VAN NUYS - VACATION HOME WITH HEATED POOL NEAR BEACH AND GOLF COURSE

Outside of home is very plain - no landscaping (which is my husbands business so we enjoy landscaping), but inside of home is great. The pictures do not do it justice. It is much nicer and larger than it appears in the pictures. We had plenty of room for the four of us to spread out and have our own quiet time. It looks to be recently completely renovated. It was very clean and had a lot of amenities you would have at home. 3 large size bedrooms, tile throughout, computer, large screen tv, stereo, washer/dryer, beautiful pool and lanai area. We enjoyed eating our meals and grilling out under the covered lanai area. We spent several days just lounging by and using the pool. (The pool is not heated and was a little cool this time of year.) The neighborhood is very quiet and it was relaxing just sitting outside and enjoying the Florida sun. There are a lot of local and chain restaurants, grocery and stores nearby. The owner and person taking care of the home were very nice and accommodating. The only recommendations I would make for the owner would be to purchase a better frying pan, a baking pan and a hair dryer. I would also recommend having more brochures and local restaurant menus available. As nice and cooperative as they have been I'm sure they will add these things. It also would be nice to have a privacy fence or landscaping in the backyard to screen off the neighbors homes. The garage is a nice feature but it is very small. If you have a large car it probably will not fit. We drove a Ford Taurus and it only had a couple of inches to spare. We drove down to Everglade City (about two hours) and enjoyed the air boat ride (make reservations because it gets busy) and a nice lunch on the water. We also drove north to Clearwater (again about 2 hours) to see the dolphin "Winter" from the movie "Dolphin Tales" at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium (go early - it gets very busy!) We enjoyed the beaches around Clearwater because there were more public access areas to choose from and not as busy as the ones closer to the house which were still about 45 minutes away. I would definitely recommend this home to anyone wishing to get away from the hustle and bustle of touristy areas. If you want to go to the beach or touristy areas you will have to drive at least 30-45 minutes which is the only down side to this home.