From Coastal Casual . . .
Let the crystal clear waters of the Gulf
of Mexico serve as your highway as you
travel south from Anna Maria Island
to Longboat Key. This 11 mile long
island was once a wilderness inhabited
by the Caloosa Indians, then explored
by Hernando DeSoto in the early 16th
century, who paddled through the
Longboat north pass with his guide.
Five hundred years later, Longboat Key
has become one of the most exclusive
resort communities in Florida, offering
premiere golf courses, world class tennis
facilities, deep water marinas, and plenty
of shopping and fine dining, all of it
surrounded by grand estates, exquisite
private properties, and spectacular
condominiums.
12 | Michael Saunders & Company
South of Longboat Key, and just across
the bridge from sparkling downtown
Sarasota, you'll find Lido Key, which
is actually a small cluster of three
tiny islands. Bird Key is the name
of the island as well as the exclusive
"sunset, island living is
From sunrise to
"
each island community, to experience
the sheer natural beauty, along with
some of the most spectacular waterfront
real estate anywhere in Florida, why not
park the convertible and board a boat?
a magical experience.
Michael Saunders
yacht club community that envelops
it. St. Armands Key is home to St.
Armands Circle, with its posh shopping,
exceptional dining, and exciting
nightlife. And Lido Key is home of
the world renowned Mote Marine
Laboratory and the lovely Lido Shores
enclave, a residential neighborhood,
brimming with old Florida cottages
mixed among extraordinary architectural
masterpieces from the Sarasota School
of Architecture.
And now it might be time to reapply
the sunscreen as we continue south
to Siesta Key, the ultimate in Florida
casual. While Gucci and Manolo may
be the footwear of choice on Longboat
and around St. Armands, on Siesta Key,
it's all about the flip-flops. As late as
the 1940s, Siesta Key had less than 300
inhabitants, while today it hosts more
than 100 times that many visitors every
year. But despite its growing popularity
over the past 70 some years, Siesta Key
has managed to retain its quaintness
and charm. This may be due in part to
the lasting legacy of the island's colony
of world famous artists who, beginning
in the mid 1950s, escaped the stress of
the mainland to imagine and create
