I’m convinced Gnarled Oak is the best street on the island. The trees, houses, neighbors and easy access to the beach are pretty hard to beat. Normally, I am someone who recoils from staying anywhere not directly beachfront...but, this was a great option. I’ve had bad past experiences staying a block off the beach (other Florida spots) and hauling chairs, etc, in the scorching shadeless heat...not pleasant. The gnarled oaks provide such great shade and “beaucoups“ of charm, that it’s such a short, pleasant stroll to the beach. Do wear some flip flops, as my well-seasoned toots were too tame to take the shell road on shoeless.
Our family of 4, which includes 2 young men, fit very well in this home. A queen bed was tighter than we have grown accustom to, but was by no means a problem for us. My husband and I are small people though. The twins, perfect for our sons. And, I was so very grateful to have that second bathroom. When you are the only female in a family of guys, you learn to appreciate that extra bathroom even more so.
The house was super clean, and stocked very well. Towels plentiful, beach chairs in great shape...must say I love the faucet/sprayer hooked up by the front door. Perfect. The only slight issue we had was initially with the tv. My spouse says I should mention that the listing should not say includes cable/should say house provides Roku streaming channels.
We stayed in for dinner one night, and tried area restaurants the other nights. Restaurants were usually quite crowded, but this was the week after Christmas, so I assume that’s to be expected for that time. We ate at Farlow’s, Beach Road Wine Bistro, Lock ‘N Key, and Leverock’s and did get ice cream one night at Made in the Shade. Leverock’s was the only place we could get a reservation on New Year’s Eve, pretty much last minute. It was a set menu. Couldn’t recommend it based solely on our experience that particular night. We liked Farlow’s and actually ate there twice. Friendly service, fairly quick, pretty good ambiance for us (not a romantic meal), and good food. Lock n’ Key was packed so we took a table out front in a makeshift looking tent just to be seated and eating quicker. It started raining and everything getting wet...the poor managers/owners were hustling to do their best to remedy the situation, but it wasn’t easy. Our meal suffered bc of the whole situation, but my fried shrimp and fries were good...and I LOVED my Caesar salad.