Holmes Beach

"We went into the vacation with high expectations and this home and AMI still exceeded them. This was our first visit to the island and we'll certainly be back after this experience. The pictures don't do the house justice. It's spacious, clean, perfect location. Truly amazing time. The pool was perfect. Sitting on the dock at night was one of my favorite parts. We watched multiple storms roll by at night and the fish constantly jump in the canal. We rented a boat for four days and what an experience that was to have it docked right in your back yard. The walk to the beach was easy and it's not crowded in that area at all. We boated alongside dolphins, swam with a manatee on the ocean side and just had a fabulous time. We made good buddies with the resident heron "Sherlock". He added a lot of personality to the property and was fun whenever he'd pop over for a visit. The location is private. And my oh my, sooo quiet. Which is what we truly loved about it. I think we talked in a whisper almost the whole vacation because it was so quiet and serene around the home. From start to finish this was a great experience and I'd encourage anyone to come visit Anna Maria and to stay at Simplicity Cottage. Also, we were here in mid-August. Yes it was hot, but there's water all around you to keep you cool. And I was really surprised that it wasn't buggy at the home. Maybe we got lucky because I thought there'd be a lot of bugs being on a quiet canal setting. But they weren't a bother at all. Didn't see a single mosquito (except as we walked through to dunes to get to the beach briefly). My only regret is we didn't stay longer!"