Comments from Our Guests
Olwen and Brian
(homeowners – October 2009)
We had a great week with friends
here. Weather has been fantastic (90F on
Thursday and Friday). As usual, there
was plenty of shopping and eating out.
We spent a lot of time in the pool and just relaxing. The only thing is that a week is not long enough!
Frank &
Pamela (October 2009)
A wonderful time had by all! The weather was fantastic (there was a bit of
a heat wave). In the
pool every day. Eating out every day.
Shopping most days. What a wonderful life. Looking forward to our next
visit.
Pammy and Frank
Tom, Rosemary and
Andrew Manson; Kirsty and Katelyn
Fielding (September 2009)
After a busy week at Disney it was great
to come to Brian and Olwen’s to relax. We enjoyed the pool and Katelyn
especially liked to go fishing with her daddy at the lake. Shopped at Ellenton,
Martin, Liz, Joe,
Millie, Tomas Lord (August 2009)
Thank you for sharing your wonderful home
which exceeded all expectations. Three
weeks of fun, excitement and quiet for all.
Week one was spent relaxing and exploring the local area. Week two – mini break to Orlando
– Universal, Kennedy – but no Disney for us.
Week three – a return to here. Gamble
We will take home some lovely memories of
a terrific family holiday.
Thank you Brian and
Olwen – from the Lords.
Sullivan / Rice
families –
We had a wonderful time in your home! The kids really enjoyed the pool. Also, the master shower is great! We spent two days at Lowry’s Park Zoo in
Brown family (
Had a great week in your
house. Loved the pool and
shower in master bedroom. Great neighbors!
Van Horn family (June
2009)
Thank you so much for renting us your home
this week. We had a great week, went to many beaches, but enjoyed
Bettina and
Thomas Hick (
Very well equipped and
clean house. We enjoyed some relaxing hours at
the pool, however it was quite a rainy time. We mainly
came for playing golf which we enjoyed tremendously. Our favourite courses are
“Waterlefe Golf and River Club” and “
Renfrew and
Pettigrew families (
Lovely house and it as a
pleasure to holiday here. So
many enjoyable meals sitting outside by the pool, watching the wildlife.
This was an education in itself. Thanks Brian and Olwen for making this
possible. If you are looking for a good beach, look no further than
Firn Family (
Had a great 2 weeks in
your villa. Our grandson enjoyed feeding the
fish, turtles and all the different birds. Eagles flew over on several
occasions. Our son got married on Siesta Key beach, the beach and people were
fantastic. Many thanks.
Martin and Jolanta Schildroth (April 2009)
We had a great time at your villa. Used the pool almost every day. Went to the beach, shopping,
Busch Gardens etc. All in all a very enjoyable time.
Pam & Larry Plescher (March 2009)
We had another great vacation her in
Bickerton family (February 2009)
Fabulous time at your house, pool was most
enjoyable and wildlife around lake was awesome. Highly recommend Mangrove Grill
in Palmetto. Thanks for a great week.
Doyley/Woods
family - Cleethorpes,
Had lovely week. Villa spacious and well equipped. Enjoyed lovely
outlook over lake. Cold snap first half of week which
was disappointing especially after hot week in
The
Had a lovely stay at your villa. The weather was good so we really enjoyed relaxing at the pool. Watched a beautiful sunset from the Beach House restaurant while enjoying a pleasant meal. But the nicest meal was at the Sun House restaurant.
Thanks for the use of your villa,
Alex and Nessa
The Haacke family (September 2008)
What a superb villa with lots of space and
equipment. Really enjoyed the outstanding views of the
wildlife (eafle couple catching fish, huge turtles
and rare species of birds). Amazingly beautiful
beaches (specifically
This is a place that you can call home. Superb holiday.
Thanks
Dick, Carrie, Piefer,
Robin, Patricia (the
The Oldfield family (August 2008)
Not sure where to start really. We
have just this minute shared our breakfast with one of the pair of American
Bald Eagles just outside the pool, eating his huge catch (around 10lb).
Being nature lovers this was to be one of the most amazing moments of our
lives!!! A lake full of wonderful creatures and a few feet away – turtles
the size of coffee tables. The eagles fly past every morning. The
pool was amazing. The house was beautiful and very large. We saw
the sunsets on
Thank you Brian & Olwen for the lease of your wonderful home.
The Maclean family (August 2008)
The
whole family had a marvelous time in
The villa was excellent. Well located, nice and quiet and fully equipped.
Many thanks a again
Shirley, Andy, Andrew and Lauren
The Mclernon family (June 2008)
We had a
great time just relaxing by the pool and the beach, we
had already spent a week in
The
A superb vacation in an
excellent villa. Loved
the views over the lake. Thought
Hopefully back soon!
