Over the past 20+ years, we have rented dozens of homes for both short and long terms. As previously stated in the other reviews, this was one of the most comfortable homes we have yet to find, both indoors and outdoors. We originally rented for 2 months – Feb. and March – and as with all long-term rentals that we have had, there were items that we wanted that were not available. But with only a couple exceptions, the owner accommodated our requests promptly and happily and that is not always the case at all. Again, I won’t expand on previous reviews much as they cover the wildlife and the view quite well. (Though I will say that in mid-Feb. there were 13 manatees at the same time in the basin and that was awesome and we were there long enough to know by sight many of them and even were treated to 2 babies during our stay.) I will also add that the local neighbors were great and that is also not always the case with renting. They were an added bonus, especially once the COVID virus started hitting.
My review is going to focus on one thing – the owner. When the virus hit, Monroe County issued a decree on March 20th that all visitors renting in the Keys had to leave when their contracts were up. We had rented through April 4th, , but had already made an agreement to extend our contract through early May or June because of the virus. When this mandate came down, the owner went to bat with the County and the Keys Council to grant an exception for us. My partner has a serious medical condition and we were very concerned about travelling. Despite all her efforts and the documentation that we and she had provided at their request, the “powers that be” were everything one hates about bureaucracy and they would not budge.
So, we arranged for the equipment that he needs to be delivered to the hotels we were planning to stay at on our way home. On the morning of April 3rd, we were informed that the equipment was no longer available due to all of the stay-at-home orders and increased demand. To say that the owner again took on City Hall would be an understatement. That same afternoon, at 3pm, we got a call from the County Zoning Office telling us that we had been granted an exception and could stay as long as needed!
If you are looking for a comfortable home with an awesome view and manatees, dolphins, tarpon, iguanas, heron, peacocks, etc etc AND an owner that has your comfort and interests in mind throughout your stay, this is the place.