Longboat Key is a slender barrier island off the coast of Sarasota, eleven miles of low rooflines, sea grape hedges, and Gulf water that turns the color of green glass in the afternoon light. It is the kind of place people drive through on their way somewhere busier, never realizing they have just passed the best part. If this is your first stay with us, here is how to settle in like you have been coming for years.
Getting here
Most guests fly into Sarasota Bradenton International, which sits about twenty minutes from our front gate. It is small, calm, and refreshingly easy to move through. Tampa International is the larger alternative, a little over an hour north, and worth it if the fares are better. From either airport the drive ends the same way, crossing the long causeway onto the key with the water opening up on both sides.
Getting around
You will want a car for the first day or two, if only to stock the kitchen and explore the wider area. But once you are here, much of island life happens on foot or by bike. The beach is steps from your door, the pool is in the garden, and a slow ride down Gulf of Mexico Drive will take you past everything that matters. We do not keep bicycles on property, but Backyard Bicycles, right across the street, rents them by the day and most of our guests do exactly that. They take cash only, so bring a few bills rather than a card. A wide recreational path runs the length of the island for walking and riding, an eleven mile route from the south end to the north, which also happens to answer the question every first timer asks: how long is Longboat Key?
When to go
Winter and early spring bring the snowbirds and the most reliable sunshine, along with our busiest weeks. Late spring and early summer are the secret season, warm water, long evenings, and far fewer people. Summer is hot and gloriously quiet, with afternoon storms that roll through quickly and leave the air washed clean. There is no bad time, only different versions of good.
What not to miss
Spend a morning doing nothing on the beach. Walk it at low tide and look for sand dollars near the south end. Drive to St. Armands Circle for an afternoon of shops and a long lunch. Watch one sunset from the sand and another from the pool. And leave at least one day completely unplanned, because the island rewards people who slow down.
A local tip
The best light of the day is the half hour before sunset, when the whole key turns gold and the herons come out to fish along the shore. Pour something cold, find a chair facing west, and let the day end on its own schedule. That, more than anything, is what people mean when they talk about Old Florida.