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Longboat Key, Florida
and the Resort at Longboat Key

By: Norm Goldman
Artist: Lily Azerad-Goldman

Located on a barrier island just off the coast of Sarasota in the Gulf of Mexico is paradise personified, Longboat Key.

It is a private island 7 miles from the Sarasota/Bradenton airport, 60 miles south of Tampa and a 2- hour drive from Orlando.

Eleven miles of golden beachfront provides the ideal location for that special romantic get-away or honeymoon, or even a family togetherness vacation.

With a population of only 8,000 permanent residents, and the absence of t-shops, noisy traffic, mini-malls, fast food outlets, neon signs and everything else that is horrendous in many beachfront communities, Longboat Key well deserves its reputation as the perfect setting for the ultimate in vacation.

It is believed that the first inhabitants of Long Boat Key were the Native Americans, the Timucan and Caloosa tribes.

In  1539 the Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto landed in the area with his men in their longboats; more dramatically, however, Jean Lafitte from New Orleans, who was called the gentleman pirate, used this area in the 1800’s.

In the early 1920’s, John Ringling of circus fame purchased considerable acreage on the south end of the island. Ringling constructed a golf course and planted Australian pine trees along Gulf of Mexico Drive. He also began construction of a luxurious hotel, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on New Pass, which he eventually abandoned, and invested, instead, in The John and Mabel Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota.

Thanks to the Arvida Company that the development of the island, and its transformation into a first class resort destination was initiated in 1956.

Accommodations may be plentiful in Longboat Key; however, there are very few that can boast having a AAA Four-Diamond rating.

The Resort at Longboat Key Club has rightfully merited this classification, when you consider its dramatic vantage point with its magnificent views overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, as well as its elegant accommodations.

The history of this resort dates back over 40 years, when Longboat Key Club commenced operations as a country club with 18 holes of golf.

In 1982 the Resort at Longboat Key Club was built as part of a planned development that included condos, private residences, an expanded country club and a resort.

Guests can enjoy a country club atmosphere with a private beach, 45 holes of championship onsite golf, 38 tennis courts (6 lighted for night play), a fitness center with massage therapies, heated pool and Jacuzzi, sail boats, rafts, boogies boards, bicycles, a double beach lounger, daily delivery of newspaper and coffee.

Complimentary shuttle service to the sophisticated shopping area of St.Armands Circle, as well as to a shopping plaza with a grocery store are also provided.

To satisfy your appetite, there are 4 unique restaurants owned by the Resort and a dining room that offers seasonal buffets. The sophisticated Sands Pointe restaurant serves seafood specialities and a wine list recently recognized by Wine Spectator magazine.

The 232 elegant rooms and suites are divided into guest rooms, club suites, one and two bedroom suites, and deluxe two bedroom suites.

Each room has a large private balcony with a view of the beach, lagoon or golf course.

The suites contain full kitchens, refrigerators with ice makers, Cable TV and movies-on-demand, Internet access and data port access, hair dryers and bathrobes, iron and ironing boards, coffee makers and mini bars. There is also a twice-daily housekeeping service that includes a nightly turndown service.

Those who may be celebrating a special event or occasion can take advantage of some of the various packages offered, such as the Island Romance or Stay and Play family package.

There is also a year around “Kids Klub” for children ages 5-12 from Monday through Saturday.

Activities include crafts, tennis, golf, and field trips to the movies, Jungle Gardens, Mote Marine, bowling and a near-by “Fun Park.”

If you are looking for a storybook wedding, you certainly have come to the right place.

You can have a rehearsal dinner, reception, on premise wedding, post wedding brunch, entertainment, linens, plant rental, room décor, on-site photographer, and an on site Florist.

It is a sort of place that one dreams about when thinking about the perfect wedding environment that satisfies just about all of your whims.

One caveat, after you have savoured the elegance and beauty of The Resort at Longboat Key, you may not want to go home.

INFORMATION

Address: 301 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key, FL. 34228
Tel: (888) 237-5545
Web Site: www.longboatkeyclub.com

Norm and Lily Azerad-Goldman are a unique husband and wife team, writer and water colorist, who write and paint about romantic destinations.

Basically, they meld art and words in order to create an unusual travel story, which generates interest, particularly because of the fact that each painting appears to have been ‘custom-made’ for the story-original story and original art.

They can be contacted at: l.goldman@sympatico.ca 

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