Cozy cottage near the sea, well-equipped for cooking, BBQ and pets
Submitted: January 18, 2013
Stayed: January 2013
Seeing these photos makes me homesick for "our" little cottage by the sea. It's located in a quiet area at the South End of Lido Key, just blocks from Lido Beach (sunsets!), Lido swimming pool (laps!), and the Ted Sperling Park (kayaking!).
We also enjoyed strolling, dining and shopping at St. Armand's Circle -- within walking distance, although we simply drove and parked. Restaurants there range from upscale to pub food, and you can get an ice cream cone as late as 11 p.m. (our experience, anyway). We also shopped for beach wear since we thought it would be too cold to swim and didn't bring any.
Because the kitchen was so well-equipped, we cooked dinner many nights and were able to enjoy breakfast at home daily. This not only saved $$$ but helped us maintain our health-conscious diets so we could splurge now and then. That doesn't mean we didn't savor the flavors of the area's fine restaurants, too, like Euphemia Hay on Longboat Key, and Venezia and The Columbia (stone crab!) at St. Armand's Circle.
When we travel, we like to keep our clothes fresh. There was a wonderful utility room/small bedroom with washer/dryer for our convenience. This is a pet-friendly property, and our two small dogs stayed in that utility room. But we made sure to protect the bed completely with a sheet thrown over it in case the dogs jumped on it while we were gone. I recommend that to any pet owners, since we all want pet-friendly properties. We don't want our dogs soiling anybody's future bedspread!
Our pups also enjoyed the shady back yard, although it sure could use some grass. It's mostly sandy dirt, which was a minus for us. We also enjoyed sitting on the screened-in porch for cocktails except when it rained, another small minus. There is a large hot tub on the porch which we were able to enjoy one night of our stay.
The king-sized bed in the master is VERY comfortable, and there are many towels, sheets, etc., available. As I said above, the kitchen is so well-equipped, you could cook a turkey dinner if you wanted to. The decor is "island adorable," without being tacky.
All in all, we had an absolutely wonderful stay and appreciate the property management firm's oversight and concern. If there's a problem, they'll fix it. That kind of prompt attention is what travelers need.
Recommended for:
Age 55+,
Pet-friendly,
Families with Young Children
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