Everglades Wilderness Vacation

This is a very nice, clean, and comfortable home that is equipped with everything you need. The beds are comfortable and the Wi-Fi and TV work great. The location is perfect for taking day trips exploring, hiking, fishing, canoeing, and kayaking. It is close to Big Cypress and Everglades National Parks, as well as many local sites. I especially liked the Havana Cafe and Camellia's for great food and locale. The wildlife in the area is amazing and shouldn't be missed. Of course you must take a ride on the air boats. They are fun as well as educational. This location is also very quiet and peaceful, away from the hubbub of the city; yet, close to everything. I would definitely recommend this home and hope to return again.

We really enjoyed our 1 month stay. The house was spacious and very comfortable. Everglades City is a great location for exploring the whole everglades area, and the restaurants are mostly on the water and serve the delicious local stone crabs. We highly recommend this rental.

This is the third time I've stayed at this property, and as before all was wonderful! The house is well appointed, clean, spacious, and comfortable. It met all our expectations again! Thanks for taking one worry out of our vacation planning! Will be back.

There were two couples in our group. The house was spacious, comfortable and fully equipped. We fished and took a great kayak tour of the islands with local guide Captain Rodney Raffield during our stay. One couple utilized the house canoe throughout our stay, paddling out into the main bay and up Halfway Creek for fishing and exploration. This was my second trip to the area and by far the most comfortable spot to be at...just minutes to town, restaurants, shops and our fishing launch on Chokoloskee Island. We enjoyed the local restaurants and also cooked the fresh fish we caught at the house. Favorite restaurants: Triad Seafood, City Seafood, Camelia's, and Havana Cafe. The Hardware store is also worth a visit!

We were five adults, all middle-aged, in the area for five days of adventuring and sight-seeing in the Everglades Nat'l Park and Big Cypress National Preserve. It was so much nicer to have a spacious, fully-equipped house as our home base for our stay than to be cramped into two or more hotel rooms with all of our gear. Having a place to clean and dry gear after adventures was key.

We found the property to be as advertised and clean. We had a couple of unusual circumstances where we had to call the owner. He was responsive and helpful - a pleasure to do business with. We would recommend this property to people who need a home base for their adventuring in the area.

Three in our group did a three-day kayaking trip on the Wilderness Waterway. This was their third paddling trip in the Everglades area, so they obviously enjoy the experience. The Ivey House is a helpful resource for any rental needs related to paddling - and for all input related to activities in the area. The other two people in our party took a guided paddling trip through the Ivey House and had a fantastic time seeing a ton of unique nature. This area is a spectacular gift of nature with constant stimulation and amazement - from manatees and 'gators to the bird and plant life - we were in a perpetual state of awe. We went to many of the boardwalks and walks/ hikes in the various parks within a few hours of this rental property to take it all in. We saw so much nature on our Loop Road tour - this is a MUST! Don't go into it without reading about it first, though, and make sure your vehicle has a full tank of gas and is reliable.

Favorite restaurants we found in Everglades City: Camellia's and Triad Seafood. Island Cafe for good home cooking and very friendly wait-staff. Rod and Gun Club interesting for seeing the history, but not recommended for food or beverage. Sweet Mayberry's Cafe' has delicious gelato, coffee drinks and desserts (Wi-fi too).

Finally, we were in Everglades City during the annual Seafood Festival. Wow, this was a cultural eye-opener, not for the weak of heart! Very interesting and unique, for sure. Beware of traffic re-routing and delays during this annual event. It attracts thousands - we heard 30k. It's a small area to absorb that many people.