Do you want to find out what it feels like to soar 300 – 500 feet above the Gulf of Mexico? If so I highly recommend contacting Yolo Parasail to set up your very own parasailing adventure. The dry take-off and landing makes it safe and fun for all ages.  Captain Ryan Davis & Drew Hunter at Yolo Parasail will make your parasailing experience fun and easy; all you have to do is step into the harness, sit back and get ready for takeoff.

As you climb higher and higher you will be able to see the entire Island from Bradenton Beach to the City of Anna Maria, “it’s absolutely breathtaking”. When you are ready to go parasailing contact Yolo Parasail and experience this fantastic adventure.

Yolo Parasail
4330 127th. Street West
Cortez, FL 34215
941-792-6000
parasailflorida@yahoo.com

Bradenton Beach March 2011

 Northerners from all over the country flock to Anna Maria Island to find paradise, and escape the long harsh winter.  The rising number of trolley riders and the record number of northerners coming down to soak up the sun makes Anna Maria Island the place to be.

 The Anna Maria Island Trolley has seen almost 4,000 more trolley riders for the months of January and February 2011 compared to the same period in 2010. Investors on Anna Maria Island have been buying up property at low prices and remodeling beach houses and storefronts to fit today’s Anna Maria.

 As quoted in the Bradenton Herald by our very own Anna Maria Island Property Specialist  Larry Chatt., “We are benefiting from a vacation-rental  perfect storm, the whole nation is finding the value of renting homes and apartments with kitchens and more bedrooms, where they can cook meals and sleep more people at a lower cost than hotels. And Anna Maria just happens to have a lot.”

 Whether it’s for a short stay, or a lifetime, contact an Anna Maria Island property specialist today!

Bradenton and Manatee Information

educational resources.  Manatee county offers a wide diversity of home choices.  Gulf Front, boating, golf course, country club, single family, condominiums as well of lots of other choices in finding the perfect home makes Manatee county a great place to live.  Some of the more popular communities in Manatee county are Terra Ceia Bay which is in Palmetto, University Park which offers the high life county club style living, plenty of newer communities can be found in NorthWest Bradenton, plenty of gorgeous historical homes along the Manatee river and of course the beach cities that can be found on Anna Maria Island;  Bradenton Beach, Holmes Beach and Anna Maria City.  One additional community that needs mentioning is Lakewood Ranch.  Lakewood Ranch is an award winning Master planned 8500 acre community that has successfully incorporated both commercial and residential development.  Seven villages have been developed to combine recreational facilities, restaurants, arts and educational establishments.

Estimates on the population of the Manatee County are as follows:
1995          -     233,000
2000          -     264,000
2005          -     300,000
2008          -     330,000
2013          -     370,000  (Estimated)

Population by City  (2008 Estimates)
Anna Maria City     -  1,829
Bradenton                -  53,500
Bradenton Beach  -  1,553
Holmes Beach        -  5,017
Palmetto                  -  14,284
Unincorporated    – 251,000

G.T. Bray Santa

If you have never visited Anna Maria Island around Christmas you need to give it a try, Why?

There are a ton of Christmas activities all around the area. Santa comes in on a helicopter at G.T. Bray Park. Downtown Bradenton brings in snow to go sledding. Holmes Beach plaza on Marina Drive has a Christmas bash where shops serve free appetizers and the children of Anna Maria Island dance under a snow machine.

Not enough? Vacation rental accommodations in early December are more than 50% off compared to high season rates. The weather is sunny and beautiful. The only white we have is the sand on our gorgeous beaches. While I write this the entire East coast is in a blizzard that will average one foot of snow fall!

Lastly, who does not like a good parade? Every year the Anna Maria Island privateers put on a Christmas parade. Beads, candy and party favors are all thrown during the parade. It is fabulous fun for all!

So what are you doing? Call Island Real Estate today and book next year’s holiday season. Island Real Estate has more than 175 hand picked rentals with more than 25 high luxury vacation rentals. More than anyone on Anna Maria Island!

