Boat House, Beach-to-Bay island estate w/amenities

Our "Boat House" is located on Little Gasparilla Island, a remote and bridge-less barrier island with no cars, stores, or restaurants of any kind. It is only accessible by boat and that makes for a wonderfully quiet and private vacation! If this is going to be your first visit to Little Gasparilla Island, we expect you have many questions about it, so don't hesitate to ask! Details: 'Wall-of-glass' sliding doors open up onto the screened porch that spans the width of the house and makes you feel as if you are sitting right on the bay. Because you are! The open-plan interior living, kitchen, and dining spaces with their vaulted ceiling have a very spacious, tropical feel. The screened front porch, equally large, has lots of seating and is fronted by a waterside deck and dock. The two bedroom, two bathroom configuration allows you to have either separate 'his' and 'her' baths accessed from the master bedroom, OR a private bath accessed off each of the two bedrooms, OR one bath available to visitors while the bedrooms and the remaining bath remain private. Both bedrooms open onto a rear sun deck. The Boat House has a full-size kitchen with granite counters and stainless steel appliances. There is a separate wet bar featuring an Espresso maker, grinder, and frother plus a 2nd full-size refrigerator. There is an inside laundry and an outdoor shower. Leather couches, top-grade comfy beds, tile floors throughout, and much more. This well-designed, immaculate vacation cottage, all on one level, and only a couple feet off the ground----no need to climb stairs, ever, except getting in and out of the water taxi. Quiet and private location. Use of fire pit, extra outdoor kitchen/bistro, kayaks, and beach gear. . Located at the north end of the island, our 5+ acre resort-style "compound" (3 houses) extends from bay to beach and borders Don Pedro state wildlife preserve. The Boat House is situated right on Don Pedro Island Blueway Kayak Trail, and we provide kayaks for you to use to explore it! Enjoy the boardwalk that starts on the bay and winds through the mystical mangrove lagoons right to the Gulf of Mexico. This is a property like no other, designed with loving couples and small families in mind (optimized for four people). ) You can enjoy fabulous sunrises from the dock on the bay out front, or stroll the boardwalks out back to enjoy the virtually private beach and watch the fabulous sunsets. NOTE: We also own the very private Couple's Beach Cottage, VRBO # 400780 that is part of our complex. Neither home has a television connection - although we do provide a TV and DVD player and library of movies for your viewing pleasure. We are located on the narrow part of the bay where the wildlife abounds. CONTRACT DETAILS: - Check in is 3:00 pm or after - Check out is by 10:00 am - no smoking - up to four occupants - guests agree to hold owner harmless for any injuries or illnesses incurred while using our home, boardwalks, kayaks, grills, or other property - guests agree to remove all food items and all garbage from the home upon departure CANCELLATION POLICY: The security deposit is fully refundable at any time if your trip is cancelled. The security deposit is also fully refundable if you depart early, provided that there is no damage to the property. Any unused portion of your rental fee is fully refundable if your cancellation or early departure is due to hurricane or Red Tide. Rent is also fully refundable if your trip is cancelled 45 days or more before check-in. Rent is 50% refundable if your trip is cancelled 30-45 days before check-in. Rent is 25% refundable 15-30 days before check-in. Rent is not refundable within 15 days of check-in. AIRPORTS/RENTAL CARS: The closest airports are Sarasota to the north of us, and Fort Myers to the south. They are each about an hour and 10 minutes drive to the marinas that serve our island. Tampa is just less than two hours away to the north. GROCERIES AND OTHER PROVISIONS: Remember, there are NO stores or restaurants of any kind on Little Gasparilla Island. Placida, the small town on the mainland, has one grocery store, a Publix, located at 8725 Placida Road. About 8 miles further, in Englewood and along Hwy 776 (South McCall Road), are other Publix, Super WalMart WinnDixie, etc, which are somewhat bigger than the one in Placida. For example, if driving from the south toward Placida, there is a Publix located at the intersection of Hwy 776 and Gasparilla Road. If driving from the North there is a Publix at the intersection of Hwy 776 and Placida Road and a SuperWalMart at the intersection of Hwy 776 and Sand Casa Rd. WE SUPPLY: - quality bed linens - quality bath towels, hand towels, and wash cloths - laundry detergent and fabric softener sheets - salt, pepper, and an assortment of other spices - filters for our drip coffee makers - dishwasher tablets and dishwashing soap - garbage bags - starter roll of paper towels - starter roll of toilet tissue - Q-tips and cosmetic pads - hair dryer - propane for the grill - beach towels - beach chairs - beach umbrella/canopy You should bring all supplies other than those listed above. But you won't need much besides food and paper goods. Resist the temptation to overpack even though we all do it. Throw in some sunscreen, sunglasses, and bug repellent with a few clothes and you'll probably be OK. INTERNET: Since there is no cable service on the island our connection to the 'outside world' is entirely cellular. In general all carriers work pretty reliably on the Island, so your cell phone and other mobile devices should work normally for connecting wirelessly to the internet. If for some reason your carrier does not have coverage on the island, each of our houses is equipped with a Verizon cellular "hotspot" you can use to connect. Just power it on and it should show up on your mobile device as an available WiFi network. Select it, sign in (the sign-in info is provided with each device), and you should be good to go. Download speed tends to be 35-45 Mbs, upload 10-15 Mbs. Latency 10-20 ms. Note: Verizon's coverage is generally considered the best of the cell service providers for the island. But none are perfect---there are spots where the connection is weak and speeds can be slow since the carriers direct their antennae toward land rather than out to sea. But we find it quite reliable for phone, email, Netflix, FaceTime, etc. PARKING and ARRIVAL at the Marina: You'll park your car and catch the water taxi from Eldred's Marina (which is really more of a bait shop). They are located at 6301 Boca Grande Causeway, Placida, Florida 33946 (NOTE: The marina is right BEORE the toll booth!) You will enter the little bait shop to obtain a parking pass (approximately $8.00 per day) to put on your dash. The water taxi picks you up out back. WATER TAXI: PLEASE READ CAREFULLY! The local water taxi service is provided by Pirate Water Taxi, with either Emmett or Bill as your captain. You'll want to call at least two weeks before you arrive to make pick-up arrangements. You can expect to pay about $ 35.00 from Eldred's during normal business hours. If the captain helps with your bags, you should tip him about $ 5.00. Please do discuss the pick-up rates as fees change seasonally and also increase EVERY half hour after 5:00 or 6:00 pm. Make sure you tell him that you are coming to Rebecca Hagelin's house! They know us well and will bring you directly to our dock #2 where wheelbarrows await you for use for carting your items to your doorstep. IT IS CRITICAL THAT YOU SCHEDULE THE TAXI IN ADVANCE. GOLF CART RENTAL: Some guests choose to rent a golf cart to explore the interior of the island during their stay. However, a golf cart is not at all necessary since there are no stores of any kind on the island. Please note that there is a limited supply available, and they are not in the best of condition. You can expect to pay about $ 50.00 per day or $ 225.00 or more per week.