Reviews

Great location and well furnished home!

by Jeff Stephens
This is our third rental in this Sanibel Bayous neighborhood and the first using Cottages to Castles. This home and furnishing have been well thought out and has everything you can want/need for your stay. All updated appliances and cookware, plenty of beach chairs, floats, etc. If anything the description from the websites do not do it justice. It is very well kept, clean, and clearly labeled. The owner has done a great job to make sure all electronics are easy to set up. We had our family of four and two small dogs, there was plenty of space for everyone. The best feature of this house is its proximity to Bowman’s Beach. It has its own pathways to the beach that is an easy walk or even better if you bring or rent your own bikes. If you turn right after the bridge, you can bike down another ten minutes and literally have your own private beach. The community pool is only steps from the back patio. It was great to cool down and relax at the end of the day. In our entire month in the house, we did not see another person using the pool. They have fully enclosed the back patio making it a fully air conditioned Florida room where most of our time was spent. Plenty of board games and books available. The downstairs game room (a little hot in July though) was fun and used in the late evenings. They also have another full size refrigerator downstairs which was great for all your drinks and ice. We have gotten to know a few of the neighbors during our past visits, they are warm and welcoming. It is a quiet neighborhood and I’m sure they want to keep it that way. Cottages to Castles were attentive, and professional in their correspondence. I was a little hesitant with their no credit card policy but their attention to details and communication made up for it. A few hiccups but nothing that would affect our thoughts on the house and location. HIGHLY RECOMMEND! Will hopefully visit Blue Pelican again!

Amazing Views!

by Lauren
This condo has amazing views. You can sit at the dining room table and see the beach/ocean (and see from the couches and master). The couches and chair are super comfortable. The condo was extremely clean when we arrived. The kitchen has everything you need to cook anything! There was a cooler in the closet to take to the beach. On the screened in lanai there were four beach chairs and a really nice umbrella. Someone had also left behind some noodles for us to enjoy! We left behind a boogie board for others to enjoy. ???? The bathrooms are updated and nice. Having a washer and dryer is so nice! We got a little hot sleeping at night as there are no ceiling fans in the condo. The thermostat is set at 72 and you cannot go below that temp. We found it comfortable except for a few nights. A ceiling fan would have made this a non-issue. We loved not having to worry about a key and the parking spot is directly across from the stairs–very convenient. There is also an elevator if needed. It takes minutes to walk to the gorgeous beach. The pool is also close and nice. The grounds are well taken care of and beautiful. Overall we would highly recommend this condo. Sharon was wonderful and we appreciated the newspapers, coupons, and all the welcome info. Make sure you go eat at Doc Ford’s and eat the Yucatan shrimp–it’s AMAZING and Gramma Dot’s (super close by) for their famous coconut shrimp. We cannot wait to go back!

Wonderful Home!

by Kim
Miles Away is a truly lovely home! It is simply one of the best properties I’ve stayed in! The home was spacious and well-organized, and it made working remotely and vacationing a breeze! The kitchen was supplied with everything you could need, from plates and silverware to a mixer and roasting pan! I was able to cook all my meals (even though I would certainly get more meals from Paper Fig next time I visit!) easily, and never had to go, Oh gosh, I wish there were a ___ in the kitchen! And I know this sounds silly, but it was so nice that the knives were SHARP! I even noted which brand they were so I could get some for my home kitchen! I also appreciated that there were ample cleaning supplies in the rental, which made keeping it sparkling clean so easy! A quick sweep or vacuum once a day and the house was good to go! As well, there were lots of linens and blankets so you could wash one set while putting fresh linens on the bed. A nice touch! The neighborhood was very friendly, and it was a quick bike down to my preferred beach location, and a short ride to Bailey’s to grab the morning paper and the to-die-for pecan rolls. I have to admit, I didn’t do many activities on the island, but that was my whole reason for visiting – I wanted a month of quiet and time to stroll on the beach, shell to my heart’s delight (and the shelling was fabulous!), and read, relax and recuperate after the past year. And Miles Away made me feel just that – Miles Away! I traveled with my pup to Florida, and Miles Away was a perfect home for us. It was so easy to clean and make sure that my pup was comfortable and enjoying his time, too. My only recommendation to pet owners is to be cautious on the island! This has zero impact on how much I loved Miles Away, but do be aware it’s in a nature preserve and there is living, thriving nature all around! This is one of the reasons I chose to stay here – I loved seeing all of the birds, turtles, and various wildlife, and I spotted a few species I’d never encountered before. The birding, as other have noted about Sanibel, is fabulous, and it’s right outside your door! But I was extra careful with our pup since I encountered coyotes about a tenth of a mile away, and pedaled VERY quickly after an 8-foot alligator crossed my path on my way to Bailey’s. So keep an eye out for the natives and keep your pup on a leash! In short, it was a perfectly lovely trip, and I can’t wait to visit again!