Have a great winter and a wonderful holiday season! Thanks to Michael for the great video below.

Public Pier Tear Down

public beach. That’s ok we have several on Anna Maria Island, Florida. Just swing up to the Anna Maria City public pier or the Rod and Reel pier. Oops, don’t forget about the pier at the end of Bridge Street in Bradenton Beach, Anna Maria Island, FL.

I have to admit there is not much Holmes Beach or Manatee County could have done to delay the construction of the pier. Some heavy waves made the pier unsafe and soon there after the pier was scheduled to be replaced. Sure we had our normal banter regarding how long the pier should be but the commisioners of Holmes Beach and Manatee County quickly worked through those details and early December 2009 the pier began to get ripped down.

Unfortunately the tear down has seen some unexpected delays. The temporary debris bridge the back hoe operator created to get out to the last piece of the pier gave way and much to the operators surprise he found himself and his backhoe pictured here in the salt water of the Gulf of Mexico. It has been about 1 week and have not seen any progress on ripping down the rest of the pier?

Holmes Beach Pier

So, not to worry Spring 2010 visitors, grab our free trolley up to Anna Maria City and try out a new pier! We will have a new and improved pier for your visit in 2011! Have a fantastic holiday season.

Looking for additional Anna Maria Island property information?

The parade begins at the Anna Maria City Bay Front park and ends at Coquina park in Bradenton Beach, Fl. The parade travels East on Pine Avenue, South on Gulf Drive, on to Marina Drive/Palm Drive to Gulf Drive, then a quick trip along East Bay Drive on to Gulf Drive where it finally ends in Bradenton Beach. The parade travels almost the entire length of Anna Maria Island.

If you are traveling from Tampa, Sarasota or Bradenton I would suggest parking at Coquina or the Manatee public beaches. These are easy access points and easier to get off the island just after the parade. It takes Anna Maria Island about 1 hour to get traffic back to normal.

If you are planning to spend a few more hours on Anna Maria Island then stop in at Island Real Estate where we have plenty of free maps as well as Anna Maria Island Real Estate for sale packets. They understand if you are not in the immediate market and just looking. Make sure you visit one of Anna Maria Island’s great restaurants and get a bite to eat for lunch or maybe even an early dinner.

Details of the Anna Maria Island Parade… Starts at 10 AM finished around 11:15 AM and it’s on December 12th, 2009. See a few photos below for past Christmas Parades.

Pravateer's Christmas

Privateer Ship during the Christmas Parade

Island Real Estate

Island real Estate in the Christmas Parade

Awesome Private Pool

Island Real Estate and Vacation Rentals has just added a wonderful six bedroom Mediterranean Beauty. The Extra large home is just 1.5 blocks to the gorgeous Anna Maria island Beaches. The private pool home is located at 4118 5th Avenue in Holmes Beach, Anna Maria Island, Florida. Specific amenities are as follows… (6) Bed: (3.5) Bath: Accommodates up to (12) people: 2 Kings, 1 Queen, 4 Twins and 1 Queen Sleeper Sofa. Sorry this property is No smoking and is not Pet friendly.

The private Mediterranean is a newly built and is just 1 1/2 blocks to Anna Maria Island’s award winning beaches. Enjoy your holiday rental at this gorgeous high luxury home with no details left to chance. The villa is located on a quiet cul-de-sac of luxury homes in Holmes Beach. The finer amenities include a large private heated pool, numerous big screen televisions, high speed Internet, extended cable TV, game room with a ping pong table and darg board. Most importantly the luxury home offers a separate fenced in area for a swing set and children play area. The Anna Maria Island holiday villa has a phenomenal master bedroom which includes a private veranda balcony and extra private bathroom with large walk-in shower.

