Sunny Daze
2-Bedroom, 1 Bath
KING, TWO TWINS, sofabed, Sleeps 4-6
Sunny Daze is a charming two-bedroom beachfront cottage that has been in the same family for generations. It is a well-loved family home that has been enjoyed by the owners for years. It sits on a beautiful gulf-to-bay property with a white sandy beach in back by the dock and the beautiful gulf beach in front. The yard is lush with frangipani, papaya trees, key lime trees and large seagrapes that form a bower as you approach the cottage. There is a wonderful sense of privacy and isolation in this cottage which is nestled at the south end of the island, close to Little Gasparilla Pass for quick and easy access to the Gulf.
This home would be a perfect winter retreat for artists, writers or educators on sabbatical. It is also perfect for a small family or couple that wants a private and relaxing getaway close to the beach and the bay. And for fishing enthusiasts, its location at the south end of the island means there is excellent fishing right off the dock, and the pass is a quick trip from the dock. There is a fish cleaning station on the dock and fishing lights that are perfect for catching shrimp on an outgoing tide!
The home is cozy and comfortable with dramatic views of the Gulf from the living room, dining room and kitchen.
The master bedroom offers a king size bed with brand new mattress and bedding, and it has sliding doors which lead to a quiet and private balcony overlooking the back yard and the bay. It is a perfect spot to enjoy your morning coffee in complete privacy, as you watch the sun come up and peek through the sea grapes.
The second bedroom offers two twin beds. There is also a sleeping loft which guests may use, but it is accessed by a very steep ladder and is not appropriate for small children or those with limited mobility. There is also a sofa bed in the living room.
The living room and dining room both have shutters for privacy and sliding doors that open to the covered porch. The shutters allow you to easily shield lights from the beach during turtle nesting season and they can be easily opened to reveal the views of the Gulf and fabulous LGI sunsets.
The kitchen is quite basic and does not have a dishwasher, but it is well stocked with pots and pans, and all the dishes you need. The dining table will accommodate 6.
There is a storage shed downstairs with a washer dryer and there is also a downstairs outdoor shower for rinsing off after coming back from the beach, an afternoon of fishing off the dock or a day of boating. The owners allow you to use their kayaks and their canoe; a waiver is required and lifejackets are provided. Please note that this home is NOT on the golf cart pathways so you can not rent a cart during your stay.
The current is strong near the south end so small children will require supervision at the small private beach by the dock. Fishing is great right off the end of the dock; you can often head down to the dock at 6 and catch enough snook for dinner! (Or, we can help arrange fishing trips, day trips to Cabbage Key or shelling trips to Cayo Costa). There is a spacious shaded fish cleaning station and water at the dock and two benches at the end of the dock for fishing or simply relaxing and watching the boats and dolphins pass by. You can often spot fat manatees lazily swimming near the dock.
The beach in front of the house is just a short walk down a sandy pathway, thru the dunes. Beach chairs and an umbrella are provided for your enjoyment of the beach.
Sunny Daze is an iconic Little Gasparilla cottage, filled with sepia photos of early island scenes. You will enjoy the shell collections and the memories of the family who has enjoyed it for so many years. It is not modern or "updated" , but a simple, comfortable home where you can kick off your flip flops at the door, sit on the porch and enjoy the breezes and dramatic sunsets — and make your own family memories!
Please note that rates are based on occupancy by 4 people. Guests in excess of 4 will require additional guest fee.
Rents from $375/night or $2625/week, 3-night minimum
Please be aware that we can not permit guests to check in or check out the same day another guest will be occupying the property. We require at least 24 hours of vacancy between each reservation.
WiFi - complimentary. No data limitations
Pet Policy - pet-friendly with $100 non-refundable fee per pet. The following breeds are NOT permitted: Akita, American Bull Dog, Beaucerons, Caucasian Mountain Dog, Chow Chow, Doberman Pinchers, German Shepherds, Great Danes, Keeshounds, Pit Bull, Staffordshire Terriers, Presa Canarios or Rottweilers.
Cleaning Fee - minimum $325 cleaning fee
Vacation Rental Damage Protection - $59 fee for “all risk” damage protection through Waivo
Minimum Renter Age - 25
Dock - private dock with water and fish cleaning station
Satellite TV - yes
Grill Type - charcoal
Coffee Maker - drip (filters provided)
Parking - $8/night ($10/night if you have a boat trailer) at Eldred's Marina where you meet the boat taxi
Holiday surcharges- applied for reservations for Independence Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas/New Years timeframes. PLEASE NOTE THAT MINIMUM NIGHTLY STAYS MAY BE INCREASED FOR THESE DATES AS WELL.