The Bailey family (April / May 2008)
Hi Brian and Olwen
Thoroughly enjoyed out
stay at the villa which is spacious and well equipped with a very good outlook. Bangkok Tokyo is a very god Thai-Chinese-Japanese restaurant at the
SR70/I75 junction. Also enjoyed going down to the beach café on
June & Colin Bailey
The
Hi Brian and Olwen,
Many thanks for letting us rent your delightful villa. The view from the pool was wonderful with all the wildlife, I enjoyed many early morning teas out there. The boys made friends with the children next door and even the pool guy recommended a beach for shell collecting.
We had a wonderful time and as always, will have great memories to recall.
Thank you also for business cards- someone at school has already asked about our stay in your villa. We will certainly return to your villa if on the Gulf coast.
Many thanks again, Karen, Ivan and family
The Price family (March 2008)
Hi Brian
We had a great holiday, it was a bit of a shock to arrive back at Gatwick in a snowstorm though.
I know that you get a lot of repeat clients as we couldn't get your villa last year so thought it best to start thinking about next year now.
We would like to know if the villa is available either 7th till 21st of March or 14th till 28th March.
It's frightening to plan so far ahead but we don't want to miss out again.
Thank you
Diane Price
The Plescher family (February 2008)
Mr. Ditty
Pam
and I liked your home in
Thanks for the use of you house and we hope we can use it again soon.
Pam and Larry
The Winkler family (February 2008)
Hello Brian and Olwen,
I hope that you
are well. This Easter found my family enjoying my parents
pictures of their
Thank you,
Sue Winkler
The Petley family (December 2007)
Hi Brian and Olwen,
We
had a great stay in
Regards
Paul
The Gray family (December 2007)
Hi Brian,
Just a brief note to say thank you for the use of the villa, we had a marvelous break and came home ready to face Christmas.
Once
again, thank you sincerely and we will be in touch next time we visit
Have a great new year
Regards
Conrad
The McDowell & Robinson families (November 2007)
We had a great week, especially the time
at the pool. Stonewood on
Thanks for a great time.
Frank, Pamela, Arnie & Jenny
The Bishop family (November 2007)
Hello Brian, we had a great holiday, the house was very nice.
Thank you, Helen
The Good family (September / October 2007)
Hi Brian and Olwen,
Thanks
for renting the house to us. It was a great place to vacation! We loved
it and will be telling out friends and family about it. It is getting cooler up
north and we already miss the
See ya,
Mark and lisa
The Harding family (August 2007)
Hi Brian and Olwen
We had a fabulous holiday and the villa was great thanks.
Thanks again - we had a great holiday and thoroughly enjoyed our rest!.
The Rose family (August 2007)
Dear Brian and Olwen,
Thank
you so much we really enjoyed our week at the villa. We saw the bald
eagles every day, which was wonderful. We thoroughly enjoyed the pool
too. We loved Cafe Ezra, which was a new one for us and the Bonefish
Grill. We managed to get to the Cheesecake Factory in
Best wishes
Julia
The Brooks family (July 2007)
Hi! We had a fantastic time on our vacation. The villa was perfect for us. Everyone enjoyed the pool, especially our three year old son. There was plenty to do and see during our stay. I think everyone agreed that we could certainly vacation there again sometime.
Again, thanks for everything.
Cheers,
Will
The Ettore family (July 2007)
Your place was wonderful, as expected... Clean, comfortable and like home.
The
boys didn't do very well with the baseball tournament, but they did great on
the wave runners at
The Schulman family (June 2007)
Thanks for allowing us to use your
villa. Everything was great from the weather to the beaches. We enjoyed
The Haacke family (June 2007)
Everything was wonderful! The house is
gorgeous, the pool is lovely overlooking the lake, and we had a good time
exploring
The McDowell family (May 2007)
Glad to be back – it’s been a long time since Oct 06. Looking forward to Oct 07.
The villa was lovely, the pool was lovely, the eating was lovely, the sun was lovely. Can’t wait to come back. Siesta Key’s the place to be.
The Robinson family (May 2007)
Have really enjoyed our stay in your
lovely villa – very spacious and well equipped, and our 4 boys enjoyed your
pool very much. Have stayed in
The Chase family (April 2007)
Our second stay. Enjoyed
the pool and ice creams at Joe’s on
The Russell family (April 2007)
Weather was great. Enjoyed
your home – especially the heated pool and accessories. Tried every beach around. Siesta Key is great if you like
sugar sand and a large crowd.
