We stayed on the island for 5 weeks as we worked remotely and shortened up our northern winter.
The location: We loved Anna Maria Island and this location on the northern end in Holmes Beach was quiet and convenient. It’s about 5 minutes to walk to a quiet part of the beach, but crossing Palm Drive can be busy during the day time. The back Marina Drive is slower and we often would walk our dog around the docks and channels. From the property, we could easily walk south to the dog park or the Ugly Grouper, or to the north about 1 mile to Pine Street with its restaurants and shops.
The apartment: We had an overall comfortable, enjoyable stay. We made most of our meals here (plenty of kitchen dishes, pots/pans) and worked during the day. The apartment entry is via steps to a covered porch and sliding door. This porch area makes a nice spot for lunch, meetings or warm morning sun. The apartment was recently refinished to be a short-term rental. It’s clean and simple; old cabinets repainted white, classic original tile, new flooring and furniture.
Given we were working remotely, the main trouble we had was internet connectivity. It would go out a few times a week, which seems to be a factor of “island internet” and that the modem is in the home downstairs. The property manager Ramona always had it reset quickly, but noting for future guests. Ramona made sure guests were taken care of and was always quick to respond.
Only other flag for a long-term stay is the single unit washer/dryer combo. It works, but a single load can take 4+ hours and shakes like crazy on the dryer cycle - so we tried not to run it in evenings.