Home Away from Home

Catherin (Rapid city, sd)
Review submitted: May 7, 2013   Date of arrival: February 16, 2013

Such a pleasant neighborhood and kind and attentive owner available next door. We enjoyed the quiet area, close to the preserve to explore. Being minutes away from beaches was a great plus. Being in the "center" area, driving to many attractions and activities was not a great problem. We took in Edison,s in Ft.Myers, Ringling Museum in Sarasota and Busch Gardens in Tampa, among many other sites. We really enjoyed Sharkeys Restaurant in Venice that Alex recommended. I wish the kitchen would have had a few more items for cooking, but overall the house was a great home away from home!

Recommended for: age 55+, families with young children, people with disabilities, families with teenagers, girls getaway, sight seeing

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Helpful votes: 0 / 0

Everything we were looking for!

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Review submitted: April 30, 2013   Date of arrival: April 20, 2013

We are very happy that this is the property we decided to go with! There were 4 of us, me and my husband, our 5 year old son, and my father. There was something for everyone. We enjoyed fishing morning and night, swimming at all hours, and our son was happy about the playstation and George (the friendly bird that comes over daily for table scraps)! Alex, the owner, was more than accommodating. We had a few issues with the computer and WiFi and he immediately rectified it. He had great recommendations for us for everything we needed such as restaurants, beaches, and bait shops. His son is a very experienced fisherman and my husband had a great time going out on the gulf with him. The location was perfect. We were just minutes away from the beaches and supermarket but it was still a private setting away from the main drags. The property is beautiful. There are many different spots to sit and relax or soak up the sun. We will be returning here next year! Thank you Alex and family!

Recommended for: adventure seekers, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers, girls getaway, romantic getaway

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Helpful votes: 1 / 1

Beautiful Home Away From Home

Florida (South Lake Tahoe, CA USA)
Review submitted: February 21, 2013   Date of arrival: January 26, 2013

Had an amazing time at this beautiful home close to the Gulf. The home was very comfortable and clean with beautiful new flat screen tvs, playstation for the kids and "big kids", towels, chairs, etc. for the beach which was only 5 minutes away. The lanai, pool area overlooking the lake was amazing and the large landscaped lot, barbecue area and fishing off the dock was a plus! Owner was very nice and made sure everything was great. We'll definitely be back!

Recommended for: adventure seekers, age 55+, families with young children, people with disabilities, families with teenagers, pet-friendly, sight seeing, romantic getaway

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Helpful votes: 3 / 3

great family spot

Jeff S (Cincinnati, OH)
Review submitted: February 9, 2013   Date of arrival: November 3, 2012

We had a great week at this house. The house was close enough to the main road that we could get to Siesta Key, Venice, and the beach easily. The pool was warm and could be swam in every day. The shallow end was just right for my 4 year old daughter to walk in. The closest beach was 6 minutes by car. We found probably a couple thousand shark's teeth on that beach. The house was secluded enough that you did not know you had neighbors nearby. There are several great dining options nearby. It was a great location for a Florida vacation.

Recommended for: families with young children, families with teenagers, romantic getaway

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Helpful votes: 4 / 4

Better than the pictures

CF (Newtown, Bucks County PA)
Review submitted: October 11, 2012   Date of arrival: September 28, 2012

I rarely ever stay at the same place twice but this is an exception. After a few year hiatus, this was my fourth or fifth stay in this house; it really made me realize how much I like it. Whether at the beach, on the lake, or in the pool, you can really just chill out here.

It's secluded yet everything you need is minutes away (beach, shopping, restaurants). The house lies on a big corner lakefront lot with a great view. The property is well tended with all sorts of tropical plants, citrus trees, palms etc. The kids loved exploring the large beautiful garden; just make sure before you stand still on the grass you are not on top of a fire ant nest like I did. The bikes, sand toys, snorkeling equipment, were also nice to have.