Thanks for a great week. Back to 25F in
The Brown family (March 2007)
Villa was terrific! Pool was wonderful!
Definitely recommend the heating.
Lazy Lobster on Lockwood Ridge and Johnny Carinos on
The Croft family (February 2007)
This was our second visit to your home and once again we have enjoyed it very much.
Thank you!
The Vanderwoude family (February 2007)
Hi
Brain and Olwen,
Thanks for your email. I've been meaning to email you but have never gotten
around to it yet. Well thanks so much for the use of your villa. We really
enjoyed ourselves. The house was great. We found it quite "homey"
compared to another one that we seen in the subdivision where family of ours
was staying. Our daughter loved the pool so much that we couldn't get her
dressed fast enough to go in and it was fight to get her out every time. The
pool guy was also a very nice guy, very friendly.
We had went out to Sarasota Jungle gardens one day and the
was really nice to see. We ate out a couple times but for the rest just
cooked at home. Something I enjoy.
We look forward to possibly renting it again in the future. We really enjoyed
ourselves and your villa. The view was also very beautiful of the lake and
wildlife.
Thanks so much, and hope to hear back from you soon.
The Judd party (January 2007)
Hello
Brian & Olwen
We had a terrific time in Bradenton/Sarasota. Your villa was very nice and
comfortable. The weather was also excellent with plenty of sunshine and 70/80
temperatures. We played golf everyday on some great golf courses. I have been
going to this area of
Best Regards,
The
Hi
Brian & Olwen
Happy New
Year. We had a great holiday and found everything in the villa to be perfect.
Hope your agent (who did actually fail to return any of the messages I
left her) found we had left the villa clean and tidy.
Our 3 year
old loved the pool and spent several hours in it every morning before we
dragged him out somewhere for the afternoon. The location was ideal for getting
out and about in the area and we all loved Siesta beach.
Regards
The Day family (December 2006 / January 2007)
Hi
Brian,
We are
watching the snow fall here, and remembering the almost record breaking
temperatures we had in
We
left a note in your visitors book and commented on where we ate, and where we
went. We saw the bald eagle several times and had fun watching the other birds
around the little lake.
Thanks
for the great holiday location. We really had a good time.
Sincerely,
The
Day Family
The Gayler family (November 2006)
Dear
Brian & Olwen,
Thank you for your E Mail. We had a very nice Holiday , we were very
lucky with the weather nice and sunny most days , we got to the beach a few
times, made good use of the pool, saw lots of different wild birds around the
Lake and we managed to do all our Christmas shopping once we had searched out
where all the shops were located.
Regards & Merry Christmas,
The Jacobs family (November 2006)
Hello
Brian/Olwen
We both had a brilliant holiday in your Villa, and do not want to be back in
the real world of work! We could not have asked for more as we found you
home a very relaxing one, With all the mod cons. You could wish for - kitchen
was especially well equipped.
Only wish we could have spent more than two weeks as it goes so quickly!!
The Duxbury family (October 2006)
We
love your area, so we had a great time. The house was beautifully clean and tidy--in
fact it seemed a shame to use it. We enjoyed sitting by the pool, watching the
eagles and found everything very comfortable. The weather was beautiful
all the time we were there and we really did have a lovely time.
The Randall family (October 2006)
Hi
Brian & Olwen,
Just
a brief note to thank you for the hire of your lovely villa.
We
had an idyllic time and very much enjoyed staying at your
Everything
was perfect especially the weather. No rain for 2 weeks just sunshine.
Once
again very many thanks
Linda
and Dave
The Ethelston family (August/September 2006)
Hi Brian,
We had a great holiday thanks. The flight out to the
York
The villa was fabulous and very clean when we got there, which was great, and
we had plenty of things to do for the nearly 3 weeks that we were there.
Thanks,
The
Hi Brian!
What a fantastic time we had. We were considering just staying, but decided
perhaps we should come home after all! Having said that, we made it back the
day before the security chaos, so we are really grateful!
We loved the house (and the pool, I am amazed the girls didn't dissolve away,
they spent so long in it!). My youngest was still afraid of the water when we
arrived, but is now a confident swimmer. We also loved the wildlife both at the
house and about. The dolphins and manatees came to swim with us whilst we at
the beach, and we also loved the turtles, pelicans and other critters. My
eldest was delighted to see an alligator, but this was just at Busch gardens,
so no risk to life or limb there!
The trip allowed me to meet up with my cousins I haven't seen for 20 years and
for my girls to meet their 2nd cousins. We were treated to a wedding on the
beach at sunset (my dad is a minister and flew over to perform the
ceremony) so all in all it was a memorable trip.
