Nice Home - Great Experience

Guest: Jen42 (Paw Paw, MI)
Date of Stay: 11/14/09 Review Submitted: 11/25/09

The day before our trip to Florida my 20-month old daughter came down with the H1N1 flu. She was absolutely miserable and her doc wanted us to start the meds right away and it was apparent that we would NOT be starting our vacation the next day. Stephen and Annica were extremely understanding and they told us to "get better and come when you can!". Once my daughter was over the flu they worked with us to arrange a new vacation date, all at no additional cost. I only wish the airlines were as accomodating :) The house is very easy to get to and is exactly as depicted in the online pictures. I'm a neat freak and the house was very clean. I loved that there was a full washer and dryer at the house. The living room and kitchen are all open so it's easy to visit with family while making dinner. My daughter enjoyed all of the toys, especially the big red car (I think we may need to buy her one now). My husband enjoyed fishing off the dock. We caught a crab but decided to let him go. We also saw dolphins playing, a surprise I wasn't expecting. We went in November so the weather was a bit cooler. We heated up the pool every day and it was very enjoyable. This is an excellent house, I highly recommend it.

Owner response:Jennifer: Thank you very much for staying at our home and taking the time to post a review. We are happy that your family is feeling better and delighted that you had a pleasant stay at our home. Your family is always welcome again. all the best, stephen & annica

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

Super Spring Break!

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 04/02/11 Review Submitted: 07/18/11

We enjoyed a delightful stay with another familiy at this wonderful vacation home during spring break. There was ample room for everyone to have their own space in addition to the roominess enjoyed when we all gathered together. The pool and hot tub were fabulous - and the crab fishing off the dock was an unexpected highlight! We caught, cooked and ate five crabs!!! The kids and dads fished every day and we were close enough to take in a spring training baseball game as well as play at nearby beaches. In the evenings, we played lots of ping pong in addition to the backyard fun. While we had not expected bordering a street with some traffic, this did not negatively affect our stay. The owners of this home clearly take pride in their property. We were pleasantly surprised by its cleanliness and the amenities provided, including the well stocked kitchen. The lovely photos provided accurately reflect the great layout and superior quality of this home and its furnishings. Stephen met us upon our arrival and provided lots of information to ensure our vacation went smoothly and was memorable! We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here and would highly recommend this home for your next vacation ?

Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with teenagers, romantic getaway, tourists without a car, families with young children.

Great vacation home and very accommodating owners!

Guest: Craig_McC (Shanghai, China)
Date of Stay: 03/19/11 Review Submitted: 05/05/11

The first thing that made us aware that this rental property is different from most rentals is that the owners really care about your experience that you have in their home. The were very keen to make sure that we had everything we needed and if there was anything they didn't have, which in our case that was we needed a wireless internet connection, they went out of their way to make sure that they had one up and running by the time we got there. Couldn't thank them enough for that! The owners commitment to their renters was only enforced when we arrived at the house, which was clean top to bottom and it was obvious that they took a lot of pride and care in their home. Having rented a lot of properties in Florida over the years, it was nice to come to a house that felt more like a home that your average rental property. During the winter we decided that we wanted to look at buying our own house in Tarpon Springs and renting this property during the baseball Spring Training season allowed us the opportunity to experience life in the area for a good period of time. We could not recommend this rental home enough! Great house, well stocked with all the amenities you could need and owners that take great pride in their home and making sure the guests have the best stay possible.

Owner response:Trevor & Craig: We sincerely appreciated the opportunity to meet you and have you as guests at our vacation home in Tarpon Springs Florida. You were truly delightful guests and are always welcome at our home. We sincerely appreciate you treating our home with such care and respect and are particularly thankful that you took the time to post a review of our home. It was very gratifying to hear that you were pleased with our home and had a memorable stay. Finally, you have the honorary distinction of being the guests that travelled the farthest to reach our home (Shanghai China). According to Google Maps it's over 11,000 miles. I know you are interested in purchasing a property in the area so if we can help you in any way, please don't hesitate to contact us. We hope our paths will cross again. Stephen & Annica

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, age 55+, sightseeing, families with young children.

Great Vacation Home for Families

Guest: TG (Chicago, Illinois)
Date of Stay: 02/22/11 Review Submitted: 04/19/11

We had two families including 4 adults and 3 kids under 3 for a week vacation at the property. Can't say enough good things about the home, its setup and the first class treatment by stephen and annica. The house has everything you need for a family and is conveniently located to beaches, restaurants, and other amenities in the area. Great experience.

Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with teenagers, families with young children.

Wonderful family reunion

Guest: Happy From Ohio (Cincinnati, OH)
Date of Stay: 03/12/11 Review Submitted: 04/16/11

My brother's family and our family met up for a reunion week vacation. (5 adults, including an 85 year old, and 3 kids - 12, 5 & 3). The house was great. Annica and Stephen were wonderful hosts. We appreciated their warmth, interest in accommodating our requests and straight-forwardness. The house was well maintained, very much as advertised. We particularly liked the ability to walk to the Sponge Docks and other restaurants nearby (all within a 15-20 min walk). Spent a couple of days on the beach too. And good bike/running trail close by. The pool was perfect, as was the hot tub. And we saw dolphins off the dock twice -- the kids were in awe. OK, we were in awe too. Worth being aware of the road beside the house just so you are not surprised. We did not find it a big deal as the pool, etc is well blocked and private. My brother who had the master bedroom said there was some minor noise, again not a big deal. The village area/sponge docks is cute (and expectedly touristy). We enjoyed the Greek food and influences. The Sponge Dock area has no night life which was fine with us. Although my brother and I ventured out at 10pm one night and found the Sawgrass Tiki Bar -- the owner/bartender is a great character. Currents restaurant was quite nice -- more fine dining -- made for a tasty adult dinner. Would we recommend to a friend? Yes, we would without hesitation. It is a great home, owned by good folks. We had highly a memorable time. Thanks Annica and Stephen.

Owner response:We would like to thank you for staying at our vacation home in Tarpon Springs. We are delighted that your lovely family had a memorable stay and safe return home. We would also like to thank you for taking the time to provide a review of our home and your experiences in the area. It is very kind of you to rate our home and your experience with us as "5 star" We appreciate the opportunity to have hosted your family and we look forward to welcoming your family back anytime. Warm Regards, Annica & Stephen

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, tourists without a car, sightseeing, families with young children.

A perfect vacation home

Guest: Aly B (Oxford, UK)
Date of Stay: 07/25/09 Review Submitted: 08/10/09

My family had a perfect vacation in this lovely home. It is just as described and comes with everything you might need to make your stay comfortable. The home was very clean and well presented with good linen and plenty of towels both for the house and the beach. There is all the kitchen equipment you could ever need and a great outdoor grill. The playroom has a good selection of childrens toys and games plus lots of books and magazines for children and adults. For outdoors there are toys, bikes games and beach chairs and of course fishing poles! The location is great, close to beaches, shops and restaurants but peaceful too. We spent ages on the terrace watching the boats and kayaks going by and dolphin spotting. I was a little concerned when I saw on Google maps how close the house is to the road but in reality there was no problem, the garden is well screened and the road isn't so busy as to cause intrusive noise. The owners are very helpful. Stephan grew up in the area and gave us lots of tips and information before we arrived and then met us on arrival to show us round the house. They made sure to check we were OK during the stay and continued to offer help if needed. Tarpon Springs is a quaint old town with plenty of restaurants and a few gift shops within walking distance of the house. There is a good choice of fishing and sightseeing trips as well as boat and kayak rentals close by. There is a comprehensive collection of leaflets and restaurant menus at the house. We visited the local beaches and little Sunset beach, just down the road was our favourite. The children enjoyed searching for crabs and snorkling while we relaxed on the sand. A little further away are plenty of larger beaches with endless white sand and shallow warm sea. You just need to watch out for Stingray but as long as you "shuffle" and don't tred on one there is no problem and they are kind of cool to watch! I would have no hesitation in recommending this home to friends and family and I am sure that our family will visit again one year.

Owner response:Aly: Thank you very much for taking the time to post a review of our home. We sincerely appreciate your family treating our home with such care. You were perfect guests and are always welcome. We really hope our paths will cross again. kind regards, Stephen & Annica

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, sightseeing.

Tarpon Springs

Guest: Jackooo (Guildford, Surrey, England)
Date of Stay: 04/18/09 Review Submitted: 05/16/09

We are a group of family and friends aged between 6 and 63. We all had a marvellous holiday. The house was everything the description said and more. We spent lazy days swimming in the gorgous pool and spa, fishing and looking out at the amazing views from the house. We also made great use of the bikes supplied by the owners. Everybody in the area were so friendly and never too busy to talk. Not to forget the beautiful dolphins and manatee that swam past the house. A holiday to remember forever. We will certainly return!

