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While
the pools are great, being across the street from the beach is just as
nice. You can hear the waves crashing on the beach, and see them a little
bit, too, from our balcony -- but for a better view we take the elevator to
the fifth floor common area at around sunset, and meet whoever else is there
-- usually one or two other couples.
The Intracoastal Waterway is literally our back yard. You get to it on the
dockpath through the lush mangrove swamp beyond the pool area, to the
well-maintained private dock into the Intracoastal Waterway. It is idyllic,
in
some ways even more so than the beach, if you care to fish, watch the
dolphins and manatees that regularly come to play, or just watch the
sunrise. Our apartment F2 is actually located on the third floor --- it's
the second occupied floor, as there is parking underneath the building on
the ground floor, as well as in the roomy lot also on the property.
Our unit is on the Southwest corner of the modern and very well-maintained,
elevator-equipped Quiet Waters building. Due to the design of Quiet Waters,
our unit shares no common walls with any other unit, and is therefore very
quiet and private.
Also, the Southwestern exposure of our apartment gives you excellent light,
and beautiful sunsets. As noted, the Gulf of Mexico and our privately owned
beach access to it, is across the street from your balcony. The balcony is
accessible from either the living room or the master bedroom. It is a
no-smoking unit except for the balcony.
As I think you know, Indian Shores is located on the West Coast of Florida
not far from Tampa/St. Petersburg, about eight miles south down the Florida
west Coast from Clearwater. If you fly in to Tampa (or drive down, through
Tampa) take I-275 south from Tampa, and go across Tampa Bay to the exit for
Route 688;
then head west on Route 688 until it ends at the Gulf of Mexico. Turn left
onto Gulf Boulevard and proceed for about a mile to Quiet Waters, at 19931
Gulf Boulevard, on your left.
The apartment itself is ideal for vacationing. It is definitely more than a
typical "condo closet" that you might otherwise rent. It has a very large
master bedroom suite with a queen-size bed and its own bathroom, and walk-in
closet. There is a second, smaller bedroom with two twin beds, and a second
bath as well. It is decorated with original art as well as some interesting
prints.
The living and dining room area is tiled with a beautiful beige Italian
tile. The living room sofa converts to a queen-size bed if needed. The
kitchen is large, modern, and fully equipped (double-door side-by-side
fridge, dishwasher, disposal, microwave, orange juicer, toaster, coffee
maker, etc.) with a full complement of utensils and cutlery.
The dining area, with a table and four matching chairs, is adjacent to the
living room area, which is equipped with a color TV and DVD player. The
bedroom has a TV and VCR. There are a number of inexpensive movie rental
outfits on the beach, plus a Blockbuster Video Store on Ulmerton Road in
Largo not far away, or you can watch cable TV, which is available in the
living room or the master bedroom.
Both the living room and the master bedroom open up onto the balcony, which
you can see in the photographs on the Internet site. There is central heat
and air, of course. There is also a telephone, 727-596-2572. A washer and
dryer are in the utility closet inside our unit. Maid service is provided
at the end of your stay, and can be had during the stay as well upon
request.
My favorite item is the large heated whirlpool/hot tub, which you can see in
the photographs of the swimming area. Also, the private dock is very
beautiful, especially early in the morning. You can rent a boat and tie up
at it.
There
is as I mentioned above a private path to the Gulf of Mexico beaches, which
the condo association owns and maintains. The beach was recently widened to
about 300 feet, and is enormous. It is also very long; you can walk for
miles in either direction without having to stop, if that is your
inclination. Many years ago I was a journalist and happened to be assigned
to write about this part of Florida, and I think I know it fairly well. It
is, simply, beautiful. |
You
can also walk to a number of good, inexpensive restaurants, such "The Pub",
about two blocks North of our building and on the same side of the street,
with entertainment (piano sing along, which has a quite large following,
actually, indoors, plus a very pleasant outdoor "tiki bar). It is a true
Florida bar: occasional celebrities and/or lowlifes of both sexes show up,
but that's a part of Florida. I wouldn't be surprised if Ernest Hemingway
walked in: the outdoor "Tiki" bar is nice enough, and if Billy is the
bartender outside,or Greg inside, you are in for a great
evening. Certainly, I have enjoyed it's slow-paced pleasures -- and haven't
had to drive home. In short, you can have a very pleasant "Florida" evening
without getting into your car.
The best restaurant in the region, in my opinion, is PJ's Oyster House,
about about a mile north of our condo, on 688 before you head across to the
mainland after turning right from Gulf Boulevard. It is famous and
deservedly so, and very reasonable (it is an unusual place, as you will see
when you try it). Crabby Bill's on Gulf just shy 688 is also good again,
now that it's original owner has taken it back over from the chain that
bought it from him a few years ago, but has gone up on prices a bit
(although still reasonable).
There is a truly first rate Italian restaurants, not cheap, but good for a
special evening out. It is called Gallace'sand is about ½ mile north of
our condo, on Gulf Boulevard on the right as you head North.
To the south a mile or so is The Salt Rock Grille, expensive and with good
(but not great) food, and terrific tables on the Intracoastal Waterway.
Indeed, I could make a living writing about the restaurants in the
area. Some are spectacular, and even the most expensive are cheap by
Boston, Washington or New York standards, all of which with I am quite
familiar and I imagine you are too.
There is plenty to do in the area, including lots of putt-putt golf, the
Largo Municipal Golf Course (and a dozen others) for regular golf; the
Salvador Dali museum in St. Pete which I definitely recommend, the Suncoast
Bird Sanctuary (where injured birds are cared for, right down the beach on
the south border of Indian Shores and which is popular with kids and
adults), and Johns Pass Village in Madeira Beach (about 4-5 miles south down
Gulf Boulevard) which is a tacky tourist place that kids love (but avoid the
restaurants -- they are truly wretched).
Tarpon Springs (an old Greek fishing village) about 30 miles and 90 minutes
(it's slow traffic on a mostly two-lane road) up the Coast is also pretty
tacky but a slightly higher class of tack. But all the Greek restaurants
are terrific.
Of course, at our condo there is always fishing, swimming, sunning, and
sailing. Check in is normally after 3 p.m. on your day of arrival, and
check out before 10 a.m. on the day of departure. However, there are
bathrooms and an outside shower downstairs by the pool area, so if you
arrive in town before 3 p.m., or
have travel departures later than 10 a.m. and therefore have extra time
before you have to actually leave, you can still use the beach or pools as
you wish -- it's like having an extra day at the beach.
Our rentals are usually Saturday through Saturday. My family has enjoyed
this spot for more than 17 years now, and I imagine your family will enjoy
it as well. As you can probably tell, I enjoy sharing our place with other
people, because it is truly wonderful.
If you like, please email me using the email button above or even better
call me at 617-269-5478 with any questions. I run a small foundation (the
National Corridors Initiative, www.nationalcorridors.org, a rail advocacy
group) and my life is pretty hectic, but I will return your call if you get
my voicemail. Have a great time!
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