Thanks for letting us use the house. It was so well equipped there was nothing
we needed that wasn't there!
We are already hoping to return..........................
Best wishes,
Fiona, Lizzie, Ellie and Alice
The
Greetings from the
Steve and Wanda Davis
The
Brain
and Olwen,
Thank
you for your email - we got back this morning. We all thoroughly enjoyed the
week in
The
time we spent was a relaxing and much needed break - thank you for all
your help.
Best
regards,
The Kitney family (April/May 2006)
Dear
Brian,
We've just got back from another excellent two weeks in
The villa was superb!
Janet and I
were discussing our holiday next year, and we would really like to make use of
your villa again if that's possible. We would like to go out for a month (or
four weeks
I guess) and wonder what rent you would want for that sort of period. Dates
would be mid-April to mid-May (ish) though no firm
dates as yet.
I look forward to your reply.
Thanks again
The Petley family (April 2006)
We had a great time thank you very much. The villa is lovely and nice and quiet. We also made use of the tennis courts, in fact we have left two rackets there for your/other people's use as we bought two new ones whilst we were out there.
Thanks again and enjoy your next trip Best wishes.
The Goeppinger family (March 2006)
My family and I would like to thank you for renting us your beautiful villa. This is the second time renting from you and once again, we were not disappointed! The location of the house is just beautiful. By staying in your villa for just one week, we were able to visit three different beaches in the area. There are many wonderful seafood restaurants as well. Our favorite seafood restaurant was the Bonefish Grill. They really have quality seafood! Thank you once again for making our family vacation a most memorable one!
The
Goeppinger Family
The Horrisberger family (March 2006)
We
had an exceptional time in Florida. We had many plans to re-visit local hot
spots in Bradenton, Tampa, and Sarasota, but found ourselves drawn to the pool.
We spent many a day lounging around and swimming and playing tennis. We did get
out to the beach on one day, but having the accommodations that we did it was
so much nicer to be able to splash around in the pool with the children. The Sabal Harbour neighborhood is
very nice, peaceful, and very well located. We will definitely be visiting
again. In fact all the relatives that came to visit absolutely loved the place.
So I may be inquiring about the possibility of renting for a longer period of
time to divide between our cousins that always stay in the area to visit our
Grandfather. I will contact you later about that, but we had a wonderful time
and can't wait to visit again.
The Price family (March 2006)
We had a fantastic holiday. We thought that the villa was lovely, so much so that we would like to book it for next year as David wants to complete his America flying licence at Sarasota Airport.
I know that you are on holiday at the moment and there is no hurry but we would like to know if the villa is available for 2 weeks in March next year.
I expect you get a lot of people who want to return, and I know its a long time to go but we don't want to miss out on it.
David took a couple of photographs of the villa from the air when he went flying and when he had downloaded them I forward a copy to you.
Enjoy you holiday and I hope to hear from you soon.
The Croft family (February 2006)
Hi Brian. Sue and I have enjoyed our month here, which has gone all too quickly. You have a beautiful home.
We are starting to make our plans for next year, and are trying to combine our stay with a cruise. We would like to know if you would give us first refusal to rent for Feb 2007, until we have our dates organised, and if so let us know what the price will be.
Many thanks.
The Hoskins family (January 2006)
We are now home from our lovely holiday in the Bahamas/ Florida, and already making plans to return next year to the Fort Lauderdale & Fort Myers areas of Florida this time.
We had a most enjoyable stay at your villa,
We will be in touch if we need a villa in the Sarasota area again, and will of course recommend you to our friends & family
The Cooper family (January 2006)
We had a really relaxing time in your villa and found it very comfortable and well equipped. I just loved your 'Palm' crockery. I found something similar in Bealls and wished I could have brought it home with me - it would have gone brilliantly with my kitchen decor.
We swam and exercised in the pool every day except the Sunday which was quite windy. It was the first time we had had a pool cover on a roller and it was so much easier to use.
Apart from two afternoons out - one to go to the Ellenton Mall and one to the beaches - we spent most of the time around the villa reading and relaxing. In fact we were so comfortable we only went out twice to eat, once to Outback which we know quite well from our Orlando holidays and once to Applebees which was a new experience for us. We had excellent meals in both places.
I hope you have a successful letting year.
The Evans family (November 2005)
Thanks for your email last week to see how our holiday was.
We did have a lovely time and the villa was great. It really was everything we hoped for and had all the facilities we wanted.
Thanks
The Bindi family (October 2005)
We had a fabulous holiday and were bowled over by Florida, it was our best holiday ever. We were just looking at the photos today and smiling all over again.
