It’s no secret that I love to travel. My husband jokes that I start planning my next vacation when I go on vacation, and it’s hard to argue that because well…. it’s kind of true! It always gives me something to look forward to. We did go to Key West in October right after Hurricane Irma blew through so it’s not been terribly long since we were away but it’s been a bit of a stressful time for us. Robby (my hubs) owns a business and as all business owners know, the work never ends. He also works for the Gary Sinise Foundation and has been doing a bit more travel for that. Personally, my job has become increasingly more demanding which adds to my already full load of being a Momma to three little kiddos. And lastly and most sadly, my sweet, sweet Momma was diagnosed with cancer at the end of February so there’s been a multitude of doctor’s appointments, days of chemo treatments, days of going to her house and helping her out, etc. So, we really felt like we were due for a short getaway and as all parents undoubtedly know, we needed some time to reconnect.

I will love Key West until the day I die (which will hopefully be in a boat, on the water in Key West) but Robby was itching to try out a new place for this getaway, in particular. I originally thought Clearwater Beach or St Pete Beach would be the ticket because I’ve always heard it’s beautiful there but the more I researched, the more I realized I didn’t think that would be the vacation we needed right now. From what I could tell (and my thoughts were validated by the locals in Anna Maria), that area, just outside of Tampa, is very commercialized. The beaches are lined with resorts and we are just flat out not resort type of people. So I Googled- of course! I typed “Best Small Town Beaches in Florida” into the search bar and found some great ideas for places in Florida where I could find a vacation that’s more low key and less commercialized. Anna Maria Island came up and I have a friend that loves to travel there. She confirmed that it’s not commercialized so, the trip was booked!

Sarasota Airport is closest to the island but Tampa International Airport is probably going to be the cheapest route, which is how we flew in. It’s about an hour and 15 minute drive to Anna Maria from Tampa, so we hired a car service to pick us up and drop us back off. We debated about using Uber but it sounds like Paradise Car Service charged about the same price that Uber would have and we didn’t have to worry about the additional fees Uber charges if there’s any time you have to sit in traffic and delays your arrival time to your destination. The driver was waiting for us at baggage claim and he called me as soon as we got off the airplane. It was hassle free for me! We also, just so happened, to be riding with the owner, Neil. He offered to stop by a liquor store before we got to the island, to get our goodies cheaper. I thought that was an awesome bonus to the car service! Thanks, Neil!

I searched on VRBO, as per my normal vacation routine, for rental properties but there wasn’t a very wide selection so I hopped onto Airbnb for the first time and they did have a good selection but nothing that was appealing to me (I couldn’t tell if you would be renting space from someone who’s in the other part of the house or if you got the whole space and wouldn’t be in close proximity, I just didn’t know so I jumped out of there). There is, I think, a singular, small motel (that’s with an “m”, motel) in Anna Maria so renting a home is truly the best, and nearly only, option you have. Once we arrived to the island, I realized that the properties there are mostly managed by local property management companies so that’s why I wasn’t finding much on VRBO. However, what I did manage to come across on VRBO was a super cute house right on one of the canals. The Tarpon Treehouse had great reviews and amenities that were appealing so that’s what we booked.

