Twin Palms: Big House Steps to Beach. Lush Pool. Infant Gear. Pet Friendly

One of the highest rated vacation homes on Anna Maria Island with more than 150 five-star ratings from Airbnb/VRBO!

Stay at the home of a NY Times best-selling food writer! Big 5-bedroom house, pet friendly, lots of space and charm, great location (5-min walk to beach) with private lagoon-style heated pool amid lush landscaping and beautiful rock waterfall. Chef-outfitted kitchen with new appliances, 60-inch Sony HDTV, Italian leather reclining sofas, BBQ, beach gear, comfy beds, lots of infant and kid stuff. Plenty of space for friends or families sharing. Updated bathrooms with great showers. Three bedrooms have king beds. Ground floor, so no stairs!

We manage our home directly, and it is our only rental on the island. You'll book directly with us, not through a faceless agency trying to juggle dozens of properties. We offer:

- all linens and towels
- plenty of beach gear
- heated pool (88F) at no extra charge
- kid and infant gear, including 2 pack n plays, high chair, stroller and more
- low cleaning fee

We have a wonderful cleaning crew who have worked with us for years. We charge one of the lowest cleaning rates on the island. We are longtime Superhosts on Airbnb and a Premier Partner on VRBO. You can see our Airbnb listing and read more than 120 reviews at twinpalmsflorida dot com

ABOUT TWIN PALMS

We know you will love it here! Twin Palms is the comfy island home of a New York Times best-selling author and her tech husband. This is ground-level old-school Florida rambler is just two short blocks to epic white sandy beaches. Our private heated pool is kept at 88F plus year-round.

We want you to feel like you're staying at a friend's beach house, not just a vacation rental, so we supply a lot of extra amenities and many small touches, like a welcome basket on arrival and more towels than you'll ever need. Layout is great for two/extended families sharing, or a friends retreat.

Cook big meals in our fully equipped updated kitchen loaded with plenty of dishes, loads of cookware and even big serving platters provided. Eat inside or out under palms and fairy lights on the deck; both tables can seat a big group. Help yourself to anything in the cupboards, which we keep stocked with spices, oils, vinegar, condiments, etc. for cooking great meals. Two kitchen islands means lots of space to hang out and cook, eat or just drink wine together. We have an Instant Pot, large Ninja Air Fryer, a KitchenAid mixer, KitchenAid blender, and even a proper waffle maker.

We provide beach stuff, including chairs, umbrellas, a large canopy, boogie boards and enough sandcastle gear to build a fortress. Help yourself to dozens of books, DVDs or more than 20 board games. I've even hand-picked a half dozen Florida- and seafood-focused cookbooks for your use (plus a couple of beach cocktail titles... should you be interested).

Our bathrooms have been renovated in the past couple of years and feature great custom tile showers with European fixtures and cool pebble floors. We updated the "Beach Bathroom" in 2021 with amazing wall jets and a rainfall shower that just has to be experienced. The "River Rock" bathroom has a Toto bidet toilet. There's also an ambient temperature outdoor shower as you enter the property so you can wash off sand from the beach.

We provide all guests with a 30-page guide to the house, island and local restaurants. I grew up on the island and I'm a Paris-trained chef, so I can give you insights on the best places to eat, buy local seafood and even where to find the local farmer's markets.

We have been renting our home before Airbnb was even a business, so we have hosted thousands of guests. We love the island and pride ourselves on providing a great experience for all our guests. You won't find a better value or more sincere hosts anywhere on the island.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q. How big is your pool? Is it heated?
Our custom lagoon-style kidney-shaped pool is surrounded by lush palms and is super private. At its widest, it measures 12 feet, at its narrowest, about 9 feet. It's about 23 feet long. It features a real rock waterfall, lush landscaping. Seating is spread out over three deck areas. Our outdoor deck table can seat up to ten at once. We have seating spread out around the pool, with another table for four, two loveseats, two Adirondack chairs and a chaise lounge. We keep our pool at 88 degrees+ all year and have it professionally serviced twice a week for optimal cleanliness.

Q. How close are you to the beach?
We're located about 250 meters from the beach, about two blocks, a five-ish minute stroll, a 90-second drive in a golf cart or two minutes by bike. We lobbied our local city council and have the only official crosswalk with lights on this part of the island so you never have to wait for traffic. We have a small trolley to carry all your beach gear. We provide plenty of towels for both indoor use and beach/pool use, a new front-loading washer/dryer combo with 20-minute wash setting.

Q. Are you kid-friendly?
You bet! We're completely set up for kids, with a highchair, two folding cribs, a folding toddler cot, inflatable toddler mattress and guardrails, baby monitor, sound machine, indoor toys, beach toys, kids books, kids plates/bowls/cups, family friendly DVDs, etc. We also have high locks installed on the doors near the pool, plus a special portable pool alarm available for guests. We are better set up for infants than probably any other home on the island.

