Anna Maria Island Rental – Limefish a picturesque paradise

The view from Limefish is nothing short of spectacular. Looking through one of the huge windows framing the beautiful Gulf seas and white sandy beach, the scene is truly worthy of a picture postcard!

We stayed at Limefish on Anna Maria Island in June 2013, and were just overwhelmed by how stunning the location was. Limefish sits on a huge secluded plot at the end of 75th street in Holmes Beach, and sits right on the edge of the beach itself.

The house was perfect for my family. It’s not huge, as it only has three bedrooms, one of which is really just for children (four bunk beds, do we need to say anymore?). But the villa is all open plan with lots of lovely comfy furniture, soft furnishings, and little beach ornaments as well as pictures on the wall making it feel really homely.

The whole width of the house sits facing the beach, so whichever part you are in, whether that’s the living area, kitchen or dining area you look out to the beach.

But the really fantastic part of Limefish, which sells itself, is the outside space. The deck is huge and wraps around the whole length and breadth of the property. Steps lead down straight onto the sand, which mean you really are on Anna Maria beach! There are plenty of Adirondack loungers and chairs to relax on, and a lovely matching dining table, which was the only place we ate our dinner whilst we were here! As sitting outside enjoying the sunshine and waiting for the main event, never got boring.

Limefish's Deck overlooking Anna Maria beach

The main event you ask? Well it’s the sunsets on Anna Maria, which are renowned worldwide. They truly are incredible. I don’t think I’ve ever seen nature at its most stunning or will ever likely to again!

The main event - an Anna Maria sunset

To the left, is the swimming pool which can be accessed via the kitchen or the deck. Planning permission for pools on certain parts of Anna Maria beach can be very difficult, so Limefish is one of quite an exclusive number of homes with a pool – and that is of a good size. The pool area also has a shower and changing area, so there was no need for wet feet through the house! With a cabana decked out with table and chairs, which is ideal for drinks and snacks in between swimming time - which for my children was fairly often!

As well as pool time we enjoyed plenty of time on the beach, and with young children the convenience of having your property mere steps away meant we could pop back easily for the numerous and immediate toilet breaks, drinks, snacks and more beach toys. Whilst easily carrying back all of the shells and other beach artifacts we ‘had’ to collect whilst we were there!

Another thing that we loved about staying at Limefish is that the girls were able to learn about sea turtles and join in with a Nesting Tour with the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch. A local charity that protects the five different species of Sea Turtles that swim, feed and nest on Anna Maria. During May to October (we were here in late June) is turtle nesting season, and all over the beach you will find little posts set up with warning notices around an area that has turtle’s eggs so that they remain protected. We had one right outside Limefish, which the girls loved keeping an eye on each day!

My husband and I also loved the fact that we could walk along the shore and paddle in the water with the children and within about 15 minutes arrive at the Sandbar Restaurant - one of our favorite places to eat on Anna Maria Island. Not only because of the walk to get there being so fantastic….how often have you ever walked along the beach directly from your house to a restaurant? But we could sit at a table on the beach, feet in the sand, eat some great food, and enjoy a lovely bottle of wine without having to think of driving or taxis, but again take another lovely stroll home. Absolutely brilliant!

Sandbar Restaurant

Walk home along the beach

Limefish is the most expensive home in the Pineapplefish group, but it was absolutely worth every penny in our minds. It was by far the best family holiday we have ever had and we can wait to go back again as soon as possible.