I grew up on Anna Maria and still have
family there, so I visit quite frequently. Sometimes a day trip is sufficient,
but often my husband and two-year old daughter and I enjoy renting a vacation
home for a long weekend so we can have our own little home base.
Last weekend
we stayed in Berryfish for the first time, and found ourselves utterly charmed
by this family-friendly getaway.
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Berryfish AMI
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Located just steps from the Gulf of Mexico,
Berryfish is the perfect vacation rental for a family retreat. The sprawling
yet approachable villa is welcoming from the moment you see it, thanks in large
to its brightly inviting teal color and whimsical detailing. Its duplex-style, wide expanses of communal
spaces, and clever hidden bedrooms make it the ideal getaway for people who
value togetherness but still want the opportunity to sneak away for a little
alone time. Honestly, even one side of the duplex was probably a little too
spacious for a family of three: luckily though, that meant we had plenty of space
when my sister and her husband and their brood of three children descended on
us for a day. With four kids under the age of five in one house naptimes can be
a real challenge, especially when no one’s on the same schedule. The expansive
layout and abundance of rooms made it much simpler for us to accommodate them
throughout the day.
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Exploring Anna Maria Beach
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There is bounteous parking downstairs at
Berryfish, but you’ll likely find (as we did) that you won’t need your car
much. The villa is located just a few blocks away from Historic Pine Avenue
which has all the amenities you need within a ten or fifteen minute walk. The
well-stocked Anna Maria General
Store carries a surprising array of snacks, beverages, and delicious take-out
as well as all the fixings for a mimosa (a key vacation supply for me). There
are also numerous restaurants and eateries within walking distance. We made the
five minute walk to the Anna Maria
Donut Shop daily, and returned to their neighbors Poppo’s Taqueria at lunch for takeout. We
brought this sustainable and authentic mission-style Mexican food back to
Berryfish and enjoyed it on the deck with cold beers and tart lime wedges. It
was pretty much perfect.
The front deck itself features amenities
like a large personalized picnic table and an outdoor grill, which was perfect
for cooking up hot dogs, burgers and veggies as we took in the view of the sun
setting over the Gulf. The kitchen had pretty much every tool we needed to cook
with ease. Some of the plates were mismatched and obviously a little
out-of-style, but that just added to the charm and authenticity of the house.
There’s also a back balcony which overlooks the large shared backyard with a
well-sized pool right in the middle. The area is amply shaded and streaked with
golden spots of sunlight, so you can soak up the sun to your heart’s content or
stay cool in the shadows.
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Berryfish's Backyard
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We’ve stayed all over the Island, and have
had the pleasure of staying in some very posh and upscale rentals in the past.
Berryfish was on par with those rentals in terms of size and atmosphere, but it
was the little touches that differentiated it. The shelves were filled with
well-worn board games and books, and the sofas were plush and comfortable in a
way that indicates they were selected for comfort over looks. We felt at home
instantly: as nice as it was, it was easy to forget it was a rental thanks to
the small details.
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| View of Anna Maria Beach from Berryfish's Deck |
We’ve stayed in lots of vacation houses – Berryfish
is the first place that I would really call a vacation home though, and that
makes all the difference.
Labels: Berryfish, Pineapplefish