The secret's out

Beachgoers are catching on to the charms of Anna Maria Island.

By KATE PURSELL
Published May 13, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [Times photo: Scott Keeler] Visitors walk along the historic Anna Maria City Pier. The pier originally provided a place to dock for boats from St. Petersburg and Tampa, but now it's home to a restaurant, a bait shop and lots of hopeful anglers.

The world is finding out what we've known for a long time: This is a cool, laid-back spot for a family beach vacation. - Head south to Bradenton and take a right on strip-mall-lined Manatee Avenue. In just a few miles, asphalt melts into sand. You've arrived at one of Florida's last low-rise beaches, where a rental house on the water is still affordable - if you go in the offseason. That's about $1, 500 a week, compared with $3, 000 and up, way up.

The island is home to three beach towns - Anna Maria at the northern tip, Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach - all with places to sleep, shop and eat and plenty of sparkling water to gaze at.

If you want theme park fun, don't come here. There's not much else to do but enjoy the sand and surf, take a lazy bike ride or maybe throw a line off one of the old-fashioned piers with the Sunshine Skyway bridge in plain view. You don't even have to bring your own rod and bike; everything is for rent or even available free at your accommodations.

Life magazine recently named Anna Maria Island among eight island escapes relaxing enough to cure the blues. TripAdvisor, the online travel planner, ranked it No. 1 on a list of "10 Hot U.S. Destinations for 2007" (sharing the list with Kailua, Hawaii, and Vail and Breckenridge, Colo., no less).

Why the accolades?

The skinny, 7-mile-long barrier island is ringed with gorgeous beaches, oodles of shells waiting to be plucked from surf, cool spots to eat (Skinny's Place on Holmes Beach has served up awesome burgers and fries since the 1950s) and dozens of places to call home for a long weekend or longer.

The northern tip of the island juts into the Gulf of Mexico, just south of Egmont Key and then Fort De Soto Park beyond that. A boat might just get you there faster than a car. Once you're on the island, however, Gulf Drive takes you north and south, and almost everything is on that street or just a block or two off it. And that includes the water.

How can you go wrong with glorious gulf waters that rival the Caribbean and a charming, quaint ambience that might make you leave your watch and cell phone behind? It's island time now; prepare yourself for a retro vacation.

A family getaway

Dawn and Rich Holsinger of St. Petersburg and their four sons (Zachary, 17, Jake, 13, and 5-year-old twins, Noah and Harrison) spent a glorious week last year on Holmes Beach.

They chose to rent a home on a canal just a short hop from the Intracoastal Waterway, and Dawn raves about the pristine beaches and the small, cute cottages that dot the shore. They brought their 17-foot boat and docked it in the back yard on the canal. The house was large enough for plenty of company; her parents and mother-in-law all came for a few days.

The kids fished from the pier, "tubed" and skied on the Intracoastal. Hours were spent at the beach, plus a few more taking much-deserved naps under the canopy they set up.

Accommodations range from motels to condos to cute-as-pie cottages just steps from the beach, as well as homes like the one the Holsingers rented.

Palm Tree Villas, with its lemon yellow cottages, is one of my favorite places to stay. It's a short walk to the beach, and red wagons are provided to cart your gear.

Shopping, plus food

Besides beaching it, there are a few shops where you can while away the time. Ginny's at the old IGA in Anna Maria is a must for one-of-a-kind treasures, and the shop is even wireless if you need to get your computer fix while sipping a cup of awesome coffee and nibbling on a fresh-baked scone or brioche. Ginny's serves breakfast and lunch and has carryout for a beach picnic (try the chicken salad).

Don't let the nondescript exterior of the Sterling Anvil on Gulf Drive in Holmes Beach fool you. Inside the cozy shop, you'll find an incredible array of sterling silver charms, bracelets and earrings, as well as gold beauties.

There's more shopping to be had at Bridge Street in Bradenton Beach, which is lined with fun stores. As you near the drop point, take a break and head upstairs to the Sunhouse Restaurant. There's a huge balcony to view the sunset, and as the sun starts to dip, the owner comes around and gives each 21-plus patron a "shooter" of melon and banana liqueurs, coconut rum and pineapple juice. When the sun hits the horizon, you're supposed to see a green flash as the waiters sing You Are My Sunshine.

Casual dining is key to the island, but don't think for a moment that is all there is. Beach Bistro on Holmes Beach has won many awards for its contemporary, French-inspired cuisine and is a good place to celebrate a special occasion, probably without the kids.

Funky and eclectic sum up Mr. Bones, also on Holmes Beach, which has the ribs and chicken, vegetarian selections and baked beans that will make you order seconds and thirds and throw your diet (what diet?) out the door. Pick up a cool T-shirt and a bottle of barbecue sauce while you're there.

If you're looking to share a meal with a crowd, have breakfast at the waterfront Gulf Drive Cafe on Bradenton Beach.

One last tip: On your way out to the island, stop at Sweet Berries on Manatee Avenue W for the most incredible frozen custard (my favorite is pistachio, available only once a month). The Bradenton Beach Sunset mixes together blackberries, raspberries and peaches with vanilla custard. Sublime.

Just like Anna Maria Island. Our little corner of heaven, as just about everyone is finding out.

Kate Pursell is a freelance writer based in Bradenton.

Lodging:

- A Paradise Vacation Rentals: toll-free 1-800-237-2252; www.aparadiserentals.com

- Palm Tree Villas: toll-free 1-888-778-7256; www.palmtreevillas.com

- Harrington House Beachfront Bed & Breakfast: toll-free 1-888-828-5566; www.harringtonhouse.com

- Blue Water Beach Club: (941) 778-6688; www.blue waterbeachclub.com

- Coconuts Beach Resort: toll-free 1-800-331-2508; www.coconutsresort.com

[Last modified May 11, 2007, 10:21:52]