Lara was the most lovely and gracious hostess and provided absolutely everything we could possibly need, and then some! The home is lovely, and much more spacious than it looks from the front.. much! The outdoor areas are cute and thoughtful and nicely decorated... sitting on the dock in the morning, sunning by the pool, watching the iguanas parade by! There is a seating area under cover for raining days as well.. we sat out there almost every night, talking long into the evening. The pool is nice and sunny in the morning, and half shaded during the heat of the day, so if the sun is hot, you can be in the pool without frying. The home is on a canal, but there is a gate to keep little ones off the dock (you still need to watch them, of course). There are chairs setup out on the dock where we sat and enjoyed our morning coffee. There was no boat noise however, and I think we only saw one boat go by our entire stay. There is also a golf T setup, which we did not use.
Lara met us when we arrived, and showed us everything about the home. There was a selection of snacks and bottles of wine for our enjoyment. There was shampoo, conditioner and body wash in the bathrooms, and a bunch more under the sink, if what was in the shower didn't satisfy. There was a bucket of sunscreen in all ranges of protection and brands. There were clean functional (new) beach chairs, and an umbrella that we were able to take the to beach. Noodles, and beach toys and buckets for shell collecting. All the appliances were in proper working order, and everything was sparkling clean. The TV had a bunch of features, like netflix, available to guests. Wifi was excellent and there is a separate desk area on which I could setup my computer to do a little work.
And let's talk about sleeping, which is so important when you're trying to relax on vacation. First of all, the house is quiet.. I mean quiet quiet.. we never heard anything from any of the neighbors during the night. The mattresses appear to be new and are heavenly comfortable.. I have a very sensitive lower back and usually have to get out of bed during the night because I get so uncomfortable... at Lara's I slept from bedtime until morning and never once got up! And the sheets!!! They are so soft and delicious.. I've never slept on sheets like that before, but have already ordered a set for myself.
The location to the beach was also very convenient.. about 10 minutes max to various beaches, the state park, the Hollywood broadwalk and tons and tons of shops and restaurants.
The only negative thing I have to say about this property is that our stay was too short! When we return to this area, we will definitely hope that Lara's home is available again. Thank you Lara!