The house has a hot tub, heated pool, great waterfront view, nice, clean, spacious, and comfortable. The house is stocked with pretty much everything, so you don’t need to waste time shopping except for food. Unfortunately I had to work two of nine days, but logging on to my company VPN wasn’t so bad with the view of the pool, lake and palm trees. The Internet connection was very fast, it helped me finish up my work and get back to vacation.

The owner and his family were very nice, helpful and accommodating, you can get lots of good info on the area from them. They do live next door but because the property’s on the street are so large and they give you your space, it was not an issue. I agree with the other reviewer’s comment about the house being just like on the pictures, perhaps even better. Highly recommend, my family and I will be back!

Notes:
- you can relax on the nearest beach in 5 minutes’ drive (Manasota)
- Orlando is about 1:40 drive with no traffic (took kids to Disney)
- Check out St. Armand’s in Sarasota
- Siesta Key is a popular beach nearby, the sand is like powdered sugar
(Personally not a big fan because of the popularity)
- Casey key has some insane houses on it, some look like mini resorts. (took a 5 mile walk)
- Usually we fly into these area airports: MCO, RSW, TPA, PIE, SRQ
- Don’t accidently stand on a fire ant hills while admiring the garden/lake
- Sharky's in Venice has a beach front restaurant with live music, you can sit behind it on
the beach, sometimes there is some good live music in the evening

ps: I didn't rent out via vrbo.com site, I wanted to write a review and this was near the top of google results

Recommended for: age 55+, families with young children, people with disabilities, families with teenagers, girls getaway, sight seeing, romantic getaway

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Helpful votes: 10 / 10

a little paradise

Alex (St.Catharins,Ont,Canada)
Review submitted: September 15, 2012   Date of arrival: August 25, 2012

We really enjoyed our stay at this bay front pool home. You will love Alex, the owner, he is such a nice person, very responsive, attentive and helpful to any our wishings during our staying. This house was very clean and comfortable, like a home away from home. It has a very nice pool with a hot bath where we always enjoyed our morning coffee,dinner,supper and fishing from the dock. Each bedroom originally desighed was comfortable and had its own TV, and it was also great to have WiFi to check our e-mail and take care of little things from home. When we were not enjoying the house and its amenities, we were out enjoying the beaches and other fun things to do that were in close proximity to the house. The description and pictures are very precise on what to expect but reallity is much better. The location is isolated,quiet and perfect. It was also very nice that we got to bring the whole family 6 of us. I felt like I was living the life of the "rich and famous" while we were there. Just thinking about the vacation makes me smile. I'd rate this 10 stars if I could! Absolutely perfect find a home such as this, that allows for us to live a little bit in a little paradise. Thank you very much for sharing this little treasure with us. In the future vacation we will defently come back here again.We extremely recomend choose this property if you are looking for comfort and relax. Thanks, thanks, thanks...

Recommended for: age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers, sight seeing, romantic getaway

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Helpful votes: 16 / 16

A fantastic week on the Gulf Coast

User (Paris - France)
Review submitted: August 28, 2012   Date of arrival: August 17, 2012

I spent one very nice week with my wife and my two daughters in this fantastic villa. The location is perfect and very quiet. Perfect to visit everything from Tampa to Fort Myers. The view is very nice and relaxing, the villa is in front of a private lake et minutes from the beaches and the supermarkets. Alex was very nice and very helpful at any time, from the first contact until we left. His vacation home is like the pictures (even better in reality) and perfectly clean. Everything was supplied (which is not so common in vacation homes) and all the necessary equipments were available (4 big new TVs, DVD player, PC, ...). It's definitely my best experience so far in renting a villa in Florida. I recommend this villa to anybody and I really would like to come back here in the future.
Patrick from Paris - FRANCE

Recommended for: age 55+, families with young children, people with disabilities, families with teenagers, sight seeing, romantic getaway

