Gulf Waterfront-20 Steps to Private Beach- 2BR/2BA-Kayaks-SUPs-Best Shark Teeth

Waterfront-20 Steps to Private Beach - 2BR/2BA-Pets OK-Kayaks-SUPs-Best Sharkteeth-Listen to the Waves All Day and Night via Open Windows-Sleeps 8

Newly renovated, upscale, light and bright suite (exclusive private 1st floor of a residential home with private entrance). Perfect for a family with children requiring a second bedroom and bathroom, 2 couples, a couple who may wish to invite friends or family to join them for part or all of their stay, or two single friends traveling together. Since the unit is on the same level as the driveway, and is handicapped accessible, it is also suitable for elderly guests or for those with mobility limitations, although access to the beach does require managing a couple sets of steps (3 steps up or walk around the steps on a slight incline, then 4 steps down to the beach).

The property is on a VERY private residential location on North Manasota Key approximately 2 miles down from the North Bridge (for those who know the area). It was fully renovated after the hurricanes in 2024. It has a fully equipped Kitchen with BBQ Grill, with Private Access to your Suite and Private Gulf Ocean Beach 20 or fewer steps from your front door (literally). This property is in the last remaining "Old Florida" region of the Gulf Coast of Florida, with subtropical rainforest flora and fauna surrounding the property, marked by what was the largest approximately 2000 year old Banyan Tree in the state of Florida (called a "champion tree" by the Florida Forest Service whose life was unfortunately cut short after the 2024 hurricanes ), a hammock just waiting for you on the beach, or chairs outside your suite for watching sunsets. Kayaks, SUPs, shark tooth hunting gear, beach chairs/umbrellas, boogie boards, some supplemental fishing equipment provided (cast net, bait buckets, and rod holders-ask about fishing poles, which I sometimes have available) on property for free guest use. 2 bicycles are available for guest use, and additional bikes are easily rented and delivered to your door, Uber Eats, Publix Grocery Store, Walmart, or Instacarte deliver right to your door, and live music and 4 restaurants await you only a 10 minute drive (or a bike ride) down the beach road on Manasota Key. Community Tennis Courts (including lighted courts at night) and Golf Courses available within a 15 minute drive. Sarasota/Bradenton International Airport and Punta Gorda Airport (Allegient Airlines) is only a 50 minute drive, easily accessed via Uber, Lyft, or a personal driver than can be arranged for you. Fort Myers Airport 80 minutes, and Tampa Airport is 90 minutes.

2 shared Kayaks and 3 Stand Up Paddle Boards, and 2 bicycles, are provided for guest use. These are shared with the 4 bedroom rental guest cottage across the street. Beach chairs, umbrellas, a hammock, and a gas grill make this a place easy to quickly settle into upon arrival.

A dock that will accommodate up to a 30' boat (with shallow draft) is available to rent for a small additional fee.

Note for guests who like to do a lot of cooking for extended stays: The kitchen in this unit is equipped with a single gas burner for boiling or steaming, an electric skillet, a rice/vegetable steamer, a medium sized toaster oven to bake or broil for 2-3 people, a microwave, and a hot pot and coffee maker. These cover all functions of a full stove, but there is not a traditional stove in the kitchen area for conservation of space, while taking into account that most guests tend to eat out a lot.

Note for guests bringing pets: We are pet friendly, and welcome yours to join you. There is a $150 pet fee charged when you register your pet to stay, and an additional $25 fee for more than one pet. For weekend only stays we do discount that base pet fee to $100, although there is no way to automatically do that in the booking payment process, so if you are only visiting for 2-3 days, we will credit you back $50 after your booking. We recognize that some pet owners are not comfortable with payment of a pet fee, and while we do understand that since they are part of the family, me must provide extra cleaning services and ozonater and air purification for future guests to ensure that any future guests are not impacted by pet dander or shedding that may remain after your visit.

Our prices include all fees. No hidden fees, except a 3% add on fee if you choose to use a credit card vs. no fee for Venmo or PayPal (if sent as a "friends and family" payment vs. "goods and services), or Zelle.

Unique Benefits

The unique features of this property are first and foremost the private quiet beach. Although shared with one other set of guests, if the second property is even occupied, on most days (even during the mid winter busy or vacation time frames) you can count the number of people you see on two hands when you look down the beach a mile in either direction. It is true privacy. It is also a very quiet residential neighborhood, which can't be beat if you like peace and quiet.

Secondly, the lush subtropical foliage on the property is truly TROPICAL. For those who have visited Florida, this is classically "old Florida" with an abundance of palm trees, vine climbing philodendrons, ground cover philodendrons, so a unique combination of Gulf coast beach and flora and fauna that feels as close to a subtropical rainforest as you can find in Florida.

Having access to both the intercoastal waterway (i.e., Lemon Bay) and the beach is unique, as most properties allow for either one or the other, but not both. This allows for kayaking and paddle boarding on calmer water on days when the beach waves might prohibit that, and it also allows for different fishing environments and wildlife spotting opportunities.

The natural wildlife on the property is abundant - dolphin pods often swim down the beach front early morning and evenings when feeding, turtle nesting and observing hatchlings between May-October is exciting at night time, and occasionally you may spot or swim with a Manatee on the beach front, or observe them from the dock on Lemon Bay. We have had pairs of Bald Eagles perch on a very tall Norwegian Pine tree on our property, and Osprey often do the same and you can watch them catch fish and fly off to their nest right off the private beach.

Finally, the shark tooth hunting can't be beat. One set of guests whom have been tooth hunting up and down the entire Gulf coast swears that we have literally the best shark tooth hunting on the entire Gulf within a 100 yards south and north of our property. They return twice a year for just that reason, and always find Megalodon teeth on their hunts, in addition to a wide variety of other teeth. One neighboring visitor from Minnesota walks the beach for 4 months during his winter visits, with the goal of 15,000 shark teeth each winter. He has only missed that goal once by 500 teeth over the many years we have known him. We must have something truly special going on in our North Manasota Key location in terms of Shark Tooth hunting, because even the Megalodon hunting tourist boats from Venice drive the 10 miles to anchor a few hundred yards off the beach to bring people to find those highly sought after fossilized shark teeth.

Why Kids Love It

There are plenty of sand toys for younger children, and for older children who like to be creative with digging, I'm happy to loan shovels to really make their digging successful. Snorkeling is amazing to see underwater sea creatures, and during months when the water is warm, catching fish is virtually guaranteed, and onsite local fishing guides can be hired to help teach them how to catch fish right off the dock or beach on the property.