Island Dream House with Pool & Breathtaking View

I was attracted to this house because it had beds for my crowd of 8, with only 2 of us sharing a bed - there are 3 BRs, each with a queen bed, and a loft area with two single beds and two pull-out trundles (7 beds total, all with very comfortable mattresses). Many other homes advertised as sleeping 8-12 people required more bed-sharing and include some sleeping in living rooms on fold out couches, etc. The parquet flooring in the living area below is rather squeaky making it hard for those in the loft to sleep after others are up and about. The owners also allowed us to bring our dog, and did not charge an extra pet fee. (We found Little Gasparilla Island to be very dog friendly in general - it is OK to walk your dog on the beach here, which is not allowed in many places.)

The house itself will entertain you...it was built/decorated/equipped with fun in mind! There is a ton of outdoor living space, including a screened porch and 3 deck levels, all with seating and other nice furnishings. There is ample outside lighting all around and under the house, including the best lit sand volleyball court around. Also included is a small swimming pool, fire pit, and horseshoe set. The property is completely cleared and covered with a layer of soft sand. The house and all 3 levels of the outdoor deck are wired with a great surround sound audio system. There are nice TVs in the LR and all BRs, though we found it challenging to get some of the BR TVs to work for us. Furniture and appliances were all high quality.

Little Gasparilla Island is a beautiful barrier island that can only be accessed by water, so you need to either have a boat of your own or ride across the bay on a water taxi ($7.50/person each way), hauling all your belongings and groceries with you and hauling it all back, garbage included, when you leave. This is a bit of a hassle, but we found it to be well worth the trouble in order to escape the crowds and over-development present on most beaches. There are no stores or restaurants on the island at all. The house is a short walk (maybe 1,000') to the beach and maybe twice that to the bay, where you have access to a dock. We brought a kayak and fishing from it on the bay was outstanding. Shells and shark teeth can be found in abundance on the beach.

The owners were a pleasure to deal with, as was their maintenance man who met us at the dock on arrival, transported us and gear via golf cart to the house, and helped us get settled.

We'll be back!