Please note that the “Google Maps” tab incorrectly positions this house. The vacation rental is located on the corner of 42nd Street and 5th Avenue (north of Manatee Avenue). For more information on this great holiday vacation rental visit Island Real Estate’s listing for this vacation rental.

Fantastic Tropical Pool

Fabulous pool and outdoor living area

Fabulous Great Room

Huge Dining and kitchen Area

The restaurant is on the second floor and provides indoor and outdoor seating. In the high season it can get pretty busy and waiting an hour for a seat is fairly common place. The great thing about waiting is that you stop by the bar on the first floor, grab a beverage and sit on the pier people, fish, dolphin, bay and manatee watching. It is great to get the strong bay breeze coming to shore while you catch up with friends and family.

The Rod & Reel serves breakfast, lunches, and dinners. For lunch their are plenty of sandwiches and for dinner lots of fish and specials. You never can go wrong with Grouper. For more Anna Maria Island Information visit Island Real Estate’s attractions website and view the video below.

Great Deal on Holmes Beach Duplex

I decided that a listing we have had needs a little more visibility  because potential investors are not aware of the potential. I had the good fortune of showing this property to a potential buyer and upon the showing he asked…”How long has this been on the market? Am I missing something? “There is no question that the curb appeal could be much better. It is a duplex ONE HOME to the beach with a GULF VIEW that should never be lost. Sure the Gulf Front home in front of this property could raise the roof to a second floor and 1/3 of the Gulf view would be lost but 2/3 of the view down 34th will remain! The duplex is a two bedroom one bath on each side and with some interior work, tropical landscaping, roof top terrace and a pool, this duplex would generate some serious income. They say a picture is worth a thousand words so I have attached a picture below that shows the proximity to the Gulf of Mexico. The value in this duplex is the proximity to the beach AND two units in the building.  The property is a SHORT sale and currently listed at $679,000. Please call me for more details and I would love the opportunity to help. The property is listed with Alan Galletto at Island Real Estate of Anna Maria Island, Inc. 6101 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, FL. Email me for additional information.

Sorry – Currently this duplex is PENDING.  Email or call for more information.  (941) 345-1288

Anna Maria Island News

ANNA MARIA ISLAND — Hoteliers are making Anna Maria Island all the more appealing as a tourist destination.

Aside from white sandy beaches and warm weather, island hotels and resorts are promoting another commodity on tourists’ radar: value.

In an effort to increase tourism spending this fall and winter, which are relatively slow seasons in Manatee County, some hotels and resorts are providing the incentive of a free night’s stay to guests.

The Bradenton Area Convention and Visitor’s Bureau pitched the idea to Manatee County hotels this year and got 16 properties to participate, including a few on Longboat Key.

The properties that are offering a free night to guests who book two, three or six nights are getting the benefit of the CVB advertising their deals online as well as increased reservations.

“Overall, the CVB’s efforts are creating huge, huge increases in both occupancy and tourism,” said Larry Chatt, general manager of Island Real Estate.

Island Real Estate’s vacation properties have seen October’s reservations increase 45 percent from October 2008. In addition, November bookings are up 25 percent and December stays are up 40 percent over the same months last year.

“People are learning that they can get a fantastic vacation for almost half-off in-season,” Chatt said.

Anna Maria Occupancy

While the months of September-November have the lowest average daily room rates, those months also bring in the least amount of tourism spending for Manatee County hotels and resorts.

In September 2008, the occupancy rate for all of Manatee County was 34.7 percent, the lowest rate for any month since 2005.

That rate improved this September to 40.1 percent. Occupancy for Anna Maria, which is offering a bulk of the free-night promotion, also saw improvement. The island’s occupancy rate improved from 32.8 percent in September 2008 to 39.4 in September 2009.

“The CVB decided we needed to provide our visitors continued value especially going into our slower seasons,” said Gentry Baumline-Robinson, spokeswoman for the CVB’s public relations agency Hayworth Creative. “So far it’s been a success.”

For more on this article visit the Bradenton Herald.