Escape to the Gulf! Oceanfront W/ Pool & Jacuzzi! 'the Dolphin House'

• We didn't want to leave the house!!

  We didn't want to leave the house!!

  • Guest aimoosh
  • Date of stay 04/06/13
  • Review Submitted 05/08/13
  I was traveling with my husband and 2 daughter 4 and 6 and my father plus some local guests who visited. We had a ton of room for everyone. The backyard was an oasis, the best pool area that we have had. The breeze off the gulf made it so comfortable, and their were shaded areas under the palm trees where my dad who has sun poisoning could stay out of direct sunlight. We also used the kayaks, canoes and went fishing off the back. The house itself was clean and well decorated. Although, there are some things that need to be fixed up a bit. These were minor and mainly on the lanai part of the house and would not stop us from staying there again! We were a little scared about the area being off the beaten path but we were close enough to some attractions we wanted to see such as Busch Gardens(1 hr), Crystal River (Manatee dives) and the Weeki Watchee State Park. Plus there were great restaurants in the area we enjoyed. Other than that we really did not want to leave the house and spent great hours swimming, in the hot tub and just relaxing. We did not see any dolphins or manatees from the house, but maybe the wrong time of year? Overall very pleasant experience. We had a little trouble with the pool heater but the owners worked with us to come to a great resolution. You may want to talk to them if you think this is going to be your main activity there. That is the only negative I can think of.

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

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0

• Fantastic!

  Fantastic!

  • Guest Renee
  • Date of stay 03/02/13
  • Review Submitted 03/19/13
  This was a great home to spend our vacation in! The owners were very friendly and went out of their way to make sure we had everything we needed at all times. The many docks and outside patio area/pool was definitely our favorite part of the home. We spent most of our time out there, and saw dolphins countless times! We also loved that we were able to use the kayaks. We had a great time and highly recommend this home!

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, pet owners, romantic getaway, girls getaway.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0

• Great home, great area

  Great home, great area

  • Guest Tina
  • Date of stay 07/23/12
  • Review Submitted 08/07/12
  We enjoyed our stay(end ofJuly 2012) at this house very much. All of the ammenities very nice-pool-spa-docks. Very comfortable beds. Loved the high end kitchen and grill for cooking. It had so many things supplied all we had to get basically was food. The kayaks were nice to go out in. The fishing equipment was nice. Pool floats etc. also provided. The area is very different than anywhere else we have been in Florida. Loved the wildlife. Lots of birds on the docks and saw dolphins just feet away. We had one manatee sighting not too far out when we rented a pontoon from the marina at the end of the street. Nice people to deal with. The stores are not too far to drive to. The screened porches were nice to have too. Very peaceful and relaxing beautiful area. We will definately be back!

  Recommended for: Tourists without a car, age 55+, families with teenagers, pet owners, romantic getaway, girls getaway.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 5/5

• The Best Vacation

  The Best Vacation

  • Guest Susan
  • Date of stay 07/09/12
  • Review Submitted 07/15/12
  This had to be the best vacation we have ever had. The owners were friendly, and went out of their way to make our stay enjoyable. We will definetly be back really soon. Perfect get away for all of us.

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, pet owners, romantic getaway, families with young children.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 3/3

• Gulf Vacation

  Gulf Vacation

  • Guest Anonymous
  • Date of stay 04/28/12
  • Review Submitted 06/05/12
  My family of three and our border collie spent 8 nights at this property and had a wonderful stay. The house is very spacious and the location is incredible. The home is situated on the gulf end of a deep water canal with ample waterfront, lovely decking, and a pool and spa. We had daily family pool tournaments downstairs. We watched dolphin, stingrays, and a great variety of birds daily and saw manatees right in front of the dock on two occasions. While the house itself is not yet in pristine condition (work is still in progress by the owners), the house has a lovely decor and had a clean and fresh smell and appearance as we entered. The bedding and bathroom linens were of good quality and the owners seem eager to do anything within reason to make your stay enjoyable. The owners also live in the neighborhood. The internet access was somewhat unreliable, which could have been related to our son's gaming computer and an additional laptop overwhelming the router. The neighborhood is very quiet except for the occasional visitors on the vacant lot across the canal and occasional noise from one house down the canal. There are good restaurants within 1-2 miles of the house. Brian's Place is definitely worthy of multiple visits (a real hidden gem with a creative chef). Leslie's also serves breakfast all day. There is no sandy beachfront in this area, but we did not even miss it. Tarpon Springs is definitely worth a visit and the drive to Tampa is not bad as well. I am a very discriminating traveler, desiring luxury rentals, and I was comfortable and very much enjoyed the stay, despite the few imperfections of the property. My family and I would definitely be interested in staying at this rental again since we enjoyed ultimate relaxation and were awed by our ability to see wildlife in their natural environment on a daily basis. (We even saw an alligator cross the street as we stood on the bridge at ?Jenkins Park).

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, age 55+, pet owners, romantic getaway.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 4/4

Additional information about rental rates

Please let us know if you intend to have a party, particulary if a large number of guests will be present. We are happy to accomodate, but this is a residential location and we need to alert neighbors and prepare for parking. There will be an additional $250.00 charge for party reservations. Please, no bands or fireworks without written approval.

We accept checks and money orders. We also accept PayPal, but have to charge an extra fee for that service.

$500.00 down payment is expected once your vacation has been booked. The remaining rent may be paid at your convenience, as long as the total has been paid before you arrive.

Additional Fees and Taxes:

$130.00 Cleaning Fee and $500.00 non-deposited, fully refundable, security deposit are due upon arrival. All Florida Sate Taxes are already included in rental total.