This relaxing weekend by the beach, crashing waves and sunset hues at the Gulf Coast of Florida are going to top the the chart of our beach weekend vacations in United States.
Very accessible from the east coast, we landed at Tampa International Airport from Boston. Our Airbnb was at Largo (20 mins from Clearwater Beach). Plan the stay closer to the beach and book early to reserve a good deal.
Day 1:
It was a relaxing Friday afternoon. We enjoyed brunch at the clear sky cafe and headed to the beach to soak in the sun.
We then enjoyed the clearwarer‘s powdered sands, setting sun and were eagerly waiting to view one of the well known sunsets of the gulf coast.
As soon as the sun started to set, we took a troll towards the Sunset Pier 60 and realized that huge crowds were awaiting this moment just like us.
What more to describe about this beautiful sunset, take a glimpse for yourself.
We had dinner at a Mexican restaurant, very close to the beach called Spotted Donkey Cantina - a delicious Mexican joint with a separate vegetarian and gluten free menu. After a relishing meal, we drove towards Sarasota, our next Airbnb.
Day 2:
On our way to the brunch at Sun Garden Cafe near Siesta Key, we were planning for the mangrove kayak tour as it showed to be one of the top things to do in Sarasota.
After a bit of research, we found ‘Almost Heaven Adventures‘ with whom we decided to book the tour. We went ahead with their Lido Mangrove Kayak tour which lasted for about two and half hours (55$). Our guide Will was very helpful and patient as we were running very close to the launch time and he waited for us to begin. He also mentioned about various wildlife in the mangroves and spotted a couple Manatees.
The fun part began when we started crossing the mangrove. Since we were in a tandem kayak it was a bit challenging to navigate the mangrove trees but not impossible. We had lots of fun kayaking the shallow waters and red mangroves of the lido key beach.
After a quick stopover at the lido key beach, we headed to the Siesta Key Beach.
We had heard a lot about these keys for the powered sand and beautiful water; undoubtedly we weren’t disappointed. Taking a dip in the ocean and relaxing by the beach was the agenda for the day. There was ample of free parking spots at the beach. If you decide to watch the sunset from Siesta Key, do not miss the drum band and evening celebrations near the entrance just after the sunset.
We instead drove to Gasparilla Island State Park for a sunset glimpse. The background of the broken pier with the setting sun was picturesque and mesmerizing. This was one of the beaches which had amazing warm waters for a swim. Once again we bid goodbye to a memorable day in the sunshine state with a beautiful sunset.
Day 3:
We continued our tropical retreat of beach hopping by exploring the Sanibel Islands. These islands are one of the worlds best shelling spots. Although the Sanibel Lightbouse Beach is famous but has limited parking spots, so after quite a bit of parking hunt we decided to directly head to the Bowman’s Beach. We picked our brunch from Sanibel Bean. Their specialty lattes are a must try!
The parking at Bowman’s is available at $6 per hour. One can reach the water in just 5 mins walk from the parking. This beach is a shell lovers paradise.
Our next activity was a dolphin tour at Estero Bay. We booked with Estero Bay Express tour company for a 3 pm excursion (22$). On this boat ride, you will see many pelicans and if you get lucky, may be a couple of dolphins and manatees. If you are running short of time, this activity can be skipped.
After two beautiful sunsets, our third sunset viewing spot was at Naples Pier Beach. Although there is a dedicated parking spot for the beach, parking can get challenging at during peak hours especially at sunset so plan some time to find a spot. We joined the sunset celebrations at this pier and enjoyed the post sunset colors.
~Nomadic Traveler~