Guest Hook Travel Guides Anna Maria Island | Page 4

MARIE & TOMAS' REAL ANNA MARIA ISLAND...

Anna Maria Island is this miniature island where it feels
like a time warp has descended on the place and it allows
time to be the 40s, 50s, 60s and forward to today - all at
the same time!
You know how you sometimes go away and think that
you need another vacation to recuperate after your
holiday? That's very unlikely to happen here! Somehow
life slows down and it helps you relax. Maybe it's the long
sandy beach, the lack of high rises or the sunsets into the
Mexican Gulf, I don't know.
At the same time, this is not one of those sleepy little
places where you are likely to get bored after a short
while. There's so much to do if one wants to, it's just not
obtrusive.
Anna Maria has lots of good restaurants, coffee shops, a
charter boat marina, Segway rentals, para-sailing, several
rental agencies of bikes, beach chairs, paddle boards,
kayaks, jet skis, the list goes on... There's one thing you
won't find on the Island though - chain restaurants. I'm
sure that McDonalds, Pizza Hut etc would move in at the
blink of an eye, if only they were allowed to.
Although there is such a variety of activities to keep you
entertained somehow it's still all about the beach on
this 7 mile island. The entire west coast is white sandy
beaches that are made of quartz. Have you ever been
running on sand as hot as coal trying to get to the water
before your soles are burnt red? That won't happen

here. You can walk barefoot in the middle of the day and
the sand will feel totally comfortable.
The whole beach is public so you can walk from the north
to the south and then if you need to rest your legs just
take the free trolley that runs every 20 minutes. A good
way to experience this is by taking a morning stroll, stop
for breakfast at a cafe and then hop on the trolley back
home again!
Anna Maria Island is relaxed, safe and friendly with lots
of things to do. It's marketed as "Paradise without an
attitude" and "A slice of Old Florida" and I guess many
people agree since it has been awarded as one of the 10
best islands to visit by Tripadvisor two years in a row! In
2013 AMI was number 4 and in 2014 it was up to number
3, putting it ahead of islands like Hawaii, Hilton Head,
Nantucket and Key West!
In spite of the beach being the main attraction, wildlife is
never far away. I will always remember the first time that
we came to the Island and Tomas spotted a frigate bird,
he was like a little child! He is an avid birder and the fact
that birds are so much more comfortable in being close
to people here really makes it a perfect spot to just enjoy
watching their behaviour. The east side of the Island is
covered in mangroves and when you enter there it feels
like a completely different world. To just sit and watch
the crabs run up and down along the trunks, showing off
their one big claw is mesmerizing.