We are planning on traveling to Siesta Key the first week of April. Any recommendations on lodging? There will be 2 adults and 2 15 yr old boys . Any thoughts will be appreciated. Thanks.

There are only about 2-3 hotel type accomodations available on Siesta Key.

There are few B&B type accomodations as well.

But your best bet is to rent a condo type accomodation as there are MANY and most are beach front.

Early April will be on the expensive side but that's the norm around here.

www.siestakeychamber.com

After perusing the internet for awhile I came to that same conclusion that condos would have to be the option and there are many options! Any specfic recommendations of ones that are beachfront? I looked at a few but some rent weekly and we need only 5 nights in order to be back home before Easter. The boys would enjoy a nice pool and a good beach with access to water sports. Thanks.

Several months ago I booked a condo for the second week in April on Siesta Key and there were very few available. Almost every where I checked they were completely booked. Are you sure the options you're looking at have availability?

There were a few available units but I was running into the difficulty of the units renting weekly. Thus, any suggestions would be apprecaited. Also, we do not have to stay at Siesta Key since we are flying into Tampa and could go to a different beach. It seems as if Siesta Key is ranked as one of the prettiest beaches in FL.

I would definitely stay in Siesta Key. My family vacationed there when I was a kid and I go now every March during Spring Training. The beaches are beautiful, the sand is exceptionally soft, and there is a nice area in the middle of the island that has restaurants, shops, clubs, etc.
We stayed at a condo there, now I have to stay over in Sarasota but still take the short drive over whenever I can.
You could always rent a place for a week and just leave early if the cost isn't too prohibitive. Otherwise, there are many, many hotels in Sarasota and you could always just drive over to SK. I guess it depends on how important it is to be beachfront.

Try www.argusvacationrentals.com

They manage many roperties and they rent daily as well. Give them a call. The internet availibilty calendars may not be up to date.

also,

if you don't mind a short walk to the beach on a very quiet sidestreet, then look at this beautiful complex.

http://www.sunsetsonthekey.com/amenities/amenities.html

and this place on the same street, closer to the beach but no pool.

http://www.siestapearl.com

Both of these places are right behind our village. No driving involved to enjoy our restaurants, shos and nightlife. Most of the Argus properties are located coule of miles from any commercial areas so you would have to drive to stores/restaurants, etc...

Good luck!

Yes, we definitely want to be beachfront so we may have to do a weekly as you suggested. Any specific area of the beach that I should narrow my search around? Thanks.

Thanks to AAFrequentFlyer for the websites!

Forgot about this place:

http://www.tropicalbreezeinn.com/

They own many properties, some beachfront, some not, but all the proerties are close to each other and have access to a nice swimming pool.

Siesta Key is stunning. I really love it there. If you absolutely can't find lodging, you could look at Anna Maria Island - beautiful beaches, very laid back. It's just a little north of Siesta Key.

Turtle beach area - south end of the key, very quiet with only 1 or 2 restaurants. Need a car to get to stores/restaurants/shops.

Crescent beach area - right off the south bridge. There is a commercial area with shops/restaurants, etc.

Siesta Village beach area - Main commercial area with many shops, nice and troical type restaurants and bars, yet quiet enough.

All our beach is ublic. You can practically walk from the north side of the island to the south end of the island. Great sunsets from any of the beaches.

Thanks again for all the info. I have been searching this afternoon and found vacancy at Tropical Shores and still have several to check on. Siesta Key sounds like a great island to visit--will be nice to try the Gulf instead of the Atlantic.

We have stayed at the same place for the past 10 years and really like it. The only draw back I think would be the size of the pool which we hardly ever use. We always grab a couple of lounge chairs and hang out on the beach. Here is their link if you are interested.It is called House Of The Sun. http://www.house-of-the-sun.com/

ERJH,
We stayed at Tropical Shores last summer and enjoyed it very much. Our room had two double beds, decent size bathroom, kitchen area with fridge, stove, microwave, and table and chairs. One negative is that the unit had a window air conditioner that was a little loud.

Landscape of the area is beautiful. It's a short walk to the beach and is located by Point-of-Rocks, which is a seawall built around limestone formations. Great snorkeling in that area that your boys might enjoy. There is also a nice swimming pool at Tropical Shores. There are beach chairs, chaise lounges, and umbrellas for a fee (sorry, can't remember how much). You'll love Siesta Key!!

Thanks to everyone for all the helpful suggestions. Can't wait to visit Siesta Key.