I just want to start off my review saying that Sugar Key was absolutely amazing and it was perfect in so many ways - location, beauty and it fit our “family” so well. Christina was super responsive no matter the day or time, answering any questions we had.
So first are all the things I found to be the “pros.” It was a short, pleasant drive from the airport. Also easy to locate. We have 6 kids and 2 adults so we had a big van and it easily fit into the drive. Pulling up to the property, I found it to be absolutely beautiful. The yard is full of mature plants and trees. That’s what you get with a house built in 1947 I guess!! The kids loved all the lizards running around and spent a lot of time trying to catch them!
All the check in instructions were outlined so it was easy to access. The interior was nice and neutral and you could see the pool out the back from the front door. In my opinion, that backyard was the best part! The pool was fantastic and once again all the mature trees and foliage made you feel like you were in your own private, quiet paradise. Who would know A1A and the beach were just a few houses away? The kids were in that pool any time we were not at the beach. We enjoyed the seating, ping pong and used the grill almost every night. The outdoor shower was convenient to rinse off beach sand before going in the pool.
The guest house was such a bonus for us. When I started planning this vacation I was just looking generally in Florida for specific style homes. We needed some space and the ability to have our own time with kids. We are two families, I have 4 children and my boyfriend has 2. He and his children stayed in the guest house while my kids and I stayed in the main house. It was our first vacation together with kids so it was nice to be able to separate and have space. So nice the guest house had its own full bath as well as a small kitchen and laundry too! We could go to our separate spaces for the evening and congregate outside or in the living spaces when we all wanted to be together. Sugar key fit the bill perfectly for us.
The house was immaculately clean, the beds were so comfortable and all the necessities were provided (we stayed 5 nights - linens, towels, beach towels, soap, shampoo, body wash, trash bags, laundry and dish detergent pods, hair dryer, paper towel, even coffee!! and also a cart and some beach chairs). It was super easy to order groceries and supplies to be delivered and everything came to us right on time. The house had a tv in every room which you could add your Netflix, Hulu, etc to.
The walk to the beach is literally like 5-6 houses. A1A was busy but you never had to wait more than a minute or two to cross. Right where you cross there is open, quiet beach as it is a residential part of the neighborhood and not huge hotels. We never had issues with space or finding a a spot. However if you wanted company or places to eat they were right there on either side of us, a short walk. There is also a lifeguard tower right there that is staffed in the day so that was nice with 6 kids.
So, the cons. Honestly in my opinion there weren’t many at all. Someone once said to me that when you rent an Airbnb you have to enter with an open mind - every house has its own quirks and it may not be the house you would choose to live in but you can appreciate it for what it offers. Like I said in the beginning, the house was built in 1947 so it isn’t like the houses of today. Doesn’t have the huge spaces but has the beautiful yard? It’s a trade off I think is worth it. The house has three bedrooms with three attached baths, which is a bonus (one of the baths was under repair but it wasn’t a big deal and we were given notice and a discount). There is also a half bath off the living space. That being said the bathrooms are very small. A few updated and a few not. Not a big deal to us at all because how much time do you spend in there? The kitchen is galley style which you can see by the pictures. It was small enough and with opening drawers or cupboards or the dishwasher, really only had room for one person at a time. But there is seating by the bar so people could still sit and converse with you.
We did have some issues with hot water, mostly in the guest house. We didn’t bother to contact Christina about it since it was fine to share showers. The internet was also a little off, couldn’t always get reception in the backyard, and would not work in the guest house (so no tv either) but again we were busy with the outside world so we weren’t too worried about it. It was nice the kids couldn’t just sit on their phones all day. Probably could have been worked with if we felt the need to call or text and get it fixed.
We did take a tour to the Everglades and went with airboat rides Florida. It was an easy 45 minute drive. Wayne was great and knew a ton and the kids loved it. We also did a fishing charter with Hooked Up Fishing and Captain Taco which met only 15 minutes away. I unfortunately don’t have much to offer in the way of shopping or restaurants because we didn’t do either. Not easy with