Anna Maria-Banana Wind
 

Hi,
We are vacationing in Anna Maria at the end of April. One of the places we are considering (and is available) is Banana Wind. We want someplace that is right on the beach and we are told this place is that.
Has anyone stayed there and have any comments? Any other rentals you might suggest we consider? It MUST be beach front.

How long is your trip? We rented a beautiful house 2 years in a row, right on the beach. It was a 3 bedroom and wonderful. Rental houses are the way to go on Anna Maria.

We are going to be there for one week. 16-23. Beachfront. Non-smoking. 3 people.

Baglen:

The Diamond is the house we have rented twice. We really like it becuase it is on the beach and it has a ton of amentities. The master bedroom and living room have a fantastic view of the ocean. Maybe too big for you and it can be pricey but the place is great.

We liked it also because it's far enough away from the public beach yet right before the dangerous North Point (can't swim there).

http://www.annamariareal.com/rentals.html

Have fun....to me it's the best beach in Florida.

As darlingbella says, the best way to go is to rent a house. Anna Maria is nice because there aren't a lot of hotels and high-rises. But that means you'll have to stay at one of the few hotels or rent a house.

I rented through this site: http://islandreal.com

I wanted a one-bedroom and ended up with an apartment that was hooked onto an older house. It was very reasonable and fronted the Gulf. I thought, why would they put their rental on the Gulf-front instead of the main residence? Why ever they did it, it made me very happy 8-)

I've stayed on Anna Mria Island for spring break the past few years and love it. This year I am renting with Mike Norman Realty which has a very easily navigated website with pictures and descriptions of the houses. I actually drove past and chose the house I wanted to rent last April and went right home and made the reservation immediately. You can find them at www.mikenormanrealty.com.

I'm staying at the midpoint of the island this year but love the North Point. I have rented a kayak and went kayaking with the dolphins daily. In the morning when I walked the beach there was usually a string of about 30-60 rays about a foot out from the beach. Beautiful, quiet, and lots of nature.

There is a fantastic restaurant in the most unassuming old motel too. It is world class. Bistro 66 or something like that. It is affiliated with another restaurant on the island. I'll try to reasearch it and post the name. When we went everyone was very dressed up and there were limos dropping people off in the parking lot.