Perfect location! Right down the street from all the private amenities. Keep reading for FULL details of the home, the community and things to do! This is a Pet Friendly, Self Serve 2 bedroom 1.5 bath Townhome in located in Little Harbor private beach community. Our guests have access to all amenities which include: our private beach, two onsite restaurants, two pools, hot tub, arcade playroom, fitness center, pickleball and tennis courts, basketball court, children playground, so much more!
The townhome: 3 stories, no elevator. King bed - master, two full beds in second bedroom and a queen sleeper sofa. Delicately furnished and decorated with a coastal touch, fully equipped kitchen, and we provide comfortable, fresh towels and linen for our guests. The home has views from both front and back balconies. Total of 4 balconies. The home has a full kitchen, tv in living room and both bedrooms and also has full sized washer and dryer. The home has a blow dryer, iron and ironing board. This home has convenient parking, counting with a full size garage and a covered carport- 2 parking spaces. The community also has overflow parking if there are more than 2 cars.
Our home is professionally cleaned, we offer self-check in with a door code, property parking, amenity access and Wi-Fi are always free. We provide the door code and instructions the day of check in. Parking pass and Pool Pass will be inside the unit. NOTE: pool pass also opens the arcade game room and fitness center.
At day in Little Harbor Beach Community: Wake up to a gorgeous sky and Waterview from the master bedroom balcony. Get that coffee brewing and plan for a nice walk. Enjoy the sounds and views of all the wildlife. Manatees in the water can be seen from the balconies! Wave at the sail boat captains cruising by the canal. Head down to the fitness center, courts or grab a lounge chair at the pool! Visit one of our onsite restaurants. Maybe a quick American lunch at Hooks Bar and Grille and then plan a nice dinner outfit for Sunset Bar & Grille. Come prepared with a camera to get those lovely sunset pictures. And don't forget to pack your dancing flip flops because they have live music that will surely make you want to dance. *pro- tip: find the parking lot that says FREE PARKING. If you park in the pay-to-park ask the waiter for parking validation. It should be free but you'll get ticketed if you don't validate it! My advice is to just park in the FREE PARKING zone ;P
If you have little ones or teens, we highly recommend the Arcade Game Room. Our kids spend a good hour there. Plenty of entertainment aside from beach and pool fun. The playground, shuffle boards, cornhole, basketball, tennis and pickleball courts are all super fun for younger guests.
Want to get a workout? Walk/jog the community grounds, swim laps, or go to our new Fitness Center right on site. Reserved only for guests.
If you have furry companions, there is a small dog park area by the playground and tennis courts. The community is pet friendly, but the beach does not allow pets.
Tomorrow is a new day, what plans should you make? Think big! YOLO! Boat rental, sunset cruise, fishing, theme parks, take a guided boat tour, rent kayaks at E.G Simmons Park, rent Jet Skis from Apollo Beach local vendor, visit one of the major beaches nearby, explore new restaurants? Here are some activities we recommend that are outside of our community.
* Attractions & entertainment worth making the drive for:
>Ruskin Family Drive In theater - 9 mins
>AMC Riverview 14 - 28 mins
>Top Golf Brandon - 34 mins
>iFLY indoor skydive - 33 mins
>Ellenton Premium Outlets - 33 mins
>Indoor Brandon Mall - 31 mins
>Raymond James Stadium -53 mins
>Lowry Park Zoo - 50 mins
>Busch Gardens - 46 mins
>Adventure Island - 46 mins
>Armature Works - 40 mins
>Riverwalk Tampa - 40 mins
>Children Museum - 40 mins
>Disney - 1 hour 20 mins
>Universal Studios 1 hour 40 mins
* Other Beaches worth making the drive for (under one hour drive)
>St Pete Beach (Highly recommend taking the scenic route which gets you on the iconic Skyway Bridge and you arrive in 45 mins... The beach has great waves, soft sand, hard to find parking, restaurants onsite)
>Pass A Grille Beach (lots of shells on beach, easy parking, walk to restaurants)
>Clearwater Beach (beautiful crystal water, soft white sand, hard to find parking, lots of food options, high traffic & tourism)
>Sarasota Beaches (nice clear water, soft white sand, parking is a hard, highly recommend going to their downtown too. Very cute Sarasota Downtown with restaurants).
>Bradenton Beaches (we love Turtle Beach - the best powdery sand that never gets hot! It's truly lovely. Depending on where you park there may be a long walk to the water but worth it)
>Ana Maria Island - it is heavenly. It can be busy but worth visiting. Gps says 52 mins away.
