WHAT WE DID IN SIESTA KEY

Our time in Siesta Key really consisted of going to the beach every day. The main beach is huge - probably 3 miles long and it is also wide – so, although busy, there is also plenty of room if you want to avoid the crowds.

There is a big car park for the beach but we found this does get full quite early at times so an early start was wise most days. However, if the car park is full there were people letting out space in small plots of land near the beach for $10 a car so there was an option if we headed off late.

The beach has nice sand dunes and fine white sand so it looks pretty idyllic. Back from the sea it is very flat and harder sand so perfect for volleyball (there are lots of courts set up for anybody to use) and other games with the kids.

Down by the sea it was quite busy but we loved it for the people watching! There was a constant procession of people walking along the shore all day long – every shape, size and age you can imagine – it was fascinating to watch!

Most evenings we went back to Siesta Key Bungalows for a swim and we cooked for ourselves. We ate out once at Siesta Key Village which is like the ‘town centre’ but really consisted of a series of bars and restaurants either side of the main road. It is really lively – loads of young people were out – and we had a nice pizza in one of the restaurants (we forget which).

After that we went to the beach’s northern tip (which actually turns round to face west) and watched a fantastic sunset. There were a few other people up there on the beach and created a great atmosphere – the sky created a lovely light for pictures of us all.

The place is very new and it had a slightly amateur feel to it at times (for example, the cutlery and crockery didn’t match) but we found this to be very refreshing compared to the usual corporate efficiency of a chain hotel.

The landscaping on the ‘resort’ is very nice and a small ‘beach’ area has been created which the kids liked to play in. A white pontoon goes out into the lagoon where we were able to sit and have a drink. There is a barbeque which we used a couple of time and the swimming pool was just great – quite small, but then again, so is the resort.

One thing which was great for us was that they had a canoe and kayaks which we could use to paddle out onto the lagoon – just fantastic and the kids loved it. There was loads of wildlife and we were able to watch herons and also pelicans diving for fish.

We though Siesta Key Bungalows was ideal for a family like us as well as couple and would recommend it without hesitation.