Recent Reviews
Sunny daze. Wow, what an incredible stay. The house was just perfect for my mom and I for a girls trip, just the two of us, Feb 28-Mar 3, 2024. My mom's dream vacation was to go to the beach (we are from Ohio), so I treated her to this trip for her 70th birthday. I search and searched for months for the perfect location, considering other options like Mexico all-inclusives. I just couldn't find the right fit. I finally landed on Sunny Daze, and boy oh boy did I hit this one out of the park, if I do say so myself. Clean, cute, totally amazing location.... like... the location makes this a dream home. We are the type of people who like to "do nothing" on vacation... read, play cards, talk, nap, meander. I cannot describe how relaxing it was to sit on dock in the morning to watch the sunrise, then take our coffee out on the back porch and soak in the sounds of the ocean. The beach was so peaceful... barely any people! It almost felt like our own private island. It was so fun to fish off the back dock too, I did a lot of preparing at home and brought some of my own tackle in a checked bag, and talked to the nice folks at Eldred's Marina to get the rest of what I needed. There are decent poles at the house, but I also brough my own reel with good line. I caught a sheepshead, cleaned it and ate it that night and wow, it was delicious!!! Mild and flakey. There is cooking oil and spices at the house, but pack something with you if you have a particular spice you like. I had fun catching groupers too, too small to keep but beautiful. No snook wanted to play, but I could see them hanging around. A dolphin came right up to the dock one morning! We took an afternoon trip to Boca Grande to go out for lunch and buy souveniers, that was fun too. One note for city folks, the front door can only be locked from the inside, so if you go out on an excursion off the island, expect to leave the house open. Terry assured us that this is a normal part of life on the island, because there is truly no one to bother you, but it took us by surprise, since we are habitual door lock-ers. It's not like we had any valuables except our purses, which went with us, so it was fine. Also, wear the bug spray they recommend. The no-see-ums got us because we thought, eh, it's February! They weren't too bad, but we would wear a bit of bug spray next time. WE HOPE TO COME BACK! It was our favorite mom and daughter vacation ever! - Laura C.
Sunny Daze was just perfect for my husband and I and our Wheaten Terrier. Cannot say enough good things about this beautiful place. The house has everything you need and was clean and very comfortable - very easy to make ourselves at home for the three weeks we were there. We love the beach but we spend much more time in our kayaks, and the sandy beach on the bay side made launching the kayaks so easy. I think we kayaked 19 of the 21 days we were there and the south end location gave us easy access to the sandbar and on to the railroad trestle and small islands beyond that. There were a lot of dolphins and manatees around and so many different sea birds and oceanlife. Seems like despite what Ian did to LGI the wildlife is flourishing. And the beach was beautiful as always. Many days we had it all to ourselves. The water around the private dock was so clear and just sitting and watching was like being at an aquarium. We got to meet the owners and hear the history of the property - it has been owned by the same family since it was built many years ago and has all the necessary updates you need without losing that comfy cottage feel. Brett took us on a golf cart tour of the island and we used Evan to deliver our groceries on the day we got there, which was a service we hadn't used before and that was so convenient. Pirate's Water Taxi worked great for us too - although once we get on the island we rarely want to leave. Teri of Little Gasparilla Vacation Rentals is great too. We will be back as soon as we can, which won't be soon enough. A huge thanks to our hosts for sharing this beautiful home with us. - Mike and Karen S.
We had a wonderful time at Sunny Daze! The beach house was perfect for the two of us. Hurricane Ian hit the island 3 days after we made our reservation. After the storm, we decided to keep our reservation to help support the island's revival, and we sure are glad we did. The owners did a wonderful job at renovating the house after the damage. You couldn't even tell there was any damage to the house. Everything was near perfect. We have already booked our stay for next year. Steven V.
The island was so fun and relaxing! We enjoyed the quietness that it provides, our children were very happy to be able to vacation with our family dog! This is an adventure and isn't for everyone hence our visitor the scorpion under the bed! Thanks for great customer service!- Carrie F.
Had a wonderful time staying in Sunny Daze, so relaxing! Our granddaughter loved the small beach by the dock. My guys loved all the fishing off the dock!! The breeze on the back porch was wonderful! Great time! -Angela T.