Thank you so much for the loan of your home, it was very comfy and well fitted.
The Devenport family (October 2005)
We have just returned from your villa in
Bradenton and forgot to leave feedback in the book. It is lovely, had
everything we needed and more. We visited the Cafe on the Beach a couple of
times to watch the sunset - spectacular - cheap food and the entertainment was
fun. We also found Albertsons (10 mins away on
Lockwood Ridge road) to be the best supermarket. We went to the Village of the
Arts and the Red Barn which I found very interesting, but the rest of the
family don't share my enthusiasm for markets!
Thank you for the loan of the house.
The Barnshaw family (September 2005)
We had a really lovely relaxing week at Sabal Harbour, after the more energetic 9 days spent in Orlando! The villa was very comfortable, spacious, exceptionally clean and pleasantly decorated and furnished. The location was superb as it didn't take long to reach all the places of interest, beaches and restaurants.
We really loved Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island and the boys had lots of fun fishing from the piers on the island and also from the pier of the old bridge.
One of the highlights of the week was watching one of the bald eagles fly across the lake while I was eating my breakfast by the pool!
If we decide to return to Bradenton at some time in the future we would love to rent your villa again and will definitely recommend it to others.
The Leighton family (September 2005)
We had an excellent family holiday. The beaches were superb & very quiet. We have been to Florida many times, so we knew what to expect re shopping & dining. Bradenton provided all we needed with a good mall & good restaurants, with the obligatory Walmart & their "happy to hinder" staff (its the same in every one we have ever been in). Publix & KashnKarry have much more pleasant & helpful staff. We had an excellent base to travel south to Venice & Sarasota, (which we loved from previous visits) & Tampa & St.Petersburg to the north. Busch gardens was better than ever (it was pretty quiet & a short afternoon storm cooled the day off nicely). The baseball was fabulous this year (I've advised everyone to go in your visitors book), its the quintessential American experience & its cheap to get in, so the whole family can have fun for just a few dollars.
The Holland family (August 2005)
Having spent the first
week of our holiday ‘doing’ Disney it was wonderful to be able to relax in your
beautiful home. The villa itself was perfect, very well looked after but
also with lots of homely touches. Our grandson appointed himself electric
garage door ‘opener and shutter’ and heaven help anyone else who tried to touch
that button.
But the really special thing about the villa was being able to sit by the pool
and watch all the wildlife. We were extremely fortunate and saw the bald
eagle fish in the lake three mornings running. It was also very
well placed for us - being able to drive in one direction and visit beautiful
Anna Maria Island but drive in the other direction up the interstate freeway
and have our shopping injection at the Ellenton Outlet Shopping Centre – such
bargains! It’s as well we brought half empty suitcases.
Thanks again
Wilma, Bill, Samantha and Kane
The Leighton family (August 2005)
The beaches were superb & very quiet. We have been to Florida many times, so we knew what to expect re shopping & dining. Bradenton provided all we needed with a good mall & good restaurants, with the obligatory Walmart. Publix & KashnKarry. We had an excellent base to travel south to Venice & Sarasota, (which we loved from previous visits) & Tampa & St.Petersburg to the north. Busch gardens was better than ever (it was pretty quiet & a short afternoon storm cooled the day off nicely). The baseball was fabulous this year (I've advised everyone to go in your visitors book), its the quintessential American experience & its cheap to get in, so the whole family can have fun for just a few dollars.
The Ewing family (July 2005)
Just a note
to thank you very much for the use of your villa for the first week of our
holiday. We had a great week , your villa was lovely, our second time to Sabal Harbour and a much better
villa! It was so relaxing to sit and look over the water at the back (Kids
loved the fish and turtles there), so peaceful and they loved the pool too. We
have been to a few Florida villas and yours comes near the top (if not top) of
our list of good ones.
So once
again thank you and hopefully we may be able to return there sometime soon.
The Budinger and Drake Families (June 2005)
Our
stay has been great. The house had everything we could possibly need away
from home. We definitely will come back. Our children awoke, rolled
out of bed and jumped into the pool almost every day. We enjoyed the
wildlife and even spotted the bald eagle once! Our favorite local was,
very casual dining spot was the Rod 'n' Reel located on the Rod 'n' Reel Pier
on Anna Marie Island. The seafood was so good!!
Thank you Brian & Olwen for the use of your comfortable home. Happy
4th of July!
The Bowen Family (June 2005)
Thank
you for a wonderful vacation!
