Leave your car and your cares at the marina because Little Gasparilla is accessible only by water taxi! That means our beaches are uncrowded and tourists and traffic are just a mainland memory. If you are looking for a quiet tropical island to relax and unplug, Little Gasparilla is your dream vacation spot. Our "nightlife" consists of giant sea turtles laying their eggs -- our only bar is the sand bar where you can find sand dollars and shells!
Sophie's Beach House is a comfortable and cozy beach house situated right ON the beach for a perfect family vacation spot on Little Gasparilla Island. It has a spacious open porch for sunbathing and catching the gulf breezes. An indoor sun porch also provides a perfect spot for relaxing and reading while still watching the waves and the dolphins cavort right outside your window. The sunporch and living room are paneled with rustic knotty pine paneling for a warm and comfortable ambiance.
NOTE: Little Gasparilla Island is a bridge-less barrier island accessible only by water taxi. You park your car at Eldred's Marina on the mainland, and bring all groceries to the island with you because there are no commercial establishments on the island.
The kitchen is equipped with everything you need and the home has two full bathrooms. Each bedroom has a king bed so everyone can spread out and enjoy sleeping in comfort. Two bedrooms also open to a spacious back porch for additional sunbathing options.
The home also comes with a grill and we provide the services of our island concierge who will meet you at the dock and help transport your luggage and groceries from the dock to the house.
WiFi - available for a fee. Speeds adequate for web-browsing, emails, social media, but not games or streaming.
Pet Policy - no pets permitted
Minimum Renter Age - 25
Boat Slip - included on dock number 38 (this is also where the water taxi will drop you off)
Complimentary Concierge- will meet you at the dock with a golf cart to assist with transporting your luggage and groceries to the home
Satellite TV - yes
Grill Type - electric and charcoal
Parking - $6/night ($8/night if you have a boat trailer) at Eldred's Marina where you meet the boat taxi
LITTLE GASPARILLA FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS...PLEASE READ!
• You cannot drive your car to the island and the only access is via water taxi; there is no vehicle ferry.
• You must park your car at the marina at the mainland but it will be perfectly safe there; parking is $6 a day.
• The water taxi is $10 per person each way and he will drop you right at our dock.
• All homes come with a grill. Sophie's Beach House has a charcoal grill.
• All homes come with beach chairs and an umbrella.
• You must bring all groceries to the island with you.
• There are no stores of any kind on the island, not even a convenience store.
• There is no need to bring drinking water; the water from the tap is safe and drinkable.
• There are first responders on the island and we have 911 service in case of an emergency.
• Golf carts are not necessary; the island is only 100-200 yards wide in most places and our concierge will meet you upon arrival to bring you to the house. But they are fun to go exploring and you can rent one on the island from LGI Carts: 941-697-3820. If a golf cart is important to you, you should make reservations well in advance, especially if you are coming over Spring Break or during a holiday.
• You can fish off the dock or the beach but non-Florida residents will need to purchase a fishing license.
INTERNET: There is no wired internet service on the island. There are a couple options for wifi. Most people just opt to use the mobile hotspots on their smartphones, especially if they have unlimited data or a large data plan. Cell service is excellent and that is the most convenient option...and it seems to work a bit faster. We can provide instructions on hot spotting if you are not familiar. If you do not have a smartphone, we provide a free Verizon jetpack BUT you have to purchase data AND YOU MUST REQUEST IT IN ADVANCE. You can either bring a Verizon card with you OR we can sell you one when we bring over the jetpack. You can buy as much data as you need, but it IS expensive....so we urge guests NOT to plan on using the jetpack for entertainment...no streaming music or videos, etc. It is more than adequate for checking emails, etc. and most people use about 2G of data per week which is $35. 5G is $60 and 10G is $100. (It is sort of like a cruise where you have to pay for the minutes you are on-line.) You just need to let us know in advance so we can make sure we have a fully charged jetpack available for you. If you bring a Verizon card with you, we can show you how to add the data. Or, we can pre-add data prior to your arrival but you have to let us know how much you think you will need. Just keep in mind that it is NOT the internet you are used to on the mainland, and anything that uses up a lot of data will increase your costs. (It is especially helpful to remind kids and teenagers who are used to unlimited data!) We usually suggest that people download books and movies to their tablets or e-readers BEFORE coming to the island.