Gulf Tides of Longboat Key

Gulf Tides is located on the lush island of Longboat Key. We own other timeshares on the island (Little Gull, White Sands and the Longboat Bay Club, eight weeks in all) and we discovered Longboat Key about 12 years ago and have been going back every winter.. One thing that makes Longboat Key special is the concious attempt to keep the ugly commercial billboards and signs of tourism to a minimum. The Island is plush with lovely landscaping and definitely on the upscale side of the real estate map. The Island is divided down the middle by Gulf Of Mexico Drive, which is the only way to go from one end of the island to the other. It is a busy road and the one down side to Longboat Key.

The Gulf side of the road is mostly one property deep from the road to the water and simply littered with multi-million dollar mansions. The South Side of the Island, closer to Saint Armands Circle, has high rise condos and upscale hotels. The North side is made up of smaller buildings, most not exceeding two to three stories and many of the well manicured estates, that somebody can afford.

Gulf tides is a very functional resort, they have Gulf Front Property and a large parcel of land on the east side of Gulf of Mexico Drive where their "main" building is located. These units are all two bedroom, two bath and have a nice view of the Gulf of Mexico. We bought week 6 and week 8 there a few years ago and have stayed at the resort with friends who own a week 7. On the Gulf Side they have two water front units which they call the penthouses, which are spacious and wonderful. Parking for these units is on the ground level and the units are on the second floor.. On the Gulf side there are also smaller units in their own building, studios and one bedrooms, which are too small for my taste and lack the "elbow room" to stay in for a week.

Gulf Tides is very well maintained, the outside of the buildings have been refurbished over the last few years and it looks great. The focus of the two bedroom units are towards the Gulf of Mexico and there is a pool and tennis court in front of the building. On this side of the road, the resort is three stories high with parking on the ground floor level. They have an elevator to reach the upper two stories of the building.

The Units themselves are spacious and well layed out with the master bedroom facing the Gulf and the living room has a lanai also facing the water. They recently replaced the sliding glass doors / screens. The furniture and appliances are in very good shape and tje rooms are clean and inviting There is a picnic facility, covered to protect you from the rain or the sun depending on your luck on any given day, there are barbeque facilities and tables. They have added new palm trees and the feeling is that they are always doing something to make Gulf Tides nicer.

There are some minimal get together events, planned by the resort, which we seem to always miss, but they try. There is no pressure to buy as the timeshare units have been sold out for years. The resort has fairly new bikes to take advantage of the wonderful sidewalk that runs the length of longboat key. The beach has beautiful white sand and they have refurbished the sand a year or so ago,

The main supermarket is Publix and they are located within easy walking distance, but not close enough to carry home the groceries, bring the car! A car is essential as there is not much to do on Longbaot Key, most of it in Sarasota and the surrounding areas, unless you want to walk or relax on the beach. The Ringling Museum is easily worth a day of time exploring, especially the Ringling Mansion. Which you can take a small guided tour through by making reservations in advance = $20, we thought it was worth the additional money.

Gulf Tides deserves a Gold Crown Rating!

We spent a week at Gulf Tides of Longboat Key in Feb. '08 and it was delightful! The area is gorgeous, beaches not crowded at all. The resort is right acr. the street from the beach with every unit's terrace facing the ocean. No problem going to the beach and loungers are right there for your use. Our unit was super clean. They have free bikes, loan you nice beach towels, super big washers & dryers in their office you can use at no cost. Parking is very convenient, staff is friendly. Don't hesitate to spend time here!

On or access to the Gulf beache!

Excellant Location to the best shopping in St. Armand's Circle.