busch Gardens within 61 mi., 5 chic shopping areas & 1 outlet & 7 regular malls in 60 mi., 4 movie theaters with 54 total screens in 19 mi., 3 comedy clubs in 57 mi.(closest 13 mi.), a casino within 53 mi., a dog track in 16 mi., a horse track in 62 mi., 4 museums & a planetarium in 58 mi., including the state art museum in 12 mi., 2 botanical gardens in 15 mi., 2 state parks in 40 mi., a sugar plantation historical park in 14 mi., a mineral spring in 52 mi., 8 performing arts theaters in 55 mi.(closest 3.4 mi.), a zoo & 2 aquariums in 60 mi.(closest 14 mi.), a winery in 27 mi., & Disney World, Universal Studios, & Sea World 2 hours away. I will attempt to email or mail you my Activity & Restaurant Guide before your arrival. The guide has a list of 50 restaurants and 75 activities & locations to enjoy, and I am still adding! I inserted the address, phone number, and travel distance for each restaurant & activity. I also added the website address where available for each activity, so you can obtain more information. The food type and cost ranked as lower, moderate, or higher is listed for each restaurant.
Video store, Peach's Restaurant, gift shops, UPS store, beach stores, German & Japanese restaurants, and pizza pub.
Good food, good variety, good portions, and good prices, but in the lobby you have a skeleton relieving himself into a coffin filled with ice & a huge variety of beer bottles. What can I say, you've
All the best in hairstyling, massages, spas, and beauty treatments.
Locally handmade silver jewelry with beach & sea themes by the resident island silversmith, reasonably priced.
Southern Italian dining at its best. My favorite. Moderately priced. Hopefullly, you'll be served by the darling little Old World waitress.
Seafood dining on the beach with wonderful live music perfect for the sun setting in the Gulf of Mexico. Owned by the popular son of one of our most beloved state governors.
Seafood dining on the beach with wonderful live music perfect for the sun setting in the Gulf of Mexico. Owned by the popular son of one of our most beloved state governors.
Uniquely located on a long pier in the bay. Lower priced seafood & grilled food.
Owner's Map of Holmes Beach
Well, here I am in what I have to wear 5 days a week, but, on the 6th & 7th days, you’ll find me in jeans or shorts and a polo shirt, and, … if I’m going to the beach that weekend, those are quickly shed, with the same enthusiasm I had as a kid, for swim trunks for me and a doggy life jacket for Master P.D. (see his photo below). Every summer since I can first remember (I think I was 2), my grandparents, mom, and dad would take my little sister and me to the Gulf beaches for a vacation. Now, as then, there is nothing better than to swim or float and let your mind go free as you are gently swayed in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Afterwards, you can sit and relax on the always un-crowded beach, reading a good book or catnapping while the seagulls call and the sparkling waves slowly murmur in reply. But, … then again, … wouldn’t it be even better to bring, like my grandparents did, the kids and the grandkids with all their smiles, laughter, fun, running, and splashing? If you do come, then welcome -- enjoy my little cottage and its white, sugar sand beach, and, geez, don’t be the last one to put your swim trunks on!
Property Photos
- Street side. - Holmes Beach. FL Beach Cottage with Beach View, Wireless Internet close to Sports Venues and Sightseeing
- Sunset, sand, & sea at the end of our winding path through the sea oats. - Holmes Beach. FL Beach Cottage with Beach View, Wireless Internet close to Sports Venues and Sightseeing
- Sunset in the Gulf of Mexico through the cottage's sea oats. - Holmes Beach. FL Beach Cottage with Beach View, Wireless Internet close to Sports Venues and Sightseeing
- Master bedroom & king-sized bed.
- Guest bedroom with twin beds.
- Kitchen, glass dining table, and chairs.
- Kitchen.
- Hammock for two shaded by sea grapes and Buddha bamboo.
- Sea grapes fruit -- old-timers used them for jams.
- Coconut palm I planted for pies of the same name.
- Master P.D., our rare "Sugar Sand Yorkie," sunbathing (but ready for a swim).
Vacation Rentals by Owner Listing #241920
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This listing was first published here in 2009.
Date last modified - November 23, 2009
