The Beach House

 This is the beach house we are renting on Anna-Maria island. The island itself is located about a 45 minute drive south from Tampa. This is the house that me and C found last year already. It is actually larger than it looks. We have a total of 6 bedrooms so there is space for everyone which is needed when you are 8 people (6 adults and 2 kids). The house is located within a short walk to the beach. There is a roof top deck from which one has a beach view. The house has enough space for everyone to be able to spread and stretch out.

A large kitchen makes things easy and practical. We do a mix of going out to eat and cooking at home. I find it very nice not to have to go out every day for every meal. There is a grill in the back yard so that we can also do BBQ which we have. My favorite eats here are of course fish and sea food. There are so many deliscious fishes here that you can't get in Europe such as Grouper, Mahi and Snapper.

There is a pool in the back yard which the girls love of course. A pool was one of the things on our list when we were checking out houses last year. It is nice to have all the amenities like these ones that make a vacation relaxing and fun for everyone. It is a heated pool so it has worked well even for the cooler days that we have had.

The back yard offers a cozy space with the bar, the grill and the pool. A perfect place to hang out and relax.

I have rented a bike for a week. Since the island is not so large it is perfect for bike excursions. A great way to get some time to my self. Even if we all have gotten a long it is still quite nice to be able to escape a little and do some sightseeing on my own. There is also a free trolly service on the island that runs every 30 minutes. Crusing a long on a bike is my preferance. I met this older retired principal today as I was about to start the south side of the island. It is so easy to start chatting with people. He comes every year and has been here for the past 7 years he told me. He showed me some good short cuts and pointed out some good places to eat. You always learn something when you start talking to someone. People on the island are so friendly and nice. It is easy to start talking to people around here.