Owner response:Thank you very much for choosing our home and for taking the time to leave us some feedback. We are delighted that your family had a pleasant stay. You are always in our home. all the best, Stephen & Annica

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

Perfect Family Vacation Home

Guest: hallibee (Tulsa, OK)
Date of Stay: 07/12/08 Review Submitted: 05/02/09

Our family of six has rented this house two years in a row and absolutely love it. It is in an ideal location, just 5 min. from the beach, 2 min. to the sponge docks, and 5 min. to the grocery store, restaurants, & Starbucks. Tarpon Springs is an easy drive from the Tampa airport as well, so you're away from the hustle & bustle of the city but close enough to get to all the attractions w/o making for a long day of travel. The house is well laid out, with one bedroom down and three up, including a large master bedroom & bath. The open kitchen / dining room / family room area has high ceilings & feels roomy. There is a wine refrigerator in the kitchen and a gas grill out back. There is also a playroom at the front of the house with lots of games, books & toys for the kids. But the backyard is where the fun is. The pool is a perfect size & the attached jacuzzi is very relaxing after a hard day of vacationing! You can eat dinner outside on the balcony & watch the huge osprey nest above the telephone pole. The dock out back is a great place to fish - put some squid bait (from the local Wal Mart) on your line & the fish will practically jump on to the dock. We even caught blue crab in the net one night & cooked them for a nice appetizer before dinner. Stephen & Annica could not be better hosts. They are attentive to your every need, very welcoming and hospitable, yet let you enjoy your vacation in peace without daily checkups or the hovering you get with some other home renters. We have really enjoyed renting from them and will definitely return.

Owner response:Dave: Thank you very much for taking the time to write a review of our home. We really appreciate the kind words and look forward to hosting your family again. You are always welcome in our home. all the best, Stephen & Annica

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

Vacation like Millionaires....for real !!!

Guest: William Tell (Lausanne, Switzerland)
Date of Stay: 12/20/08 Review Submitted: 05/01/09

When you book your rental on internet, you consciously decide to take a risk. Never been there. Don't know the owners. Don't even know if the house really stands there (always check on GoogleMap....don't you Stephen?). Cannot clearly see the surrounding area on the pictures, and so on. Well, in this case, you realise that Murphy's Law doesn't always apply.... This is by far the best family holidays we have enjoyed in years. From the very first time we talked to Stephen and Annica, until our departure back to Europe last January, our experience has been outstanding. The owners are great people, they offer 5-star service and high availability and flexibility. For many of us, the house reaches the same standards or even higher standards than our own home place. Lot of space, lot of light, many rooms, very clean and well maintained, premium equipment, beautiful kitchen, fantastic beds, very flexible heating and cooling system, beautiful pool, easy-to-run spa (keep the bottle of champagne at close end...), hamac, games, toys for kids, sport equipment, BBQ, well everything you need to spend a very, very good time. And when you want to leave this heaven, the choice of activities is endless. Dinner at Sponge Docks (plenty of great restaurants around), rent a boat to discover the rivers-coast-islands nearby, visit the fantastic aquarium at Tampa, spend a day at Bush Gardens (best attraction park in FL), swim in the sea at Clearwater Beach, cruise with a rental bike, cycle to Howard Park, walk on the beach and reload your "batteries" under blue sky and warm sun, or just sit on your personal pier and watch dolphins or manatees at dusk. In conclusion, this house and area have so much to offer that you will surely come back many times. Oh, last thing, we have been 3 times there and we'll be back again at year end......but please do not tell anybody about all of this, or demand will increase and the owners will have to change the decent price they ask today for all of that.

Owner response:Eric: Thank you very much for your kind words and thank you for taking the time to write a review. Your family is always welcome in our home. We look forward to meeting you and your family again later this year. all the best, Stephen & Annica

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, romantic getaway, sightseeing, families with young children.

Fantasic-

Guest: Steve & Joyce (Clarkston, MI)
Date of Stay: 03/24/09 Review Submitted: 04/05/09

Outstanding...the only word that can describe this home. A more perfect family setting is hard to imagine, with the pool and hot tub situated so we could watch the dolphin cruising the nearby waterway. The dock for the boys to catch all sorts of fish to the ping pong table for night time tournaments all within walking distance of the sponge docks. We have rented vacation homes all over the east coast and Florida and find this to be the best experience yet. The owners are extremely friendly and helpful and an ease to work with ...a great vacation

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, sightseeing.