Guest Reviews

Our group of 11 was coming together over the week after the graduation of my niece. It was our first trip to Anna Maria island so we weren't sure what to expect of the area but had hopes that starting with a relaxing and comfortable home base would give us a chance to learn all about it. Oar House was the perfect home to serve this purpose for us! Is it perfect for your needs, that will depend on you. One small thing that we didn't know about the house was that the entry way and downstairs are only cooled by the air that comes from the main floor if you leave the door between those floors open. Because it was blazing hot the week we were there, leaving that open could affect the upstairs temperature on the second floor which we noticed almost immediately. We decided to keep the door closed and from then on the temperature of the 2nd and 3rd floors (sleeping and dining areas) stayed wonderfully cool inside even with extreme temperatures and humidity outside. Another item worth mentioning is the alarm to the pool area is set for a relatively short time so we heard it "a lot" until every individual could get used to pressing the button in time. But to be fair, these two "mentions" (because these aren't complaints) are common items to this area from what I was told. The first is common to multi-story homes and second to homes with pools. Lastly, when coming in from the beach having a place to wash the sand off on the ground level would have been a nice feature but you can work around it by using the hose off the deck of the second level but one person will still need to go in to turn the water on and off and potentially lower the hose if you don't leave it lowered. These are the only things that I could say I would have wanted to know if someone I knew had stayed here before me. Do you love the beach? Oar House is nicely located to walk to a couple if necessary but several easily gotten to in minutes by golf cart (we rented) or car. We tried 3 (Anna Maria, Holmes and Bean Point) as our preference is for the gulf side of the island. Being centrally located, as the Oar House is, opens up so many options for you as well for eating well. There are multiple restaurants within easy walking distance with options for all types of diners. The home itself simply makes you feel like relaxing is in order. Starting on the ground level, the garage is huge and spacious if you have things you need to store or chose to park inside (we did not for our purposes). I would perhaps be conscious of the height of what you pull into the garage as some of the raised golf carts they rent on the island are taller than your standard minivan/suv. They have beach chairs their but maybe not enough for your whole party (we were blown away they had them at all so a great find!!). Also, take advantage of the wagon if walking to the beach with your items, so awesome!!! Then you have the gaming room with ping pong table and multiple other activities you can do. We putted on the green out back, played cornhole and pulled out the water canons for fun family time!! The pool area, for me, was the masterpiece of the home!! Well manicured and maintained with trees that delivered the privacy we all sought even in the middle of everything. The covered area for those that wanted to relax, snack, drink in the shade or in the spa. Then there was the open area in the pool (raised deck area) or around it where you can always find full sun if you want it. A perfect location for every member of our group could always be found. One note, I do not recommend leaving any food in this area overnight if you have members who would do such. I always went to check and make sure the sliding glass doors were locked each night. Upon one of my nightly rounds I turned the lights on to reveal a member of the local florida wildlife outside looking for scraps I'm sure. We kept the area clean as it wasn't our tendency to eat out there so there was nothing for it to find thankfully. It was a possum (nothing exotic) if you were curious :-). On the second and third levels, the sleeping areas were tastefully decorated and provided with soft, comfortable bedding for sweet dreams and well rested bodies! All of the cooks of our group raved about how well stocked the kitchen was on the second level. No matter what we pulled out to cook, snack on, chop up or pop open we were never left without what we needed. Even when it came to washing your clothes or ironing a last second change of clothes Oar House has you covered. The owners of this property have clearly taken pride in it and in providing the home away from home experience for their guest!!! We hope you love it as much as we did!!!
~ Adrian S.