Indian Shores Vacation Rental cottage

We arrived a little later than we had hoped, but Linda answered the call right away. Her instructions were brief and very easy to remember after a long flight.
Everything was perfect. The property was very clean and very well maintained. It was fully stocked with plenty of towels and bed linens.
The kitchen was ready to use, stove, blender, fridge, all worked as expected.
The unit has a central radio and CD system, so we had tunes all week.
100 steps to the beach...that's right...you are that close. The sand is like fine ash or powder and simply wonderful.
The unit has a common storage area where you can find beach chairs, buckets, pails flotation devices, boogie boards..it's all there.
The 7-11 is directly across the street from the Sun King complex and has most things you could need. There's a Publix and Winn-Dixie not too far away, but not close enough to walk. Fortunately the Beach Trolley stop is directly in front of the complex as well. Just add 2-5 minutes from the stop north or south of your location and you can ride all day long for $4! Easy, super easy to ride to Clearwater for the day or down to Pass-a-Grille for the sunset.
Only a few places to eat within walking distance, but both are very nice.
Indian Rocks, about 2 mi. north, has some excellent selections and Treasure Island, about 5 mi. south has a very good restaurant selection.

Overall, value for the money spent...AA++ rating! I would go again tomorrow if I could. We will seriously put this place at the top of our vacation choices next year.

So, first let's say my vacation started off horrible. My bird died just before we left, the plane was uber-late, and the rental car company lied to us...

So imagine what's going through my head when we pull up to this little cottage villiage/villa. I am thinking that the place will be a borken down mess, or SOMETHING.

So I pop open the door and right into heaven. Everything had a very quaint and peaceful theme, white and light blues, with seagull lamps, you name it. Also, I was suprised to find that all was clean and the most important part READY TO GO. If you are like me, you cannot fit all the myraid of little things you will need in your suitcase... things you wouldn't want or need in a hotel without a kitchen, etc. There were straws, tinfoil, plastic baggies, toilet paper, paper towels, dishsoap... you name it, everything other than food and margaritas for inside stuff. (Side note, pass it on to the next traveler, we stocked it up further before we left.)

AC worked fine, nice little LCD tv with Cable, DVD and VCR(not that we watched it much, but good for the kids while we drank and played), awesome stereo on the wall wiht great sound (yes, we used this alot), etc...

It got better, aside from a small private beach to lounge on when you don't want company, there was the large public beach like 20 feet from our back door with white sands and warm waters and a constant mesmerizing light wave! I spent about half my day lounging getting a tan, the next half swimming (and there is a cool sandbar within easy swim distance to hang out with your friends), and the nights with our friends visiting drinking and watching the sun go down.

The best part is, while we were down there, not only was it my birthday, and my 2 year anniversary with my girlfriend, but during one of our night time watches on the abandoned beach I proposed to my girlfriend with the moon in the background and fireworks going off!

I can't wait to go back on our anniversary every year!

Only qualifiers?
-Public beach is a little busy during the day on weekends (but gets quiet during the weeks and on weekend nights later).
-While this little condo was beautiful and quaint (a throwback to an old 50's villa/motel), all around it as far as you can see are giant overpriced hotels and apartments. Although this does add to the charm alot knowing that you have the only place reserved for peacefulness and not the monster that is corporate greed.

Thanks Linda for everything!

I cannot say enough good things about this property, its location or the property owner, Linda. We didn't want to leave and were dreaming up ways that we could move to the gulf coast!

The cottage is small as described in the ad, but well stocked with everything you need to cook, sleep and relax. If you are like us who love the ocean and just want a clean place to stay waterfront for a price that you can afford, this is your place! My husband and I stayed with our two teenagers who were comfortable on the pullout couch all week. The cottage is exactly as you see in the pictures. Step out the back door and your on the beach! Buy a beach umbrella and you're set to spend every day there, spending no money and having a beautiful time in nature. My son fished on the beach every day and caught a variety of fish. White sand, some shells, mostly small. (If you want great shelling, invest in a ferry to Eggmont Key. Forget the snorkeling tour to the mine ruins. It's not that cool. Just stay on the beach and snorkel along the edge yourself. Don't forget to go inland to tour the island. It's beautiful. Only about 30 minutes south.)

Indian Shores is a quaint little place. Really, all of the towns and beaches run together along the coast and you'll find lots of tourist shops and restaurants. Everything you'll need is closeby, including grocery stores and laundrymats. But it's fun to take a daytrip and drive the coast, shopping, eating and sightseeing.

Linda was great before, during and after our stay. She went above and beyond to answer all of our questions. If you are on a budget, want privacy that a hotel can't offer and love the beach, pick this cottage. You won't be sorry!!!