Our bows 8 1/2 and 5 1/2 enjoyed the pool - it was hard to tear them away to do
other things. As a family, we really enjoyed the miniature golf at
the "Smuggler's Cove" and "Captain Memo's Pirate Cruise" in
Clearwater.
The Thompson Family (May / June 2005)
Arrived
from Kissimmee area. Enjoying wildlife around the lake. We've been
to Siesta Key / Holmes / Coquina and Anna Maria beaches.
Thanks for letting us stay in your beautiful villa & use of the pool.
Hope to come again (soon if possible!)
The Waite & Kitney families (May 2005)
Great
villa, hot pool, recommend the pool heating. The wildlife around the lake
is stunning - look out for the pair of bald eagles. Good eateries - watch
out for the sunset at the Beach House restaurant. Also Applebees on SR-70. De Soto Mall for a varied
selection of shops. Great beaches north od Anna
Maria Island - take a parasol and the loungers in the garage as you will need
some shade. Take time to visit Myakka State Park for an up close view of
gators and other wildlife.
We had a fantastic time and would love to come back to your villa again.
Many thanks to you Brian and Olwen.
The Pelletier Family (April 2005)
Family
of five visiting Bradenton for the first time. Enjoying the beaches and
the pool. We recommend Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island - more sand than
shells. Weather was fantastic - 80 plus for 7 days!
House very nice - well kept. Thank you!
The Chandler Family (April 2005)
The
house was light and specious and spotlessly clean. The pool was as warm as a
bath on arrival and received plenty of use. Our three year old daughters
swam their first "width" here, so the house will always be in our
family's folklore.
The South Florida Museum, aquarium and planetarium gives a fascinating insight
into ancient Florida but a must-see is "Snooty" - the oldest manatee
known in the world. It is on 10th Street W. Bradenton opposite the town
hall and municipal police station. We enjoyed the peace and tranquillity of the Marie Selby Gardens, Sarasota - but
also found the Ringling Museum and C'Zar D'An House very interesting.
The Wrighting Family (April 2005)
Dear Brian and family just to say thank you for renting us your wonderful villa in Bradenton. The villa was perfect clean, spacious, quiet and the pool superb it was a real effort to leave at the end of the holiday. For a cloudy day we can recommend the Ringling Museum in Sarasota which passed a very pleasant afternoon.
The Sukoneck Family (March 2005)
Your house was unbelievably clean & spacious with detailed instructions throughout the house. The pool was fabulous and it was worth every penny to have the pool heated for late March. Since we are building our own home less than a mile away, we learned an awful lot from staying in yours and seeing how organized everything was. The location was convenient and restaurants nearby were plentiful. One not mentioned by any of your guests is our favorite "Ezra's", which is about 20 minutes northwest of your home.
Thanks again Barry
The Hill Family (March 2005)
Hi Olwen and Brian
We enjoyed a nice week in your beautiful villa, despite the weather being a bit below par. We spent a part of one day on the beach at Siesta Key. One overcast day we drove south, had lunch at Fort Myers then plodded on to Naples where we had an hour on the beach before returning. One rainy day we visited the Dali museum in the morning and the Retail Outlets in the afternoon. Some days, when it was dry and warm, we just laid down by the pool (or went in!).
All in all we enjoyed our stay and would book again if we were to stay in that region of Florida.
Many thanks
The Liestman Family (March 2005)
Good morning Brian and Olwen-- nice to hear from you!
We had a wonderful time in Bradenton--feel very fortunate to have had such a lovely, comfortable, and immaculate home, to spend 3 fun filled weeks in. Thank you both, for allowing us the use of your villa--we found it to be everything we had hoped it would be.
We did go out to the Beach House--thank you for recommending it to us. The food was delicious and the sunset, beautiful. One day was spent in St. Petersburg--we went on a dolphin sighting cruise. One day was spent in St. Petersburg--we went on a dolphin sighting cruise--managed to film the dolphins on our camcorder however catching them on my 35 mm. camera proved to be not quite as easy. We also drove over to Sarasota, and did some shopping which we ALWAYS enjoy. One day the four of us drove over to the Siesta Key beach--such a beautiful place. Another day we drove down to the Naples area, and toured the Everglades, airboat ride and all, seeing many alligators, manatees, even wild boars !
Many wonderful memories--again thanks to you for allowing us the use of your home. We thoroughly enjoyed it and I am sure that future families will find it to be every bit as wonderful -- the area is so peaceful as well as beautiful.
Our best wishes to you both.
The Bradlee Family (January to March 2005)
Hi Brian- We had a great vacation - enjoyed the view from the villa. The house was very comfortable and we loved the beaches especially Siesta Key (which we had enjoyed last year). Carrabba's is a good restaurant, besides the ones already mentioned by others (it's on Cortez Road). We enjoyed looking for the eagles.