Perfect location, nice view & love the pool! Great for all ages.

by Jessica
We really enjoyed our stay in Sanibel and at this Tarpon Beach unit! This was our 2nd time visiting Sanibel, and we chose to stay at Tarpon Beach again (but in a different unit) because we love the location, proximity to the beach and pool. We love how this complex is small because the pool is never crowded and the grounds feel private even when many tourists are in town. We stayed on the top floor last time which had an amazing view, and even this lower-level unit had a great view of the ocean. We enjoyed many breakfasts and dinners on the screened-in porch thanks to the view! Tarpon Beach worked well for us when we previously visited as a family of three, and it was also great this time when we came back as a family of five. We were happy this unit had the necessary basics for the beach – towels, beach chairs, Tupperware and a cooler. The unit feels very spacious and comfortable, and having a washer/dryer was key for a beach trip with young kids. My constructive feedback for the unit owner is to please get more hooks for the bathrooms and possibly the screened-in porch. A few hooks would go a long way. ???? We booked through VRBO but Cottages to Castles managed the stay. They were incredibly accommodating from beginning to end. Our key broke in the lock, and they had a locksmith come out and fix the issue within 25 minutes or less. We were really impressed with all the rental companies, including Billy’s Bikes and the tent/sand toy company. It was so helpful to have everything delivered and picked up from the complex. The companies made the trip hassle-free from start to finish. We love Sanibel and will definitely come back again! We highly recommend Tarpon Beach.

Home Away From Home

by Kate
We can pay no higher compliment to Sharon and Cottages to Castles than to say that F320 really was a home away from home for our week there. The unit felt, to me, surprisingly larger than it appeared in the photographs and easily fit a family of 2 adults and 2 kids with, for a time, 2 grandparents. The unit was invitingly clean and exceptionally well appointed. By this I mean every conceivable item that we could have needed for the week was there, from a fully stocked kitchen (we cooked a lot) to W/D with detergent to basic toiletries in the bathrooms to extra bedding. The storage unit in front of the parking space was stocked with a beach wagon, chairs, kids toys, and beach umbrella. The AV unit includes a large flat panel TV and has subscriptions to Amazon Prime and Netflix through Roku. You can add additional subscription services that you personally might have (we temporarily logged into Discovery Go for example). The AC unit is quite strong. This coupled with the ceiling fans meant a very comfortable stay during a very hot June. The Island Beach Club itself is a wonderful property. Every day was split between the centrally located pool and beaches. The other residents were so very nice to spend a little time with- there’s even an area to grill in, which some other folks took advantage of. The immediately adjacent beach runs along Middle Gulf Drive (inclusive of Tarpon Beach) and its centrality meant pleasant bike rides/car rides to Lighthouse Beach, Bowman’s Beach, and Turner’s Beach/Blind Pass. As a shelling nut, this was pretty important to me! It’s also a convenient bike trip to Bailey’s and the northern reaches of the island. The checkout process was smooth as well, which amounts to being a good steward for any incoming vacationers. We definitely plan on returning in the future- we miss it too much to stay away!

Great!

by Shawn Cassity
Just say ‘Moo!’ The Cassity Bike Squad! Summer Storm National Selfie Day AND the 1st Day of Summer! Baby Alligator at Sandpiper Beach We enjoyed the condo was very clean, decorated very nice, kitchen was fully equipped with everything that was needed. Sleeps 6 comfortably – the twins had the sofa bed, 15 year old and I took the twin beds and my mother and step dad took the king. It was nice to have a washer and dryer, that way you don’t half to take everything in your summer closet… The screened in balcony was great for sitting at the table in the morning. Gulf was nice, first time for the kids to get their feet in the sand and to see the ocean. Walking on the walk way to the beach we noticed the sign saying Don’t Feed The Alligators -$500 Fine. All through the week the kids kept looking for an alligator and thought the sign was fake… The ocean wasn’t clear – kind of murky, hard to look for sand dollars or shells with goggles, but still fun. Pool was very nice and clean. Rented bicycles from Billy’s rentals – great way to get around on the island going from shops to restaurants. Very clean, quiet, comfortable place for a family to visit. Would stay there again. …On the way out Saturday morning at 5:15am to drop the keys off and head to the airport we finally got to see a baby alligator at the end of the driveway! THAT made the kids end of the sad time smiles return…. Thanks again…..
Skip to content