AMI Sunset Beach Gulf View Retreat w/ Pool + Decks + WiFi + Dog-friendly

AMI's Sunset Beach part of 7 miles of white sand beaches!

• 200+ five-star ratings over all sites!

• Gulf-views inside home.

• Decks with views of Beach + Gulf of Mexico + Pool.

• Pool with sun shelf.

• Paddleboard + Kayak + Firepit + Patio + Grill.

• High-speed WiFi.

• Top floor of duplex.

• Central location next to Sunset Beach.

Pool, Patio, Deck w/ Beach + Gulf Views, BBQ, 2nd floor of duplex

200+ five-star reviews says it all! Florida's best kept secret, Anna Maria Island, features beautiful white sugar sand beaches, older Florida charm, award-winning restaurants, year-round golf courses, and pristine shopping all within easy walking and driving distance, or a ride aboard the free 'Anna Maria Island Trolley', which stops near your next holiday destination, the Gulf View Retreat. One of the few places in the world where the sunset is regularly applauded, this tiny slice of paradise stretches for 7 miles into the Gulf.

The Gulf View Retreat features the entire 1,660 sq ft second floor of the two-floor home with a split plan and wonderful terracotta tiles. The kitchen features granite worktops, a new dishwasher and is fully stocked with dishes and towels. A master en-suite unit featuring a queen size bed joins a 2nd queen-size bedroom and a third bedroom with a twin over full bunks. There is an additional pull out sofa in the family room. Other amenities to perfect your stay include a:

• New Pool with large Sun Shelf and many Sitting Shelf's

• Kayak

• Paddle Board

• Fire Pit with lighted Areca Palms and comfortable chairs

• Big Yard

• Crows Nest third-floor balcony makes enjoying the sunsets and night-time stars an incredible experience

• High-Speed Wireless Internet service with 100 MB per second speeds

• Cable on the high definition flat-screen TV

• New Trane air conditioning unit

• 1,660 square feet living space

The Gulf View Retreat is the independent second floor of the home, while the ground floor can be rented separately through the Pool Side Retreat listing. Each floor is a completely self-sustaining, independent unit with its own BBQ, patio furniture and entryway. Both floors can be combined for family reunions, retreats or multiple family holidays if you contact us, where both floors would include:

• Complete privacy for the entire home

• Sleeps 18 People

• 6 Bedrooms and 2 Sleeper-Sofas in common areas

• 12 Beds of differing sizes

• 5 Car Parking Spaces

• 6 Televisions

• 4 Bathrooms

• 2,600 square feet

• 2 Granite-Countertop Kitchens

• 2 Washing machines & 2 Dryers

• 2 Grills

• Private Crows Nest third-floor balcony makes enjoying the sunsets and night-time stars an incredible experience

• Private New Pool with large Sun Shelf and many Sitting Shelves

• New Fire Pit with lighted Areca Palms and comfortable chairs surrounding it

• Open veranda and patio

• Big Yard

• Wireless Internet service with 20MB per second speeds

• 2 New Trane air conditioning units

• 2 Paddleboard

• 2 Kayaks

• And much more...

Our home is much easier to navigate than other 3-story homes on Anna Maria Island because our ground floor is on the ground level and the second floor is one easy set of stairs. Other homes on the island tend to require climbing multiple flights of stairs up or taking lifts because their homes begin on the second floor and go up to the third floor.

If you rent just the Pool Side Retreat, then there are a few 'common' areas for the two floors including the pool, yard, fire-pit, toys and 3rd storey 'Crow's Nest' deck. Contact us for a Reunion Retreat where you can rent both floors including the entire house for special occasions.

In less than 2 minutes, you will be spending your day on the beach at Sunset Park, or venture out a bit further and hang out fishing in one of the many great spots nearby. Sightings along the Gulf of Mexico beach and inter-coastal waterway include Manatees, Rays, Dolphins, many kinds of fish, a wide variety of birds, and other amazing creatures. Some people even get married at the Sunset Park beach area and stay in our home with family! Common sites along the beach areas include Sea Turtle nests and bird nesting sanctuaries during special times of the year.

While some prefer the isolation of the nearby beaches, others opt towards more people at the public beaches. If that is your desire, venture to Coquina Beach at the south end of Bradenton Beach and Anna Maria Island, or Manatee County Beach at the west end of Manatee Avenue in Holmes Beach, or Anna Maria Pier at the east end of Pine Avenue for the intercoastal/Tampa Bay access. Anna Maria Pier is a special place where many times you can see fish, rays, dolphins, and manatees swimming underneath you as well as fish from the dock and have a nice meal or an ice cream cone at Two Scoops Ice Cream Shop. (The Pier is currently under repair, Winter 2017.)

