Pineapplefish: Anna Maria Island Rental – Plumfish, perfectly placed for great memories

One of the things we loved most about Plumfish has to be the location; perfectly placed for the incredible beaches of Bean Point and probably our most favorite spot on Anna Maria Island, the Rod & Reel Pier.

My three children loved getting on their bikes in the morning and we would all cycle to the, historic pier and walk the boards reading and remembering the names that are engraved into the wood. We would chat and imagine who we thought that person to be, and what had initially bought them to Anna Maria Island.

The Rod & Reel has a restaurant at the end and whether you sit outside or inside, you are enveloped by views of the ocean from all sides. The breakfast menu was our favorite…amazing perfectly cooked steak and eggs, pancakes with a bottomless jug of maple syrup or fruit compote, accompanied with an endless mug of freshly ground coffee or fruit juice for the girls. This was a fairly standard staple of our breakfast, but it’s not just their breakfast menu which is impressive!

This Anna Maria restaurant is also known as a Manatee hotspot - the island’s mascot. We saw so many during our time here….incredible animals, enormous, yet so delicate as they glide through the water. We also spotted lots of dolphins and an array of other fish…who needs SeaWorld?!

Bean Point, we discovered was named after the first settler on the Island, George Bean. It is the furthest Northern Tip of Anna Maria Island, and you can capture both a sunrise and a sunset here - which we did often during our stay. This spot was so quiet and peaceful, it really never got tiring and the views were absolutely breathtaking. Something very special!

So, back to Plumfish! This Anna Maria villa was absolutely perfect for our trip. The open plan space downstairs was great for our family; cozy, but spacious enough. And we loved the kitchen (it is actually nicer than what we have at home!). Tall glossy cupboards, every piece of equipment you need, lots of work surfaces and a table and chairs so we could all sit together whilst we were getting dinner ready.

Plumfish's kitchen

To eat, it was always outside. Plumfish has a beautiful terrace overlooking Hammock Bayou. The weather was so perfect during our stay we dined alfresco almost every night wiling away the hours, and with a mosquito covering over the entire area we were not distracted by any flying intruders!

Plumfish's terrace

The children loved the sleeping arrangements! My husband and I had one of the two double bedrooms downstairs and the children had their own ‘tower’ upstairs. Stairs off from the lounge led to one room, which had four bunk beds (two doubles), a desk, flat screen TV and spectacular views out across the water. They loved it! They felt they had their own privacy, although they didn’t realize we could hear them giggling into the night from wherever we were in the house!

I love that kind of security in a rental home. As a couple we had our own space in the evening, but we very aware of what was going on in the children’s room, whether we were in the lounge, or sitting outside on the terrace or deck at the front of the house (very Southern!).

The dock is a small stretch of boards that goes out over the water, like your own little pier. Some Adirondack chairs are out there, so you really can ‘sit on the dock of the bay’ and enjoy a bottle of wine, when the children go to bed. Truly magical!