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Helpful votes: 21 / 21

had a great time

nancy (st petersburg, fl usa)
Review submitted: July 25, 2012   Date of arrival: July 14, 2012

from the time that alex was first contacted, till the time we left, alex was there to answer all of our questions. he told us where to go shopping, how to get to the beaches and if we needed anything at all, just let him know. his vacation home is just like the pictures. everything but the food was supplied. the home is very clean, neat and large. the kitchen has lots of cabinets and all the necessary equipment.(toaster, electric and hand can openers, blender, coffee maker, etc. even a dishwasher) there's pleanty of linens too including beach towels. the sliders opened to the pool area that was completely screened in. it was so nice we didn't eat inside,(rain or shine) the grounds are just like the picture too. very well maintained. we spent time by the lake also. we caught some fish but they were too small to keep. sadly our vacation ended and we had to leave. we all had a great time. tony,nancy,johnnie,sharon and jessie

Recommended for: age 55+, families with young children, people with disabilities, families with teenagers, sight seeing

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Helpful votes: 24 / 24

Family, summer vacation

Sandy (Lakeland, Florida)
Review submitted: July 1, 2012   Date of arrival: June 9, 2012

We had a very fun and relaxing time. We went to a different beach everyday, which was nice. The children loved finding sharks teeth. When we were at the house, we were swimming in the pool. My husband and the kids loved the dock for fishing, everyday. The house was very nice. I loved the layout. It was easy to keep in order with children. It was really pretty and peaceful there. We had a wonderful vacation.

Recommended for: age 55+, families with young children, people with disabilities, girls getaway, pet-friendly, romantic getaway

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Helpful votes: 27 / 27

rochester hills

caitee (Rochester Hills, MI)
Review submitted: March 22, 2012   Date of arrival: February 4, 2012

We spent 6 weeks at this villa. First and foremost, Alex, Marta and Daniel were extremely helpful and attentive to anything we needed/wanted. The location of the villa is perfect for getting around, shopping, resturants, etc.; it is a quiet, private location. The pictures displayed on the web site were very accurate and much better in person. Having the owners living next door could be intimidating but this was not case, our privacy was respected! We had a small medical emergency and Alex and his family were more than helpful. We wanted to rent it again in 2013, unfortunately, the dates were already booked. We would HIGHLY recommend this villa to anyone and will do so with family and friends.

Recommended for: adventure seekers, age 55+, families with young children, people with disabilities, families with teenagers, girls getaway, pet-friendly, sight seeing, romantic getaway

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Helpful votes: 30 / 30

Spectacular View, Luxurious, Heated Pool-Spa, Fishing Pier

Greg (Plainfield, Indiana)
Review submitted: February 9, 2012   Date of arrival: January 1, 2012

This home & property was excellent! The owner would ask if we needed anything to make our stay a good one. The home is even better than the pictures. We enjoyed the hot tub & heated pool. The home was not far from Blind Pass Beach, which is our favorite even though there is a closer beach to his home. Restaurants, shops, and a Wal-Mart were nearby. Venice was just a few minutes drive from the home. This was a great stay that included our daughter & two children as well as my wife's parents (they are in their early eighties)! We would gratefully stay here again!

Recommended for: age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers, girls getaway, pet-friendly, romantic getaway

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Helpful votes: 29 / 29

Gorgeous House, Very acurate description and more

Raymound (Philadelphia)
Review submitted: October 5, 2011   Date of arrival: September 24, 2011

The house is perfect. It has a fantastic location, central to everything and minutes to the beaches. It is furnished with everything that you need and more. My stay was extremely comfortable, I would definitely rent the house again. The house was true to its depiction on the site, only better. We enjoyed fishing in backyard and using the heated pool and spa very late evenings. It beats staying anywhere else and the level of comfort beats the best luxury hotels in the area.

