Impromptu Break From The Cold!

Call home and check the current weather conditions... We did..."Indianapolis - 4 degrees and snowing...Longboat Key - Sunny at 74..." Do that and then just relax and enjoy the beach! Visit the local shops and check out the inter coastal water ways. Eat at the "Sandbar."

Quick Tips:

Check out Anna Maria Island; it's the next island up. It's more touristy and has more surfer dude type atmosphere... good resturants though.

Best Way To Get Around:

Driving is your best bet here, it is after all a "key" which means it's long and straight, so trying to walk to the other end of the island is out of the questoin. Bikes are a good idea, too...

I tell you, when you tell people you stayed at a "Holiday Inn" they usually have a certain idea in mind of what it was like... They didn't stay at this one... The place is great, right on the beach, and huge! Indoor and outdoor pools, a resturant, a cafe, a snack bar, a lounge, a game room, sauna, etc... the place is the bomb. We actually didn't pay anything for the room I got for us for the week because I reserved it free with the traveling points I had already accummulated through a frequent travelers' program.

This was a great stay and I would go back in a hartbeat.

The Sandbar is one of my all time favorite places to visit. It's right on the water. I mean that as in you step outside to eat on the deck and the water crashes on the rocks at your feet! like 3 ft away. The food is great, a mix of seafood, and land lover meals. The service is great and you will not leave hungry!

This is not the typical "florida" beach you have a picture of in your mind. This place is NOT touristy... mostly locals and the beaches are quiet and relaxing... If you came to Longboat Key looking for excitement, and girls playing Volley Ball on the beach, you're on the wrong island... If however you are looking to relax and enjoy a peacful stay, then this is the place!