| Message from The Owners :: 01/01/9999 |
| Please find below a number of comments left in our visitors book. If you've left such a testimonial and don't like the fact that we have published it on the Internet, just drop us an e-mail and we will remove it straightaway. |
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| David and Denise, Guernsey :: 04/10/2009 |
| Tropical Lakes is a lovely villa to chill in, very spacious, clean and comfortable with a nice south facing pool area over looking the lake. It is located on a quiet residential development that makes you feel like you are living in Florida rather then being on holiday.
Bradenton and River Lakes is an ideal area for exploring with the main highways close by, or if you just want to head to the beach, one of the best on the West coast at Anna Marie island is straight down the 64! There is a supermarket within 3 minutes drive of the villa and the best restaurant in America is opposite too, Outback. Other restaurants are a little further away, but very easy to reach.
We had a very relaxing time, had no issues with the villa its well furnished and I am sure if you decide to stay here you would not be disappointed.
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| Karl and Gladys :: 31/03/2009 |
We will be renting your home for the 6th year in 2010. We now stay for 2 months in the winter. We appreciate that you do something each year to keep it in good condition. We especially enjoy the pool area. That is my favorite place to spend my time. We eat our meals out there 90% of the time because it is so pleasant.
I appreciate how well the kitchen is equipped for cooking even though we do go out to eat a lot at the many many good restaurants in the area. Thank you for being a very good landlord. |
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| Karl and Gladys, Michigan :: 25/04/2008 |
We enjoyed our stay at your home.
We hope you also have beautiful weather. It was hard to go home yesterday.
Enclosed are the details for next years stay.
Karl and Gladys |
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| Peter Ellison and family, Bedford, England :: 29/07/2007 |
Rosalind,
This is to confirm that we have received the cheque for the returned security deposit, many thanks.
We would also like to say thanks for the rental and that we very much enjoyed our three weeks in Bradenton. This was our sixth time to holiday in Florida, but our first in Bradenton. We definitely think that Bradenton is the best location we have experienced so far and the location of your house is particularly convenient. We appreciated the fact that there was such a wide range of choices for restaurants and places to visit within easy reach of the house and that every essential could be bought within 5 minutes drive. The location is extremely handy for getting to the Orlando theme parks with the highway being so close. You have made a good choice and we wish you well with it.
Be assured that when we think about returning to Florida again, Bradenton and your house in particular will be top of the list.
Many thanks from all of us.
Peter |
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| Leigh, Jo, Brooke and Tru, West Midlands, England :: 28/06/2007 |
We had a great holiday staying at the villa, which we found to be an ideal base for a family with young children, having all facilities at hand. The children loved the pool (a constant warm temperature!) our 3 year old would have been in there 24/7 had we let her!
Nearby beaches are beautiful, our favourite being Anna Maria and Bradenton. We enjoyed trips to Sarasota Jungle Gardens, Mote Aquarium and had day trips to Magic Kingdom and Sea World - long drive and very tiring but worth it to see the children's faces! There are numerous restaurants to choose from, all very reasonably priced. The children loved Applebees, which is very close to the villa, we also recommend Sharkeys at Bradenton beach.
The villa is a real 'home from home', great to come back to after a busy day out, or spend a day by the pool relaxing. Also appreciated being able to put the children to bed and have a drink by the pool or watch T.V from the very comfy sofas, far better than being confined to a hotel room!
Leigh, Jo, Brooke (3) & Tru (1) |
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| Tony George :: 29/04/2007 |
We have just returned from two fabulous weeks in this very comfortable and well appointed villa. The villa is ideal for three couples in the well furnished bedrooms and reception rooms, it also has a fantastic swimming pool and sun bathing area.
The villa is located in a quiet residential area near to shops and restaurants. We recommend two local restaurants Applebees and The Outback for excellent food and friendly service.
Places we enjoyed visiting were Venice Beach, which is great for viewing Dolphins and Manatees, we also recommend Sharkeys a thatched bar and restaurant with a wooden jetty also we recommend Anna Maria Island for its lovely soft white sandy beaches and again a wooden jetty for fishing and a bar for a glass of "Bud", we also enjoyed the many shopping outlets in the area, (better bring an empty case next time).
The above is a brief summery of a brilliant holiday and a villa which we strongly recommend.
Thank you for a great holiday
Tony and Gillian, John and Barbara, Gerry and Margaret of Cramlington and Newcastle. |
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| Karl and Gladys, Michigan :: 23/03/2007 |
We have stayed in this home for 3 years in a row. The first year it was for 5 weeks, the second and third year for 7 weeks. Just last week we booked for 8 weeks in 2008.
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| Sandra and Bill, Scotland :: 13/10/2006 |
Thank you for the use of your lovely home and we took care of it as we would our own. It was just what we needed after moving home in May and all the work it required.
Have been to Orlando and Charleston S.C. but never got any farther than Clearwater. This was perfect. We love to shop do the outlets were for us. We also enjoyed the Desota Mall and if you are not a USA citizen you can go to Macys customer service and get a card that gives you 11% of all of your purchases for a 30 days. We got some great bargains.
