Sea Star: Newly renovated cozy beachfront cottage, view dolphins from the porch!

We are so sorry that you found your stay less than ideal. But the very first line of our listing does indeed specify that we are an island accessible only by boat. The listing is very clear that Little Gasparilla is a bridgeless barrier island...this is also spelled out clearly in our contract, which you signed, and it is part of the stipulation that you must agree to prior to booking....that you understand that the home is on an island and is only accessible by boat. OF COURSE it is isolated and tricky to get to...that is the point of a bridge-less barrier island! No crowds, no traffic, no tourists. I think it is somewhat unfair to grace this lovely beachfront home with a very negative review simply because you failed to read the property description, your signed contract or ANY of the information we provided to you. Again, we are sorry that you did not enjoy the rare peace and tranquility of our island.

I am glad you had a wonderful time and enjoyed the island. We appreciate your constructive comments. However, the owners DO spend money on their home, but perhaps not in ways that might be easily evident. The entire home was repainted last Fall....there are new bed linens and new curtains in the master bedroom...there is a new flat screen TV, there is a brand new fully enclosed outdoor shower that was just completed, there is a new trash compactor, they have made repairs to the downstairs deck and -- following Hurricane Irma last fall -- they spent several THOUSAND of dollars making repairs to the siding. New bedroom flooring and new furniture is next on their list, but the maintenance on the island is continual and on-going...so you can always find SOMETHING that is not perfect if you try hard enough! The owners are prioritizing the maintenance items and the upgrades and are making improvements in between rentals. We are glad that you had a wonderful time!

We are sorry that the house did not live up to your expectations. During the extremely busy months of March and April, the house is rented almost constantly, so there is little time between guests to take care of routine maintenance. However, kitchen lights have been repaired, the TV is working fine but has a limited programming package, and the porch screens have been repaired. We also repaired the mixing valve in the shower. We did not notice any "odd smell" in the bathroom when the house was checked...either before your arrival or following your departure. We are just sorry that you arrived at a time when we had not been able to catch up with routine maintenance. Hopefully the lovely weather, beautiful beach views and perfect beachfront location helped make up for a less than perfect cottage.

We are sorry that you were unable to fully enjoy your stay at Sea Star. We have had many complaints about the house under construction. Quite frankly, it was supposed to be finished last December....then a completion date of March was given. In late July, they are still working on it. We really had no idea that there would still be construction ongoing at this late date. We envisioned that worst case scenario, they might be doing less intrusive finish work indoors --but that is not the case. Delays with both the barge and back-ordered materials apparently were the culprit. No one is more upset than the owners about the delay. We have spoken to the builder and asked him to delay starting until later in the morning....to no avail. So at this point, all we can hope is that it is finished soon! As for bugs.....because we are not a municipality, we often get overlooked with mosquito control. Residents actually have to call the county and ask them come out and spray. They used to do aerial spraying, but it harms the estuaries and the delicate marine life....so the only option is ground spraying which is a more ecological approach -- but not as effective. Some people are much more sensitive to insect bites than others, and I am truly sorry that you found them so bothersome. (We do include insect repellant wipes in our welcome package for just this reason.) We appreciate your positive comments about our staff and we are glad that we could help make your stay as pleasant as possible under the circumstances.

I am so sorry that you did not use our concierge service! We provide this complimentary service so that you don't have to wander around looking for for the house. But you DO need to contact him with your arrival time so that he knows when to meet you at the dock. And, we do also provide detailed directions to the house in your Arrival Letter which is sent a couple weeks prior to your check-in date. Trash removal on the island is an on-going issue but until Charlotte County decides to offer trash pick-up, the options are limited. We hate to ask our guests to take it back to the marina but sometimes that is the only option. Some people prefer to pay more to have it hauled away; others prefer to take it to the marina themselves. That is just one of the things we deal with on a barrier island....but we think the island offers a lot of benefits that make up for not having weekly trash removal! As you say, the island is not for everyone but we think the inconveniences are outweighed by the unique aspects of island living!

We are so glad you enjoyed your stay. We think the isolation is part of the charm!

I am glad you enjoyed the house but sorry that you encountered some issues. First of all, no where in our listing do we offer kayaks or say that they are on the property. I am sorry if you misunderstood....we have a kayak rental service on the island, but we never promised free kayaks on the property. Beach toys are sort of catch as catch can on the island....what is available varies depending on what previous guests leave. To avoid disappointment, we offer a wide range of beach toys, from goggles and inflatable rafts to sand toys and boogie boards. These are described in the literature left in the house for you. And, I am sorry that the water taxi was not more helpful with your luggage. They get you to the dock safely. but they do not routinely carry your luggage for you. That is why we offer a concierge who will pick you up and the dock and take you back for departure IF you contact him and make a reservation. All in all, I am sorry that a few misunderstandings impacted your stay.

Thank you for your comments. We are terribly sorry that you did not enjoy your stay and found so much wrong with the home. The home was checked thoroughly following your stay, and we found no broken railings, no broken furniture and no broken screens. We also checked the shower and there was warm water -- but not super hot water. A plumber was called immediately and the shower valve has since been replaced. (However, there was another shower that had very hot water so you were not without hot water during your stay.) I am also not sure what you meant about food left...there are condiments left in the refrigerator and spices in the cupboard, but there are very few food items in the home. (Because of our remote location, we do tend to leave unopened canned goods, spices, etc. in the house for use by other guests.) As for the owner's closet, the home recently had new flooring installed, and the lock was removed to facilitate installation of the flooring inside that closet. We apologize that the closet was not relocked prior to your arrival. There is a burn barrel in the front yard that is used for burning yard debris, but it is not a "fire pit" for guest's use and was not advertised as such..( It is for use by the owners and the yard crew only.) We do have several properties that are much newer and have more updated amenities and you might have been happier in a newer, more modern home. We are very sorry that this property was not a good fit for your family.