Thanks- Dot Bradlee
The Hodkinson Family (December/January 2004/5)
Hello & Happy New Year
Well we're back from a great holiday & thanks very much for the use of your lovely home. It's difficult getting into the drudge of work & our rubbish weather.
Lots of things to do out there and we have left a message in the visitors book.
All in all though we had a great holiday & have recommended your villa to a friend already....thanks very much.
Best Regards
The Litmanen Family (December 2004)
Hi
Brian and Olwen - thank you once again to let us rent your beautiful villa.
We had great time back in Bradenton and we really can suggest the place to
other visitors too. Unfortunately we had to leave as early as in Thursday
because our friends from Finland wanted to experience Orlando too (visited
there couple of times our family would have rather stayed in Bradenton, but
...).
Within
the days we spent there we visited in Anna Maria Island (we saw a beautiful xmas parade there !!), Sarasota (Armand Circle shops of
course), Myakka River, Ellenton and couple of other places which names I have
forgotten.
Very exotic in our point of view were the beautiful x-mas
decorations your neighbours have put out. We walked
couple of times after dark inside the Sabal Harbour area and this overwhelming decoration enthusiasm
was really something that none of us have never experienced. By the way - we
voted your closest neighbours' decorations as the
winner because (among other things) they have added music in their decoration
too !!!
Weather
was great (days 75-80 F )and we found the marvellous
pool very useful (heating was good option because the nights were relatively
cold). Villa was in perfect condition and I hope that you find that we really
tried to leave it in the same state it was before we arrived.
In conclusion our holiday in Bradenton was above all expectations and we really
do hope that we can return in Sabal Harbour some day !!!
Best Regards
The Buon Family (November 2004)
Good
afternoon Brian and Olwen, Just a quick note to say thanks for the use of your
lovely home in Bradenton. We found it very clean and comfy. We had great
weather high 70's only rained once. We came back to snow, not so great. Loved
watching the eagles. My daughter found a friend, one of the egrets came to see
her on several occasions.
We are now looking forward to taking another visit back next year.
The Hodgson Family (October 2004)
We have had a lovely relaxing week in your lovely villa where there is everything for a very relaxing break after a very busy week in Orlando! We enjoyed the wildlife on the lake, especially “Baldy” (as we named him) the Bald Eagle. He was on the grass by the pool when we got up one morning and we managed to catch him on video! Busch Gardens was ace! Dave and Ben enjoyed playing golf. The villa is very well situated for the beautiful beaches and the sunsets are fabulous - definitely the highlight of my holiday.
Thanks for the use of your lovely home – we certainly have some wonderful memories of our first visit to America.
The Kooi Family (September 2004)
Beautiful!
The Hagan Family (August 2004)
We have had a wonderful 2 weeks – packed in lots of good food (Carrabbas is great. The Beach House is excellent for the view of the sunset, Applebees is very good, but be careful of ordering your beers – you get 2 for 1!)Busch Gardens is a great day out. MOTE Aquarium and the boat trip are also great. We saw lots of wildlife. The villa is lovely and so easy to manage everything. All in all, a great holiday.
The Law Family (August 2004)
Our Trip to Florida
There was Eleanor and Marv, big Adrian and Bert,
Together with wee Eenie and Don,
They came from afar, arrived in two cars,
With empty suitcases and money to spend.
We shopped ‘til we dropped and ate ‘til we popped,
The drink we will not mention,
The “craic” it was great, your home was superb,
And the pool a release for our tensions.
From Miami to Disney we travelled around,
The white knuckle rides left us speechless,
But nothing prepared us for the ice cream we found
At “Big Olaf’s Ice Cream Soda Fountain”.
From Eleanor and Mervyn Law, Roberta and Adrian McDowell,
Rena and Don Patton, Lambeg, Dromara and Maze, Northern Ireland.
Thank you Brian and Olwen for the use of your beautiful home.
We had a super time.
The Jupp Family (July 2004)
Thank you for letting us rent your lovely villa. We thought it was lovely. I think we all said ‘ Wow ‘ when we walked in. It looked good on the web site, but was even better staying there. We would certainly recommend it if we knew of anyone wanting to stay in that area.
