Unique Island

The water and the beaches. We were blessed with seven sunsets, three of which were while we ate dinner on the sand--does it get better than that?

Quick Tips:

Don't expect hustle and bustle; this is an island proud of its history and fights commercialization as much as possible.

Best Way To Get Around:

There is a free trolley service that runs pretty much all day, but I probably would recommend a car.

Best Things Nearby:
The island and the beach. We loved Anna Marie Island, composed of Anna Marie, Bradenton Beach, and Holmes Beach--7 miles in length. We were directly across the street from a great public beach.

Best Things About the Resort:
The units were HUGE. We had a B-side unit, so we had an ocean view. I think our unit was 1,500 square feet, and our porch led directly to the pool. The resort itself is very small--about 13 units--so it never felt crowded.

Resort Experience:
The resort was very unique for beach resort. All the units are three-story with a garage, but there are two separate styles. The B-side units have ocean views and have the garage on the bottom level, the bedrooms on the main floor, and the kitchen and living room on the top floor. The A-side flip-flops the top two levels. Each unit is furnished with bikes, beach chairs, and the resort has a nice stash of beach toys for the kids. Another great perk was that the free trolley on the island had a stop right across the street.

I would recommend the activities with the resort. Our kids got to go on a seashell hunt and make a picture frame out of what they found. There was also a lunch and an ice cream social. Kathy, the activities director, was great.

We also really enjoyed how close to everything we were. We spent a day driving down to Sarasota nd went to Mote Aquarime. They have an exhibit where you get to pet Manta rays and teh kids really enjoy that! You also can spend an entire afternoon walking arounf St. Arnaud's Circle which is by Lido Beach. We didn't make it to G-Wiz, which is science-type children's museaum. That was our if it rained place to go, luckily we had NO rain!

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Very Good
• Amenities: Very Good
• Unit Satisfaction: Very Good
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Good

Sandbar Restaraunt - You sit directly on the beach and have an awesome view. We did dinner/sunset here, but I think this would have been a better lunch spot. Lots of sandwiches, but not a lot of dinner entrees. The conch fritter appetizers where great.

Rod 'n' Reel - Literally on a pier on the bay side close to the tip. Very small restaurant, but great food. My wife loved her Ahi tuna, and I had garlic grouper, which was great.

Beach House - Probably the most popular. Again on the beach, owned by the same people as the Sandbar. The lobster-stuffed red snapper is fantastic.

Gulf Drive Cafe - Known for breakfast, it was first-rate.

Mr. Bones - Great Ribs!

We never spent over $80 for a family of four, so everything was priced well.

Even though RCI says it is near the beach, don't be fooled. You are a 30-second walk from sand!! You have to walk across a street, but then you are in the public beaches' parking lot. It was closer than a lot of places we have stayed that are physically on the beach. The units were huge, the resort staff friendly, the island was beautiful, and we couldn't have asked for better!