Gladiolus St - would you stay there?

I found a killer deal for a house on Gladiolus St.

The back yard actually looks out onto the bay side of the island.

But we have 3 kids and we were really looking forward to the beach on the gulf side.

How hard is to get over there from this street? Should we consider looking elsewhere?

Thanks guys!!

mary

Gladiolus St - would you stay there?

Depending on which part of that street you%26#39;re on, you may be pretty close to Anna Maria Bayfront Park which looks on to Tampa Bay and as I recall that area is very decent for swimming. You could walk over to the Gulf side but it would be a bit of a walk.

The Rod %26amp; Reel Pier is near to the upper part of Gladiolus - there is a very good restaurant right at the end of the pier over the water and you can also rent fishing rods for the kids there. If you do go there check out the unusual names they have for the restrooms.

Gladiolus St - would you stay there?

It%26#39;s 244 Gladiolus. Not sure where that%26#39;s at on the street.

Ahh .. Mary, Mary ... let Google be your friend, LOL ... in this case use Google Maps. Type in http://maps.google.com and enter the address.

When the map appears you can either use the default aerial view or choose Street View. If you know what the house looks like you will actually see it as if you were standing on the street.

With the aerial view you will see two piers jutting out into the Bay. The one to the North is the Rod %26amp; Reel pier.

I have been using google maps. It%26#39;s a little addicting actually!

The house looks like it does on the website... but I don%26#39;t see any bridges crossing over the canals to get back to the gulf beach side. Looks like to access that area, we%26#39;ll have to load up in the car and drive there (5 mins tops).

It%26#39;s just hard to pass up on $150/nt (taxes included) for a great 3 bedroom house.

I don%26#39;t know....

tn Mary, looks like a deal to me. It is in a great neighborhood area on the northend, near Bean Point and there are a few little trails that access to the point for you to walk down to the beach.

Hi Mary,

That house is in a fine location. You DO have a beach for swimming on the Bay side very near. There are many things to do and see on Pine street which is close too.

I have to comment on your comment about %26#39; load up car and 5mins we at the beach %26#39;.....on AMI a 5 minute drive and you will be off the Island :) It would be about a 2 min drive to the gulf side beach.

Alternatively, I have seen people renting beach wagons that fit the kids and all your chairs and umbrellas. This link has some options for you to lug your stuff to the beach www.funandmorerentals.com/pages/products/… or just rent some bikes.

Another fun suggestion since you are close to the pier is to grab a few fishing rods and fish from the pier. Very much fun and a nice Florida experience.

Looking back at what you initially said that the property looks out onto the bay side .... you can see from the map that there is N. Bay Blvd between Gladiolus and the Bay. So unless there are no dwellings on N. Bay Blvd immediately backing on to the Gladiolus property, then you probably will not see the Bay from the back of the Gladiolus property.

What time of the year are you going? Are you going for at least a week?

You might want to check previous messages for some of the places RustyKat recommended and you might get a place right on the Gulf.

Here%26#39;s the house:

http://www.vrbo.com/200831

There%26#39;s not a water VIEW... but the bay is just a short walk past some trees. Rusty, where are those trails you%26#39;re talking about? Do you think it%26#39;s doable with 3 kids (13, 7, 5)? I was told the Sandbar restaurant is at the end of Pine and there%26#39;s bathroom facilities. Are they open to anyone? And would the beach at Pine be the easiest to access from Gladiolus?

I%26#39;m concerned about the Bay beach after reading that there%26#39;s a deep drop off close to shore:

fun-florida-getaways.com/anna-maria-park-sna… (point #2)

We%26#39;re going to be on AMI 4 nts in OCT. Splitting a week with Disney. If it were up to this momma, we%26#39;d be on the island ALL week... but we promised the kids a little Disney.

What I love about this house owner is that she%26#39;s super flexible. We don%26#39;t have to pay a cleaning fee as long as we tidy up before we leave (wash sheets, make beds, etc). She lives on the island and has a couple of kayaks we can use. Her rate for our family is only $150/nt INCLUDING taxes.

There%26#39;s no pool... which might disappoint the kids, but we swim in a pool year round. Plus the house we%26#39;re staying at for Disney has TWO pools. We need to get in the ocean!

Ok, in the running are (for 4 nts):

http://www.vrbo.com/200831

$600 (spacious 3 bedrooms, no pool, bay side of the island)

islandvacationproperties.com/rental/…

$748 (private lanai, pool, a few houses down from beach on 72nd St, only 2 bedrooms and 1 bath)

p://www.islandvacationproperties.com/rental/house.html?ID=51

$825 (super close to the beach on 35th St, pool, 2 bedrooms, 1.5 baths)

And the most expensive:

http://www.vrbo.com/197919

$977 (PLUS $500 refundable security deposit, but it%26#39;s the most spacious with a private pool, it%26#39;s also the furthest away from the beach on Spring St.)

tn Mary, If it were me I would take the place on Gladiolus Street, it looks great, in a good area for the kids to be able to walk around and the price is right, in fact, you could probably get it for an eveb better price is you were to ask. You are visiting in ';low'; season.

If you look at the picture that says backyard beach access, that should take you to a beachy area, not sure excatly where it is but the neighborhood is quite and family friendly.

The one that as the gulf view is nice but that street could be an issue for your kids to cross.