Twin Palms Florida

Anna Maria Island provides breathtaking sunsets and pure white sandy beaches. Here you will forget your problems, slow down, and enjoy sun and waves. I took this snapshot with my pocket digital camera in January - your pictures and memories will be just as amazing.

This is the house. Located in the cozy Bay Palms neighborhood of Anna Maria Island, the house is just off the west coast of Florida on a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico. (For more details on location, see location & logistics.) Connected by bridges, the closest mainland towns are Bradenton and Sarasota. Note the two large queen palms flanking the car in the driveway, inspiration for the name "Twin Palms."

The property is lushly landscaped with loads of palm trees and native tropical flowers. The house has two master bedrooms, one that can be converted into a third bedroom, plus two baths with about 1,800 square feet. There's an office, plus an Aerobed for extra guests. The house is a duplex, with the second unit a second holiday/vacation unit that may be rented (if available) to accommodate an additional four guests with two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The back unit Cottage is completely separate, with its own private yard and driveway to assure maximum privacy for guests in both areas. If both units are rented at once, the house can sleep 10.

Filled with furniture and artwork that we've accumulated during our travels around the world. We wanted the house to feel both tropical, comfortable yet sophisticated. You'll notice the Colonial decor, a blend of old world dark hardwoods with African, Indian and Caribbean themes throughout. A new enormous leather couch and rocking double recliner are so comfortable you just sink into them. Since this is our home, you won't find that painfully cheap, ugly furniture that you find a lot of holiday/vacation rentals... everything is of top quality, and our guests take care of our home as if it were there own.

The white louvered cabinet in the center of the photo below conceals a high-quality, Panasonic 27-inch flat screen TV with built-in DVD and VHS all controlled by just one integrated remote. A fantastic compact audio system provides sound for the purists to make your music or movies really come alive. We provide a library of more than 80 VHS and DVD titles, including the full complement of James Bond films for the 007 fans among your crowd. After a hard day at the beach, you can relax with a video from your own library... or browse among the dozens of books available for your use during your stay.

The living room and kitchen are next to each other on a modified open plan. There's a large antique wooden island table with four counter-height wicker and wrought iron stools. (Two are kept at the ready in the dining room.) The louvred sliding doors to the living room provide the option of opening up the kitchen (to see the TV) or to shut it off.

Kathleen is a professionally trained chef, so it's not surprising the kitchen is well stocked. Her book, "The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry" (Viking/Penguin) releases in October 2008, and details her training in Paris at the famed Le Cordon Bleu. The Kitchen is therefoe well stocked, and all of the appliances are new within the past two years There's an in-sink garbage disposal and sizable microwave in the panty. The enormous "American Fridge" features crushed ice. There is plenty of cabinet space plus a pantry lined with everything you could need or want to cook with, including a nice set of Calphalon stainless steel pans. Coffee, tea, milk and sugar will be supplied so you can have coffee or tea the morning after you arrive without having to find a store first.

We've added unique bamboo countertops and modern arched faucets and euro lighting. Distinctive height-adjustable porcelain lamps modeled after 1920's Paris warehouse designs light the island. A bench offers comfy additional seating. It's a comfortable place to hang out.

There's a wooden serving counter between the kitchen and dining room. The table is a new high-quality British Colonial style with six chairs There is a large leaf for the table, plus full linens to serve eight. A matching hutch contains our Twin Palms dishes.

The house is very bright, with many windows as is evident in these photos. On nice days, you can fling open the French doors, too. There's an oriental rug on the floor, and a large red cabinet (the edge is in the picture)

The open design of the floor plan makes it very comfortable for groups to share communal meals, or to allow children to eat in one area while the adults hang out in the other. Beyond the French doors is a large deck with another dining table.

Off the dining room and away from the bedrooms, you'll find an intimate office. Here you can surf the net with your own computer or work (if you must) with high-speed wireless/DSL internet. There's also an answering machine so you don't miss calls from people back ''home.'' The office has a beautiful view of flowers and palm trees outside. It's called the Hemingway office due to the numerous photos Kat has framed of Ernest, one of her favorite writers...

The Hemingway office and dining room overlook a beautiful, tropical garden area. We've added a fantastic bamboo dining table and comfy Adirondack chairs to create a comfortable, private patio area. You can hang out under the swaying palm trees in the fragrant butterfly garden as you grill some fish or just hang out and enjoy a cup of coffee, a cocktail or a good book...

You'll find a supply of charcoal when you arrive, plus inside the house you'll find a selection of great barbecue tools, a BBQ light and even a big cookbook on how to grill.