We had a great holiday, although a week went far too quickly. It was lovely to relax after a very hectic two weeks in Orlando visiting all the parks. We liked the beaches and the lovely warm sea. We were very lucky to see about seven manatees in the shallows at Sarasota beach, they didn’t seem a bit bothered by all the people. Later in the day the environmental people came to decide what to do with them, so we hope they managed to get them to a more suitable location. It was also lovely to watch the dolphins jumping in the water. We also visited the Manatee Village Historical Park which was interesting and the De Soto National Memorial, which had lovely views. We made plenty of use of the villa pool and it was lovely to sit and gaze out over the lake, we are so glad you removed the fence and bushes. There were lots more we could have done but just not enough time.
One day I am sure we will return to Florida, but for the time being it will be back to holidays in our caravan, touring the UK and Europe. We really did have a great time though and I am sure we will all remember it for years to come.
It was a shame we missed you it would have been nice to meet you and put a face to the e-mails that have been so friendly and informative.
Thank you once again
Best Wishes
The Miles Family (June 2004)
Ben & I mostly spent our time at Siesta Key Beach. Love it there. It's an easy drive down I-75. I would like to tell everyone how at home they will feel here. When you travel so far from home it's nice to have a place to stay that is so welcoming. Like visiting family without all the fuss.
Great vacation! Relaxed a lot and thankful for it.
Thanks again!
The Potter Family (June 2004)
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at your Villa. The Villa's location, setting and decor was a perfect fit for our family vacation.
Early mornings we would sit on the veranda to witness the sun rise and watch as the fog rolled off of the lake. The lake was serene, the sounds from nature were calming and the birds that visited the lake were picture perfect. It was oh so refreshing to our souls.
We look forward to a return visit to your Villa next year.
The Herdman Family (May 2004)
Thanks for providing us with a true home away from home. Your villa is immaculate in every way; decor, furnishings cleanliness and has every possible utensil and appliance to make any holiday a great one. Every thing about the villa, your agents and dealing with you guys has been an absolute pleasure so thank you for helping make our holiday memorable....
The Vlietstra Family (April/May 2004)
The
location of the villa was excellent for shops, beaches and places to eat.
We also found it easy to find from the management centre who were also very
helpful.
The south facing garden gave warm sunshine all day from morning to night and
the pool was large enough for a good swim. The pool was also very clean.
We also thought that the villa was well equipped and laid out , and easy to
live in for the holiday.
The Wyatt Family (Easter 2004)
The villa was spacious, clean, well equipped. The pool and ice maker was always so welcome after a long day. The lake has lots of wildlife in and around it. Which included, Bald Eagles, Ospreys, Brown Pelicans, Double Crested Cormorants, Great and Snowy Egrets, Great Blue, Little Blue and Tri-coloured Herons, White and Glossy Ibis, Wood Stalk, Turkey and Black Vultures, Lizards and Turtles. The community facilities were safe and clean for the children. The location of the villa was central to everywhere we wanted to visit. We met some of the neighbours who were helpful and friendly. A car is essential.
The Goeppinger Family (March 2004)
Our family had a wonderful time. Your house is beautiful! We really enjoyed the pool and the view of the lake. Being so close to the beaches and in a very quiet subdivision made our vacation very relaxing. Thanks so much for renting your beautiful home to us for our vacation.
The Goeppinger Family
The Kidd Family (February 2004)
Just a few comments about our stay in your villa in Bradenton. This is a very well furnished home. One of the cleanest we have rented in the last 12 years that we have vacationed in Florida. The Master suite is large and well laid out. We loved it. The villa is well located and close to most conveniences. We would definitely stay there again . Thanks again for the use of your home.
The Royer Family (January 2004)
My family
and I really enjoyed our vacation in Florida. The villa was a perfect fit for
us as it accommodated 6 adults and 3 children under the age of 1. Each family
had their own bedroom. It couldn't have worked out better. I knew the villa was
going to be perfect for us when I saw the pictures on your website. The villa
was even more beautiful in person.
I really felt special as everything was so new and clean.
Everything we needed was just down the street a short way. It seemed like we went to Wal-Mart everyday. We rented movies and games to play on the Playstation.
Having the playstation at the villa was a great idea.
We also enjoyed just looking at the lake and all of the wildlife that came with it.
One day while we were all swimming a very large crane landed on the roof of the pool! We couldn't believe it. We all froze so we wouldn't scare it away. I think someone was able to get a picture of it.
The White Family (Christmas 2003)
We have just returned from spending Christmas at Brian & Olwen's Bradenton villa. The villa is a real home-from-home, except of course for the heated pool, the peaceful lakeside views with eagles gliding overhead, superb shopping and of course the beautiful beaches down the road! We have visited Florida a number of times but this was the most relaxing. The highlight of our holiday was seeing a pod of dolphins playing just off the shoreline at Anna Maria Island - nature at it's best