we had a great experience in this area. The place we were supposed to stay had a broken pipe and…read moreMichaela provided us an incredibly nice Vrbo home and was great to work with. http://www.dammrealty.com

This Beach is great and very nice is nice and calm waters and mostly clear water this beach should…read morebe call betiful greenish blue water beach

When you book with Captain Joey Sweet know that you will be receiving a true local's tour of Anna…read moreMaria Island / Longboat Key. I booked a 90 minute dolphin tour because I was afraid my children might get bored, but I promise you that you that even the smallest child will be entertained the entire time. Captain Joey is an incredible storyteller and his Coast Guard and Mote Aquarium background means that he is incredible knowledgeable about all of the aquatic treasures and beautiful homes the area has to offer. Truly everyone on our tour age four to seventy had a great time. My very finicky nine-year old daughter's review: "I know it's his job to tell us stuff but he does it in a really fun way." The boat was very comfortable, communication was seamless, and I felt like we got a personalized tour versus a big box experience. Sweet Sunsets & Dolphins Tour is veteran-owned AND locally-owned. It really doesn't get better than that!

Joey was a great guide! The boat was comfortable, everything went very smoothly including…read morecommunication prior and booking was easy. We had an amazing time, the waters were crystal clear for snorkeling. Couldn't have asked for a better outing!

We booked an excursion for our 17 & 15 year olds. They had a wonderful time out on the boat and…read moresaid the team was informative about the safety measures and took time to answer their questions. We also purchased the photo package and received those later in the day.

This experience was one of the best on our vacation. We got to see the beautiful city scape and…read morefish in the water. I really enjoyed being able to relax far away from everything. As we were being pulled back in they dipped us in the water several times and it was great. (Even though my cousin isn't a fan of heights and dint like it) I had a great time and would suggest to anyone who likes a little excitement (Dispite the price tag)

Great experience! my daughter, son-in-law, grandsons, husband and I all agree it was everything we…read moreexpected and more. We highly recommend booking with Captain Bruce! Enjoyed the entire experience!

Bruce knows how to make sure his guests see dolphins. He was welcoming, friendly and made it a…read moredolphin boat ride to remember!!! Highly recommend!!!

My wife and I are visiting from Maine and wanted to explore offshore so we researched boat rentals…read morein our area, chose Cortez Watersports and are SO happy that we did. Booking was super easy and the rental process was thoroughly explained. We invited two other couples to join us and found the pontoon boat that we chose to be spacious and comfortable for the six of us and one dog. We arrived around 8:45am to check in and carry our belongings down to the dock where everything was loaded into the boat for us which was nice. We were then given an explanation of the area map and a tour of the boat. We had an amazing day on the water where we saw several dolphins, found dozens of sand dollars, parked at some sandbars and caught a few fish. We arrived back at the dock at 5:00pm and unloaded our stuff onto the dock where it was loaded into a cart and wheeled to our vehicles for us which we really appreciated. The fine folks at Cortez Watersports were friendly and catered to us beyond our expectations. We would definitely visit them again and highly recommend that you consider them for your next on the water outing.

Had a great time on the water, highly recommend the guided tour on jet skis, we went to the best…read moreplaces and had a great experience

This is one of the most beautiful, publicly maintained beach I have ever been to!…read more Here is what to expect: - Free and abundant parking - Clean bathrooms - Picnic tables, grills - Playground And the main star of the show .... the beach! The fine, white sand is made of quartz so it actually stays cools in the summer heat. If your children like hunting for seashells or building sand castles, this place can't be beat. This beach borders Longboat Key and the views going over the bridge of the undeveloped, stretches of pure white sand, and aquamarine water is breathtaking. This truly is one of my favorite places in the US to be.

Well I'm thankful for the friends that introduced me to this beach. What a pleasant change from…read moreClearwater beach and the nearby beaches in the Tampa-St. Pete area. It's clean, the water is clear enough for Florida's standards, there is a lot of free paved parking and easy access to the beach. There are multiple shower areas and an established restroom (didn't use so I don't know how clean it is but it exists). The beach staff take care of the area as I witnessed environmental making sure garbage isn't spilled over and patrons were actually good about cleaning up. There is also a separate area where with picnic benches. So it's definitely a beach I would return to.

We had an absolutely amazing experience with Captain Anne! We booked a four-hour trip for our…read morefamily, and every minute was memorable. As a local, she has incredible knowledge of the area and shared fascinating history and insights throughout the tour. She's friendly, engaging, and fantastic with kids. Our adventure included sightseeing, exploring sandbars, spotting dolphins, catching local critters, and learning so much about the area. She also recommended a local restaurant that ended up being the best meal of our entire vacation! Captain Anne went above and beyond to make our day special, and the memories she helped create will stay with us for years to come. If I could give more than five stars, I absolutely would. Thank you, Captain Anne

Anne's calm water charters was amazing and Anne is a real gem. Can't wait to go back again…read more She has been in the area since 1979 and knows everyone around. Made for an even more adventurous time on the water. Her knowledge was amazing and the scenery was outstanding. Highly recommend using her. Rates were great. Easy to do business with. Just a lot of fun as well. We did a few hours in the afternoon with her. Did the critter tour and dolphins and manatees. Which we did see lots of dolphins.

Our tour guide, Jeff was fantastic. He was very friendly, knowledgeable and fun! He was careful to…read moreexplain all of the kayaking techniques we would encounter and how to maneuver in tight places. On our way, he shared information about the area, the history of how the park was founded, rolls is about the ecology and the animals we encountered. Unfortunately there were no manatees, which are my granddaughter's favorite! that day, but he still told us all about them. All of the gentlemen that were working were very welcoming, helpful and personable. We loved the tour and would return and recommend Happy Paddler Tours!

Shane was helpful and accommodating. The spot was clean and secure, the free to use waterproof…read moreitems for protecting phones and valuables were an added bonus. The paddle was a blast. We saw dolphins, lots of birds, collected shells, enjoyed the driftwood beach and maximized our four hour self guided tour! We will use Happy Paddler anytime guests join us at Longboat Pass!