>John's Pass - 57 mins away. Walk the huge wooden deck, Souvenir shop, visit a restaurant, bar and maybe even hop on the Pirate Ship cruise! Super fun!
>Restaurants that are sooo worth visiting aside from our onsite restaurants!
>Plaza Mexico Mexican Restaurant (10 mins away) If you are a Margarita lover and an authentic Mexican Food fanatic, look no further! This is our family favorite. They opened last year, they have unique Mexican themed decor inside and outside the restaurant. The presentation of their dishes and their amazing costumer service makes this place a great experience. We recommend this for Birthdays or Celebrations. They play a high energy Happy Birthday Song, so let them know you are celebrating! They sometimes have a wait so call in advance!
>Finn's Dockside Bar & Grille (17 mins away) - Live music, waterfront, fun environment. New restaurant, very nice decor, food and drinks.
>Circles Waterfront Restaurant (17 mins away) This one is right next door to Finn's Dockside. This restaurant is a local favorite.
>Lazy Gator (5 mins away) The bar has a whole schedule with open mic, karaoke and live entertainment. The restaurant has an indoor area and a new outdoor area that has string lights and a beach themed environment.
>The Fish House (4 mins away) - this is a little shack restaurant that has outdoor seating only. It is family owned and operated. They are extremely popular here, their fried fish and fries & iced tea are a popular request.
>Cracker Barrell for breakfast - 28 mins - fairly new construction. If you have never experienced Cracker Barrell, it's a must! Southern food and decor, fun little shop when you enter the restaurant. The pancakes are buttery and unforgettable. You won't regret going. It is located next to the walmart, movie theater, Zaxbts Chicken etc, off I75.
*** Self-Serve Vacation Rental: We provide the door code and check in details. Host is always a call or text away. The home welcomes you with some supplies but we do not replenish disposables during your stay. We wish we could but our cleaning company does not operate that way. What is provided: 1 paper towel roll, 2 rolls of toilet paper per bathroom, hand soap, dish soap, new dish sponge, 2 trash bags, travel size shampoo, conditioner and body wash, facial makeup wipes, 2 coffee bags. We provide enough towels for all travelers, bath, hand and wash cloths, dish towels and all bed linen, blankets and quilts for a comfortable stay. We ask guests to come prepared with your own disposables for the length of your stay. We do not provide beach towels unless requested. Limit 4. We also provide 2 beach chairs, the beach has rentals for $5 a day. ***
Common questions:
> Is the beach swimmable? Absolutely! Bring the floaties! One great thing about our beach is that we are on the south side so we catch an incredible Sunset view and we also get calm water so it's nice for the little ones. We also don;t have to deal with rip currents like in the larger beaches. The water is not as clear as other beaches, that is not to be expected on the bayside. ALSO, important to know if you are new to beach talk.... "especially during heat waves", you should check to see if there are any "no swimming signs" at the beach. That happens in all beaches, even the nicest ones. Red tide and unhealthy bacteria levels are natural occurrences that can affect the health of the water. We rarely have issues during Fall, Winter and Spring. The good news is that the county tests our water every day! Signs are placed for safety. 98% of the time, we don't have issues. But we do have those heat waves during summer where we have to be safe, not sorry.
> Can I bring my boat? Yes, if it fits in our carport, you are golden. If not, you need to call the Marina at Little Harbor or Antigua Cove for parking options. If that fails, let me know, we have land 5 mins away and you can park there for free.
> Boat ramps? We have a boat so we have explored the best ramps in the area. Our favorite is E. G Simmons State Park. It is 7 mins from the house. Cost $7.00 for the day. Ramps are nice, plenty of them. Get there early, it can get busy. They have washing stations, bathroom, picnic areas, playground and kayaking rentals. This is a state park that has camping and it's own little beach and a too so it's also a neat visit. Very well maintained. ANOTHER OPTION, which is for more pro level navigators is Ruskin Commongood State Park. This one is about also 7 mins away, it is free. However, this ramp takes you through ther Ruskin Inlet. It is about 15-20 mins of canal navigating to get to open water. The canal is surrounded by mangroves so it's really beautiful. You just have to watch the depth to avoid getting in areas that can get you stuck! It is great for fishing if you just want to anchor and fish in the areas or for smooth sailing cruising.
> Is the home Pet Friendly? yes, Dogs only. Max (2) dogs. We do charge a pet fee. $50 for a week or less. $100 for 7-27 days. $150 for month or more per pet. We require a crate for when guests leave. Unfortunately pets get nervous