If you're in the mood to tour around the rest of the island, catch the free trolley around the corner and it will take you to any of the beaches, restaurants, shops or supermarkets along Gulf Drive anywhere on Anna Maria Island. Take the trolley to the old historic Bridge Street area of Bradenton Beach to enjoy the Key West style restaurants and shops. If you enjoy painting or photography, the sunsets are among the best in the world.

Enjoy live music nightly and dinner at Manatee Public. By timing it right (usually 7 pm), you can enjoy sea creature (fish, eel, and shark) feeding by the owner while enjoying Ice Cream at Holy Cow Ice Cream.

A lovely sunrise can be enjoyed along the Coquina Baywalk. Bean Point and Coquina Beach are great beaches to visit along with Sunset Park next to our home.

Just across the Cortez bridge on the south side of the island, is the old school Florida fishing village of Cortez, where restaurants have excellent seafood and some have live music. Swordfish Grill is our favourite on the dock.

Our kids love taking the free trolley around the corner up to Anna Maria Pier and looking for fish in the water (especially in the morning to early afternoon when you can see well through the clear water), talking to the fisherman, and eating at the restaurant or getting ice cream at Two Scoops. The Blueberry Pie ice cream is my favourite... Trolley stops by the home every 20 minutes from about 6 am to 10 pm.

We have 3 favourites for breakfasts: 1) Rod & Reel Pier, 2) Ginny's & Jane E's, and 3) The Donut Experiment (fun for the kids but not completely filling).

Eco tours and on the Gulf and Intercoastal via boats, kayaks and jet skis are always nice. The Ringling Museum in Sarasota is great.

The Regina is a sugar barge that sunk just off our beach during a storm in 1940. It is in about 20 feet of water just 150 feet or so off the beach. It is marked with a buoy. The Regina is 10th Florida Shipwreck Underwater Archaeological Preserve.

There is a small reef of rocks about 150 feet northwest from the Sunset Park Beach directly west of our home. I like to swim out to it and then dive down 8-10 feet to see colourful fish like the striped Sheepshead, etc.

The Herb Dolan Park, an easy five block walk or bike ride on 26th Street North and Avenue A, is an open park area with a terrific view of Sarasota Bay, Anna Maria Sound and Tampa Bay. The Herb Dolan Park features picnic areas, basketball court, playing field, swing set, play structure and a Kayak launch. If you're in the mood to tour around the rest of the island, catch the free trolley out the back door and it will take you to any of the beaches, restaurants, shops or supermarkets along Gulf Drive anywhere on Anna Maria Island. Take the trolley one stop down (or stroll along the beach the one mile) to the old historic Bridge Street area of Bradenton Beach to enjoy the Key West style restaurants and shops. If you enjoy painting or photography, the sunsets are among the best in the world.

After enjoying the beach or park, return home to use one of the two outdoor showers next to the beach toys or the pool to wash the beach sand off and jump in the pool waiting for you. Kick your feet in the water of the heated pool with a special sun shelf for toddlers or adults to sit on with Adirondack-style chairs. The pool, 5 feet deep at its deepest, includes two more sitting shelves on the that are around 18 inches deep. One of those extra sitting shelves on the far end has a soaker spout to massage sore backs. Enjoy the traditional landscaping of Florida with various palm trees of different sizes that increase your privacy including Areca Palms, Queen Palms, Fishtail Palms, and Palmetto Palms. A large Frangipani/Plumeria tree creates beautiful large flower blossom clusters usually in May or June, which smell ideal and are the basis for Hawaiian leis. Relax in the soft green grass of our Zoysia lawn next to the pool tossing a ball or playing a game of Corn Hole or Golf Toss. Head up to the Crow's Nest deck and watch the dolphins swim by in the Gulf of Mexico next to the beach.

The Gulf View Retreat is the independent second floor of the home, while the ground floor can be rented separately through the Pool-Side Retreat rental listing. Each floor is a completely self-sustaining, independent unit with its own BBQ, patio furniture and entryway. Both floors can be combined for family reunions, retreats or multiple family holidays if you contact us, where both floors would include:

Complete privacy for the entire home

Sleeps 18 People

6 Bedrooms and 2 Sleeper-Sofas in common areas

12 Beds of differing sizes

5 Car Parking Spaces

5 Televisions

3 Bathrooms

2,600 square feet

2 Granite-Countertop Kitchens

2 Washing machines & 2 Dryers

2 Grills

Private Crows Nest third-floor balcony makes enjoying the sunsets and night-time stars an incredible experience

Private New Pool with large Sun Shelf and many Sitting Shelf's

New Fire Pit with lighted Areca Palms and comfortable chairs surrounding it

Open veranda and patio

Big Yard

Wireless Internet service with 20MB per second speeds

2 New Trane air conditioning units

1 Paddleboard

2 Kayaks

And much more...

