gulf side florida

Small -- especially bathroom and kitchen. Nice screened porch, but the whole place looked like it needed an "update". The towels are old and mismatched and the flooring is very old. We were in a one bedroom that had a king bed (very comfortable) that apparently could have two more people stay in if they stayed on the pull-out sofa, but there is no way that you would want that. The bathroom is so tiny with a single sink and tub and shower and toilet. There is a small vanity with just enough room for two. There is no elevator and when you drive in, it is very unappealing as it looks like the back of a motel. But, on the other side, the screened-in porches face a nice pool area and the beach. Clean.

Mad Sam's is set on the bay just before you get to Manasota Key. The inside of the restaurant is primary colours and looks like a real family place so we opted to sit outside. It was a beautiful evening and we sat right at the water's edge and watched dolphins and birds in the bay.

I had a pasta with shrimp on it and it was not good. The pasta was so overcooked that it was limp and mushy. It was supposed to be in a wine/butter sauce and all I tasted was butter -- lots of it!!! The shrimp on the pasta was excellent. My husband also had a pasta dish and it was "tasteless" in his books. At $17 a dish, you expect something to be better than that. We shared a Snickers pie for dessert and it was great. The service was also good, but the main courses were unacceptable.

We loved this restaurant. This is a typical family-owned, old Florida restaurant. Nothing fancy, but excellent food and great service. We decided to have appetizers and sample a lot of everything -- and we did!! We both had a rum frozen drink recommended by the waitress and it was great! It had a real kick to it. We then ordered coconut shrimp and they were large and sweet. The crab cakes were amazing -- lots of crab and not a lot of bread crumbs. The mushrooms were stuffed with seafood were huge and juicy and steamy hot. We also had some peel-and-eat shrimp that were so fresh and sweet. We then split a piece of Key lime pie slice and finished with coffee.

This restaurant is across the road from the Englewood Public Beach on Manasota Key and the food was great. I would recommend it to anyone!!