Q. Are you pet friendly?
A. Yes, we have a small terrier we love and adore. We can accommodate one dog up to 35 pounds per guest party, and guests must tell us about their dog in advance. We regret that our house isn't the right fit for guests with large dogs. No cats - we're super allergic. We supply information on the local off-leash park, pet-friendly restaurants, plus other important info and provide food/water bowls. We charge a modest pet cleaning fee that goes directly to our cleaners.

Q. What is the bedroom situation like?
The house has four bedrooms plus the Lido room which can be used as an optional fifth bedroom. The setup is good for two families sharing.

Here's how they break down:
- Captains Quarters (king bed)
- Shell bedroom (king bed)
These two share a newly remodeled shower with body jets and a waterfall shower. There is a door from the living that transforms those rooms into its own little two-bedroom area. Shell has a super cool Vant upholstered headboard wall. Super comfy.

- Waterfall (California King)
- Lido Room (2 twins)
These two rooms have French doors opening directly to the pool area, and they share a bathroom with a waterfall shower with river rock floor (soothing on sore feet). The doors have "high locks" to prevent kids from getting to the pool undetected.

Lido has two twin beds made into daybeds. Both have super cool stuffed triangular headboard pillows that can be moved around, super comfy. It also has a brand new 55'' Samsung Frame TV. This is a great room for kids and teens.

Lido is stocked with board games, Texas hold-em sets, puzzles, kids coloring stuff, etc.

Hemingway (queen)
This small bedroom on its own off the dining room. It has a cool custom-made barn door and a desk. This room has a queen bed made into an oversized daybed surrounded with headboard pillows. So comfortable, it's hard to describe. Teens love this room but honestly, everyone will love hanging out here. There's a blackout blind for sleeping. This is private, but barn doors let in sound.

Q. How do we get keys?
A. No keys! We use coded locks so you can arrive at any time after check-in using a secure code unique to you, generally the last four digits of your mobile phone number so you can remember it easily.

Q. Is there a dedicated work area?
A. Yes, there is a desk just inside the entrance in the house in a small bedroom we call the Hemingway Room. It has a barn door and is private but not sound proof.

Registration Number: VRC20-000330

Unique Benefits

Since this home is owned by a best-selling food writer, the recently renovated kitchen is particularly well stocked.

You will get a 30-page guide to the home and island upon booking, which includes our insider restaurant suggestions.

We have earned 100% five-star reviews for the past six years. We know that selecting a place to stay isn't just about money, but time. Important time to make memories with your family. We make every effort to assure you have an extraordinary experience. Just read our reviews.

We manage our home ourselves and it is our only rental on the island. We have guests who return year-after-year who have become part of our Twin Palms Family. Maybe that will be you?

Why Kids Love It

Our goddaughters grew up coming to this house, so families, we've got you covered with plenty of gear so you can pack less: kid dinnerware, a high chair, two folding cribs, a toddler cot, inflatable toddler cot, bed rails, kid books, family-friendly DVDs, a toyxbox with plenty of toys, separate soft infant-safe toys, baby linens, pool toys, a baby monitor, sound machine, baby bath and a stroller we call the Baby Dune Buggy so you don't ruin your own taking it to the beach.

We also have "high locks" on all the pool-facing doors for safety plus a pool alarm you can put into the pool. We also have a big wagon that you can use to transport stuff and kids to the beach.

We have the only marked and light-on-demand street crossing on our part of the island, in part because we lobbied the local government for it. So you never have to wait to cross Palm Avenue to get to the beach.

Area Information

People often say that Anna Maria Island is like 1950s Florida. It's just a slower pace, with no high rises or chain restaurants. It's just a lovely little beach community on a beautiful tropical island. We are in a residential neighborhood that's generally peaceful yet easy to get to everything. There is another vacation near us, and it just happens to be next door.

There's a free trolley that runs every 20 minutes. We have a stop on the northbound route just steps outside our door. You can take an Uber from SRQ and just use bikes or rent a golf cart to get around. (We can give you the name of the place we like best for rentals). A golf cart can go virtually everywhere on the island, so you can rent one of those instead of a car. We have an electric charger in front of the house. We have three parking spaces.

Attractions Within Walking Distance

The white sand beaches of AMI are just two blocks away, easily within walking distance. Disney Resorts are just a two-hour drive away -- close, but not too close!

There are many fun attractions on the island, including a new Mote Marine Lab outlet on the historic Anna Maria Pier. We are walking distance or a quick drive (about 1/2 mile) to the Ugly Grouper, one of the funnest bars/restaurants on the island, and super fun for families.

Favorite Places To Eat

When you book, we will give you our very detailed restaurant guide which also has the top 10 things for cooks and food lovers to do on the island. I'm a French trained chef and used to be a restaurant critic, so we take this seriously :)

Inside Scoop

When you book, we will also provide a detailed guide to the island, with inside tips on the best places to rent a golf cart or bike, where you can and can't take your dog, playgrounds for kids and much more.