Recommended for: adventure seekers, age 55+, families with young children, people with disabilities, families with teenagers, romantic getaway

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Helpful votes: 27 / 27

Just thinking about the vacation makes me smile

Happy Yankee (New York, NY, USA)
Review submitted: September 20, 2011   Date of arrival: September 10, 2011

We'd love to stay in this home again. It was immaculate, and the location was perfect for us. I felt like I was living the life of the "rich and famous" while we were there. Just thinking about the vacation makes me smile. The house is located in a very nice neighborhood, safe and clean. The house itself is neatly furnished and and with its three bedrooms, formal dinning room, spacious living room, lanai and heated large pool-spa it offers plenty of space. Our children loved to play in the pool-spa and in the beautiful garden. The houses is few minutes to the beaches making it possible even to walk there. We definitely can recommend a stay at this property. I would (and have) recommended this house to friends and family.

Recommended for: adventure seekers, age 55+, families with young children, people with disabilities, families with teenagers, girls getaway, pet-friendly, sight seeing, romantic getaway

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Helpful votes: 28 / 28

Beautiful house, clean with very nice view

Moshi (Philadelphia)
Review submitted: August 16, 2011   Date of arrival: August 9, 2011

We stay almost every year in a diifrent rental homes, I could say this one was the best and we already requested a reservation for our next trip, our stay was very short but kids had wonderful experiance with backyard fishing, Pool/Spa was great and Alex (owner) gave perety godd idea where to go, three beaches are only few miniutes away. Strongly recommend this home

Recommended for: age 55+, families with young children, people with disabilities, families with teenagers, girls getaway, pet-friendly, romantic getaway

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Helpful votes: 26 / 26

Perfect GetAway.

Tom (Orlando, FL)
Review submitted: July 24, 2011   Date of arrival: July 8, 2011

House and landscaping was beautiful. Perfect house to relax and do some fishing off of the pier. I highly recommend this property.

Tom

Recommended for: adventure seekers, age 55+, families with young children, people with disabilities, families with teenagers, girls getaway, pet-friendly, sight seeing, tourists without a car, romantic getaway

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Helpful votes: 27 / 27

What a fabulous place!

madbagger (Beverly Hills, MI USA)
Review submitted: April 27, 2011   Date of arrival: April 3, 2011

What a beautiful location! What a beautiful home! The home was completely immaculate upon arrival. The home was much bigger than we expected. Alex and Daniel were so kind to our family. Perfect location for a family with children. The pool and hot tub were terrific! Thank you for making our vacation so memorable! We hope to see you next year.

Recommended for: families with young children, families with teenagers, pet-friendly

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Helpful votes: 31 / 31

Family VAcation

JohnB (Rye, NY)
Review submitted: April 25, 2011   Date of arrival: April 16, 2011

My wife, two duaghters and I arrived on 4/16 for our spring break vacation to find a beautiful hideaway. The home is tucked away on a quiet dead-end street surrounded by palm trees and various native trees with no neighbors in-site. The set-up with the screened-in pool, patio with outdoor fire pit and the fishing dock made for a relaxing and truly enjoyable vacation.

Recommended for: families with young children, families with teenagers

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Helpful votes: 30 / 30

Beautiful house in great location

Jackie (King of Prussia, PA)
Review submitted: December 27, 2010   Date of arrival: December 6, 2010

We enjoyed our vacation at your house very much. It is a beautiful house in our favorite area of Florida. Thank you for making last minute accomodations so effortless.

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Helpful votes: 31 / 31

Beautiful Home-Clean-Near to beach-Good fishing

Marta (Langhorne)
Review submitted: November 3, 2010   Date of arrival: October 24, 2010

House was more than we expected, large pool/jSpa, great patio facing large lake and beautiful garden, very clean and well maintianed the house itself was wonderful the bedrooms were very well decorated and very comfortable the living room was great and the kitchen was mor than we expected, would stay agian on our next visit, this house was close to everything and allowed us the freedom to entertian new family members as well as old ones the private beach was great the location for shopping or eating out could not have been better we would not think twice about rentig this great house agian and my dad already making plans thank you Alex for making a good vacation great and one to remember, kids enjoyed fishing in the back. I cant say enough

Recommended for: age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers, girls getaway, romantic getaway

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Helpful votes: 31 / 31