Please consider bringing more family/friends to our 16 Florida Beach Homes or 9 Colorado Mountain Lodges or 4 Tennessee Lake/Country Homes on Stayz. The number at the start are the # of folks who can stay there:

Anna Maria Island Gulf Beaches Sand & Salt:

8 • "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay" - 2nd floor - "Over the Water" -https://www.Vrbo.com/5030623
8 • "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay" - 1st floor - "On the Water" - https://www.Vrbo.com/5030624

6 • Cortez Beach Retreat "Views" - 2nd floor- https://www.Vrbo.com/4900765
6 • Cortez Beach Retreat "Poolside" - 1st floor - https://www.Vrbo.com/3774464

8 • Gulf View Retreat - 150 5-stars - 2nd floor - https://www.Vrbo.com/4922468
8 • Pool Side Retreat - 150 5-stars - 1st floor - https://www.Vrbo.com/4902376

6 • Bridgeport #202 - Beach View Retreat - https://www.Vrbo.com/5027625
6 • Bridgeport #203 - Sunset View Retreat - https://www.Vrbo.com/3772892
6 • Bridgeport #207 - Beach + Gulf View Retreat - https://www.Vrbo.com/3772900
6 • Bridgeport #111 - Bikini Bottom - https://www.Vrbo.com/4388651

3 • Ohana Beach Retreat - Unit A - https://www.Vrbo.com/3774458
5 • Ohana Beach Retreat - Unit B - https://www.Vrbo.com/3774456
5 • Ohana Beach Retreat - Unit C - https://www.Vrbo.com/3774461

6 • Bridge Street Pier Beach Home - https://www.Vrbo.com/3795636
6 • Bridge Street Beach Home - https://www.vrbo.com/5162676
4 • Bridge Street Pier Phase Inn - https://www.Vrbo.com/3981046


Disneyworld Oasis Retreat

6 • Disney Oasis (5 miles to Disneyworld!) - https://www.vrbo.com/5418867


Colorado Mountain Lodges near Golden to Boulder with Awesome Views:

8 • Love Mountain Ranch - City Lights + Continental Divide Views near Red Rocks Amphitheatre
- https://www.Vrbo.com/4923144

9 • Quartz Mountain Ranch - Best Views in Colorado Front Range behind Boulder Flatirons and historic Golden
- https://www.Vrbo.com/4922420

12 • Maplewood Tree Estate - Arvada with quick access to Mountains, Boulder, Golden, Red Rocks + Denver - 6945 Queen Cir, Arvada, CO 80004
- https://www.Vrbo.com/4743108

4 • Lewis & Clark Cabin - Historic Cabin on Coal Creek - https://www.Vrbo.com/3772898
4 • Zebulon Pike Cabin - Cabin next to Coal Creek - https://www.Vrbo.com/3772891
4• John C. Frémont Lodge - Cottage next to Coal Creek - https://www.Vrbo.com/3772897
4 • Kit Carson Lodge - Cottage on Coal Creek - https://www.Vrbo.com/3772894
4 • Buffalo Bill Lodge - Cottage next to Coal Creek - https://www.vrbo.com/3774463
2 • Jim Bridger Cabin - Historic Cabin on Coal Creek - https://www.Vrbo.com/3774462


Tennessee Lake Houses + Country Homes between Knoxville + Chattanooga!

11 - Watts Bar Dream Retreat - Double Decker Dock, Firepit, unbelievable Views and Fishing!
- http://www.Vrbo.com/4741178

10 • Watts Barr Family Fun Lake House - Private Boat Ramp, Floating + Fixed Docks, Firepit, unbelievable Views and Fishing!
- https://www.Vrbo.com/4922466

7 • Awesome Tennessee River House on Lake Chickamauga - Private Covered Boat Dock, Firepit, and Fishing!
- https://www.Vrbo.com/3774454

8 • Chattanooga Pool + Farmhouse - Large pool + Firepit home in quiet countryside near Chattanooga + Cleveland
- https://www.Vrbo.com/3772901