The “Treehouse” (I love that name, it makes me feel like I’m a kid again) is located about 2 blocks from Pine Ave, which is the main drag of Anna Maria, it’s about 1 block to the bayside beaches and about 4 blocks to the beaches on the Gulf side of the island. The Trolley route is again, just a couple blocks away, so wherever your destination is, this house is likely to be in close proximity. We didn’t rent a car because it didn’t seem we would need one. My research showed it’s mostly bikes and golf cart rentals, plus this home has bikes you can use! That alone saved us about $115 plus the hassle of having to locate a bike rental shop. Upon our arrival, we were greeted with a multitude of little lizards, which made my heart happy because gosh darn, they were so stinkin’ cute! Inside the house, we found a clean, modern, updated home with a fresh bottle of wine for our stay. The home has two bedrooms and two bathrooms. One bedroom has two twin beds and the other, a king bed. The kitchen was equipped with nearly everything you would need during your stay. Off the kitchen, is a cozy screened-in porch, and off the porch, you will find the most secluded, tropical paradise on the island, I’m sure of it. The backyard consists of a hot tub, an outdoor shower, lounge chairs for sunning, another shaded, rest area with loungers and the best of it all, the deck on the canal. This deck has a bench and two rocking chairs that saw plenty of our behinds as we drank our morning coffee here pretty much every morning. There’s also a gas grill out back, of which we never used because we ate out for every meal. We had a little trouble getting into the house when we arrived (user error, I’m sure) so I called the owners (who responded right away) and they helped me out. They also checked in on us a few days into our stay to make sure all was well. One of the bikes had a blown out tire but we were using a spare bike so we weren’t too concerned about it. I mentioned the bike being out of commission but also that it didn’t need to be fixed until we left. Kate and Tim, the owners, live close by and they came and switched out the bike for a different one ASAP. Not needed, but so appreciated! We also rented kayaks one day and had them delivered to the house. The company put them in the backyard for us so we literally just put them right into the canal, 10 feet away, the morning we went for a paddle. That was great! I would recommend this home to any party of 4 or smaller, planning a trip to the island. Check out their Facebook page here and see them on VRBO here to book your stay.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once we got our stuff unloaded and checked out every inch of our bungalow, we loaded up our beach bags and cooler, found the bikes, and set off for the beach. We ventured over to the beach on the Gulf side, although I’m not sure if that beach has an actual name or not (I’m sure it likely does; I just don’t know what it is). It was Thursday when we arrived so the beach wasn’t crowded. We quickly realized Anna Maria beaches are likely some of the best in the states. The beach extends as far as you can see both north and south. We somehow managed to just barely miss Tropical Storm Alberto and the clouds had parted and the sun was beaming down. What a great welcoming day for us to come to the island!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After we were freshly sunburned and ready to get cleaned up, we headed back to the house. Robby relished in the outdoor shower, which is perfect when you’ve been baking in the hot sun all day. By the time we got squeaky clean and dressed, we were pretty darn hungry so we set out in search of the closest restaurant we could find.

That short walk led us to The Waterfront Restaurant, located at the corner of S Bay Blvd and Spring Ave. Luckily, we were able to get a table outside after just a tiny wait at the bar. I ordered a Smoked Margarita, which was magnifico! When I go to the islands, I HAVE to have seafood. Nothing else will do. Nothing! We started with the calamari curls as an appetizer. Robby had never had calamari before so it was quite a treat for him and they were delicious! Once we’d finished off the last of the curls, they brought out my grouper tacos, which can be found on the appetizer menu but are quite filling as a meal. These were great as well. Robby had the tuna which he said was really good but seeing as I can’t even fathom the thought of putting nearly raw meat into my mouth, I simply took his word for it. As we were setting off at the beginning of the trip, I told myself that if I come across bread pudding, I will indulge, as that’s one of my all-time favorite desserts! And guess what I found? That’s right…. My first night on the island, I found bread pudding. So even though I was plenty stuffed from the calamari and fish tacos, I ordered that to finish the meal off. (Side note: The bread pudding looked delicious but I wouldn’t describe it as delicious. It was okay but I wouldn’t waste my calories on it again; I’ve had much, much better bread pudding. It lacked that “POW” of flavor). If you’ve read other articles on my blog, you already know that I’m an atmosphere girl. I’d rather have good atmosphere and bad service than a bad atmosphere with good service. Luckily, we found good atmosphere and good service here. The Waterfront has outdoor dining both in front and out back, so there’s lots of people watching and as the name implies, it is close to the water so the sounds of the ocean accompanied by an evening glass of wine definitely hits the spot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On our very, very short walk home, we took an impromptu detour to do an evening walk along the beach. I had my maxi dress on and wasn’t at all prepared for getting wet walking along the beach but we were finding so many awesome things that I dove right in, dress and all! We found close to 20 live starfish (a first for me!), watched hundreds of tiny hermit crabs zipping in and out of different shells and foraged for seashells. I couldn’t think of a better way to end our first evening in paradise! Robby laughed at me for having the excitement and wonderment of a child, but hey, that’s just me.

Stay tuned for details from our adventures at Anna Maria Island on Day 2!