Lakeside Luxury

Our home on Rotonda boasts an envied tropical location and offers all you need for an utterly relaxing holiday. The villa is light and spacious, beautifully furnished and equipped, air-conditioned (even the walk-in cupboard!), with cathedral ceilings, spacious well-equipped kitchen, utility room and ceramic-tiled bathrooms, the larger of which has a Jacuzzi-style bath. It sleeps 8 in luxurious comfort. Poolside bedrooms overlook the sparkling pool and hot tub set in a peaceful tropical position in an area famous for tranquil and unspoiled beaches. A superb base from which to visit the many State Parks, Everglades, sophisticated Sarasota and Naples. Excellent shopping, cultural and entertainment opportunities and inexpensive dining out steps from the Gulf. Southwest Florida enjoys a near perfect climate, in which extreme summer or winter temperatures are mellowed by the presence of the Gulf of Mexico. The annual temperature averages around 75 degrees, with a rainfall of 51 inches or so a year, falling mostly during summer and early autumn. This rainfall is of the tropical variety, warm and brief, and known in the area as the rush-hour shower, as it will often fall in the late afternoon/early evening for a short time. When you tire of sitting by our private screened-in pool, there are boundless places of interest to visit including attractions, museums and cultural opportunities. Apart from the beaches, the boat-trips to islands and the wonderful shopping, the region abounds with State Parks where this wonderful sub-tropical Eco-system is being preserved. These parks usually incorporate nature trails, boat tours, canoe rentals, and those on island have, of course, mile upon mile of sandy beaches with great shelling. The wildlife to be enjoyed includes pelicans, egrets, pretty scarlet cardinals, red-cockaded woodpeckers, raccoons, bobcats, alligators, manatees, bald eagles, and the now sadly rare Florida black bears and panthers (though we don’t see many of these last two in our back yard!). There is excellent shopping in Englewood, and you are sure to find everything you need locally. For food, the Winn Dixie supermarket is only minutes away and open until very late at night and 24 hours at certain periods of the year. They have a vast range of food and wine and a deliciously inviting delicatessen. There is a superb fish counter..........and you can have your lobster steamed, ready to eat! They also have a Pharmacy and Bank facilities. Port Charlotte has a new shopping mall, the Port Charlotte Town Centre. Many a satisfying afternoon can be whiled away in here should your Bank balance allow it! The most renowned of Sarasota’s shopping areas is St. Armands Circle, an island of exquisite boutiques, restaurants and galleries. This park-like circle is home to over 100 shops and restaurants, which, it has to be said, are generally pricey (observe Sarasota’s seriously wealthy pull up in their chauffeur driven limos!) however, it is wonderfully atmospheric in the early evening to wander around and can be combined with a trip to Siesta Key’s white talcum-powder sand beach If, like us, you love dining out, you will have come to the right place. Renowned for fresh local caught seafood, there is a vast choice of places to eat. Every kind of cuisine is catered for from Continental to Japanese. Many restaurants are at the water’s edge, portions are huge and, importantly, inexpensive, so that eating out really is a pleasure! Make sure you take the short boat trip to Palm Island Resort Restaurant one evening. Palm Island is a private community with a lovely beach – which us ordinary mortals are not allowed to use! Some of the many sports available in the area are jet-skiing, paragliding, boat hire, scuba diving, excellent deep sea and fresh water fishing, tennis and of course, golf. This area is a golfer’s paradise with over 30 courses locally, one of which is only five minutes from our home. There is also a Sports Stadium with regular baseball games for a real American evening out.