The eating places you recommended were superb and directions first class.
The villa was so quiet and the pool was a joy. As there was just the 2 of us we just used half the house but it is so spacious we might bring the family. But maybe not.
Sandra and Bill, Scotland |
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| Nicky, Andrew, Charlotte, Loulou and James, Newbury :: 20/08/2006 |
How lucky we were that I met Rosalind at Julie's class in Northcroft and learned about their lovely holiday home... This has been the perfect antidote to our hectice week in Orlando - we've loved the beaches especially Coquina and Siesta Key, enjoyed the shopping at Ellenton and Armands Circle and had some fantastic (and inexpensive by UK standards) meals out - most notably at the Sandbar and Beach House restaurants.
When we've had withdrawal symptons for theme parks we also managed a successful (but wet!) trip to Busch gardens. The pool has also been put to good use and all available children's DVDs watched! Have we missed anything? ONly a teapot but we made do.
If the childrfen pursuade us to 'clean up' the other Orlando attractions some day we'll be back here again as we've greatly enjoyed our visit and also never managed a trip to the recommended Crab Trap.
Hope all subsequent visitors enjoy the house and this area as much as we did!
Nicky, Andrew, Charlotte, Loulou and James, Newbury, UK
PS "Mi Pueblo" Mexican restaurant in Sarasota (Tuttle Ave) and the "New York Italian Ices Shop" (Avenida Messina, Siesta Key) were particular favourites of the children. |
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| Rob, Sarah, Emma and Frances :: 20/07/2006 |
We thoroughly enjoyed our second visit to your villa and were sad to leave. We mostly spent our time relaxing by the pool or visiting the superb beaches and swimming in the warm sea. Also visits to Busch Gardens and Adventure Island were particularly enjoyed by the children. It was good to find so many different places to eat out nearby and with the exchange rate almost everything was so much cheaper than at home. Our favourite was the Sandbar restaurant; with a table on the sand, sun setting across the Gulf, margarita cocktails and superb seafood - what more could you want?
Your villa is really well equipped. I wish our bedroom at home was big enough to accommodate the huge bed you have here; indeed, all the rooms are so much larger! A suggestion for improvement would be removal of the TV as the kids seemed to spend too much time watching it as with all the channels you have they always seemed to find something of interest.
We look forward to returning as soon as we can. |
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| Duncan, Catherine and Matthew :: 20/04/2006 |
This was our first family holiday in Florida and what a fantastic time we had. The Americans were just so friendly towards us. The weather was great although I'm told it's excellent all year round. We were so glad we used the Gulf Coast as our base since it's close to everywhere.
We spent a few days in Orlando and were glad to return to this peaceful paradise.
There was so much for our son Matthew to do and he especially loved the beach and playing in the waves.
The restaurants were plentiful and our family favourite was Mr Bones. |
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| Karl and Gladys :: 19/03/2006 |
We have enjoyed our stays in your villa in Florida. Everything has been very nice and I can't think of anything we don't like. One thing we appreciate are the Pool towels. They take up so much room in a suitcase. This was a nice surprise the first time we visited.
One thing that came to mind is that it would be nice to have a remote garage door opener. |
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| Peter, Rosalind and Suzanne :: 24/12/2005 |
This was our first visit at Christmas time and as always we had a great time. It was wonderful to see all the gardens decorated so splendidly and to sample a true Floridian Christmas. It seemed a little odd however being able to soak up the sunshine on the beach and to lounge around the pool.
There is now a Christmas tree available for this year! |
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| The Harpers :: 24/08/2005 |
We have had a great time in your beautiful villa in Bradenton. We’ll never go to Orlando again! Who wants to queue for hours at Disney when you can be relaxing on the beautiful beaches or exploring the natural wonders of Florida at Myakka River park (I75 exit 205, SR72 east) and if you want roller-coasters Busch Gardens is only a short drive and it serves free beer!
It was great to come home after a day out and spend an hour or two in the pool relaxing before going out for dinner. We also found the extra living room very useful when the children wanted to watch TV and we wanted to sit and talk. This will make our house in England feel very small compared to here.
Prime Outlets is definitely worth a visit. If you are into designer clothes then you can probably save enough to pay for the holiday.
If you want fantastic seafood and a beautiful sunset go to the Beachhouse, Bradenton Beach, if you are lucky you might see dolphins swimming past…
The Harpers
Burghfield |
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| Tracey, Dave, Rachel and Michael :: 06/08/2005 |
| We have been on holiday to Florida a number of times and this is unquestionably the best villa in the best location we have ever had.
Highlights have included plunging 200ft on Sheikra, the new roller coaster at Busch Gardens, exploring the mango groves by kayak from Motte Marine, watching the dolphins while swimming at Bradenton beach and of course just chilling out by the pool.
The café on Bradenton pier is now closed but I think the chef has moved to the adjacent Bridge Tender Inn, as the Grouper sandwiches there are fantastic!
The other restaurant we’d recommend is Mr Bones for the best BBQ ribs you will ever taste. (Take 64 almost to the beach, turn left on Gulf drive, 400 yds on left)
Suggestions for the villa? Change nothing it’s great!