Below is a picture of the new deck just outside the dining room. Now you can easily slip outside for a cool drink and a hot bite under the new coconut palm trees.

The house is designed with two large suites, the master suite and the "Africa" suite. The master has its own bathroom, and the Africa suite has an additional room that can be used as a separate bedroom, or as a TV/play room.

This two suite setup makes the house very versatile to the needs of different groups. It's great for a couple who want some extra space, especially if friends plan to visit. It's especially well set up for two couples sharing, and avoids the usual awkward 'You got the better bedroom'' dilemma. It allows for two couples to holiday together, but yet not be on top of each other all the time. (One couple can just retire to "their suite" for some alone time, either sharing a glass of wine under the stars on the porch, or watching TV...

For families, it provides the parents with a separate place of their own, and a good hangout area for the kids. And when two couples share with kids, it provides one couple with proximity to the kids yet the ability to shut the door and have their own space.

This suite has its own large bathroom, plus a new, and absolutely huge, king-sized Sealy Posterpedic bed. The large closet spans an entire wall. The bed sports a luxurious duvet set, plus 250- and 300-thread count sheets. From the bed, you'll awake to the blue sky and lush tropical palms outside the large traditional Florida window with plantation shutters... There's a TV in the lovely armoire in the bedroom, too.

Master bathroom. This bathroom was updated in January with beautiful vessel sinks, artistic faucets and a travertine-style countertop. There's a wicker towel rack to the left (just out of the picture.) The shower is an enormous walk-in affair. There's a separate, private toilet room.

This room has an additional room that is separated by two large sliding French doors. We call the other room the "Kenya Zen" room because it's our favorite place to hang out and watch TV or read. There's a large 27-inch TV with DVD player that's built into the wall that can be viewed by both rooms. There's also a private entrance and patio. When adult couples are sharing the house, the Kenya room provides a couple a "private space" to get away or to watch TV/movies by themselves.

When families or two families with children share the house, the kids usually take over the Kenya room, which can also doubles as a play area or as a place for them to chill out and watch TV. (Kids LOVE this bed setup...) The door in the photo to the right (below) provides a separate entrance and a private patio that is secured by a locking gate. (It's a good "smoking" patio, too.) The lounging area is a full-sized bed with feather bed AND mattress topper settled on it, making it vastly comfortable. It's oriented toward the master bathroom, which is also connected to this room by a standard door (which can be locked). There's a Grayco crib that can be set up in this room as well.

Below you'll see the door to the master bathroom (left) and sliding doors to the other portion of the Africa suite. The TV here can easily viewed in both rooms.

Two hotel style lights with flexible arms and dimmers let you adjust the light just where you want it without leaving the bed... great for reading. The French doors aren't connected, they slide sort of like Japanese screens. For privacy, simply close the doors and the heavy curtains located in the other room. The floors have updated tile, and the walls have a heavy-duty bead board wainscoting.

Outside the Africa suite is another bathroom, this one featuring a full-sized bathtub. This room was also recently remodeled with a romantic sink and faucets reminiscent of turn-of-the-century France. We also updated the look with a beautiful mirror, The bathrooms feature high-quality towels. Through this bathroom, you'll find an enormous washer-and-dryer setup to get all of it clean!

High efficiency central air conditioning (and heating, but you won't need that)
High-speed wireless/DSL internet service (free)
Two brand new 27-inch high-quality flat-screen TVs with built-in DVD/VHS
Top-of-the-line stereos (Bose, Cambridge Soundworks)
High-capacity washer and dryer
Newer appliances in kitchen, including brand new dishwasher and garbage disposal
BBQ grill, lots of board games!
Beach toys, umbrellas, chairs and beach towels provided
VHS/DVD video library of more than 65 titles
Full-sized Aerobed for extra guests
Excellent closet space throughout
Beautifully decorated to the high standard with exotic, interesting decor
Tile throughout main living areas, carpeting in bedrooms, oriental rugs
Quiet residential area away from the "madding crowd"
Just steps away from free island Trolley service
A thorough welcome packet with lots of info, plus maps and restaurant guide
Very close proximity to the beach - a quick walk, or an even faster drive
A great manager just four blocks away!

Our house is set up for families. For kids and infants, we provide:

Grayco folding crib, high chairs and stroller (based on availability)
Children's videos, DVDs and books
Toys for boys & girls for playing inside
Another box outside filled with beach toys
Small plastic chairs for use inside
A small picnic table for use outside in the tiki BBQ area
A small supply of children's sunblock, diapers and the like on arrival

Ready to book? Click here for rates, availability and an inquiry form.