Tracey, Dave, Rachel and Michael
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| Terry & Pauline :: 08/05/2005 |
Thank you Peter, Rosalind & Suzanne for the loan of your lovely home. We had a wonderful week just chilling (in 85 temperature).
Went to most of your recommended places but would add the Sandbar Restaurant right on the north of Anna Marie (on the beach), turn right at the end of 64 (Manatee beach) follow road for about 2 miles and Sandbar is on the left. 50 dollars buys great seafood amd the odd glass of booze.
On our way now to Naples & Marco Island. Hoping to go to Englewood on the way. Your poolman has a house there and recommends a visit to this old fishing 'village'. We'll let you know what it is like.
Again many thanks,
Terry & Pauline
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| Karl & Gladys :: 14/03/2005 |
| We have enjoyed our stay in your home. This is the best equipped kitchen we have had when renting. Thank you. We especially enjoyed the pool area. It was so pleasant sitting in the sun by the pool and even under the covered part when it rained. |
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| Graham and Hilary :: 05/02/2005 |
Rosalind,
Thanks for sorting out our stay in your beautiful home at such short notice via the 'net'. Finding the box with the combination lock when we arrived around 1 am (flight delays etc) was a bit like the Krypton factor! ...but it worked.
Just me and my wife in your house for the two weeks so plenty of room. Wish it was ours.... but it's only bricks and mortar! That's what we tell ourselves anyway. Been to Florida over the last 15 years or so and we know the ropes. First time we have actually stayed in the Bradenton area. Enjoyed the location and the beaches. Encountered a couple or three colds days but weather was otherwise warm.
Thank you very much,
Graham and Hilary England |
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| Ted, Pat, Dot, Paula, Daren, Ryan & Connor :: 06/10/2004 |
What a great place to stay. Loads of space and everywhere so clean. We all loved the pool - it was great to come home after a busy day and just dive in!
On Mon 4th Oct, Paula and Darren got married on Siesta Key. It was fantastic with the whitest sand you will ever see and the sunset was amazing!!! We enjoyed eating at Applebee's - brilliant steaks - the kids liked the American Hot dogs.
We are now off to Orlando for two weeks to swim with the dolphins and meet Mickey. What a brilliant holiday and honeymoon.
Thanks again,
Ted, Pat, Dot, Darren, Paula, Ryan and Connor, Nottingham, England |
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| Carla & Erik, The Netherlands :: 24/07/2004 |
IMPOSSIBLE.
How can such a beautiful house be still available on the 23rd July. How lucky we were that it was! This is really 5* resort luxury with more privacy than you can wish for. The girls preferred the pool over the beaches, can you imagine? However, we succeeded in sitting it out for 10 days. Tomorrow we sail south (I-75) to Miami where we'll only have two hotel rooms. That will probably feel like being in prison for the last 3 days of our holiday.
With a great kitchen like the one here there was not much beed for dining out. Although we've spent some evenings outside the house. Walking around St Armands Circle is quite nice for American standards. Hemingway's retreat is quite good! Parking no problem!
We hope that everybody here will have such a great time we had,
Carla & Erik, Flour and Estelle |
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| Paul, Penny, Tom and Lucy, United Kingdom :: 11/07/2004 |
An eleventh hour booking to Sarasota! Thanks for getting everything sorted so quickly.
It's a beautiful home from home with everything you need - I loved the big bed!
Kids enjoyed Applebees - Riblets! Won't forget my 13 year old daughter's face when hers arrived! Huge plateful! Anna Maria is heavenly, Beach Cafe - great - we also liked Cracker Barrel (on I-75 Junc) breakfasts.
WARNING: We got pulled in by police - failing to stop at the junction of this road at 11'oclock at night when road was empty - police car lurks with lights off!! Got away with a caution! Scary though.
Publix supermarket much cheaper than Win Dixie.
Off now for another week at Manasota Key - if its half as good as this week - we will have a wonderful time.
Thanks |
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| Jayne and Kevin, United Kingdom :: 01/07/2004 |
| We are staying here just for one week whilst hunting for our own prperty here in Bradenton. We think we found the perfect house yesterday - just waiting to hear if the offer was accepted! Funnily enough we looked at this home in February and almost bought it - you must have pipped us to the post - you've made it lovely. Really like the leather sofas! |
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| The Ringsmiths and Tynes, USA :: 01/06/2004 |
We have enjoyed our stay here in Bradenton; 3 couples plus a baby slept comfortably in the bedrooms. The closet in the double bed guest room makes a perfect almost sound-proof nursery!!
We were here for our cousin's high school graduation from Bradenton Christian School. We had a wonderful time visiting with all of our relatives - we had a rousing game of pool volleyball with a makeshift net and the beach ball.
Some retaurants and places of interest:
o Mexecali Restaurant - great Mexican!
o Peach's - good breakfast
o All you can eat Pancakes and Sausages on the Beach (straight down Manatee til you run into the ocean). Awesome breakfast!!
Thanks for everything |
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