Dan,
We had an amazing week staying at your beautiful home. My only regrets are that we couldn't stay longer and that it has taken me a couple of months to write a review. We have four active children, ages 5, 7, 9, and 11 and this was the perfect home and the perfect vacation. For our first couple of days the gulf was extremely calm, and all of us enjoyed diving for shells as we snorkeled and paddleboarded in the gulf. Saw a handful of stingrays, fish, etc.. but pulled up a ton of beautiful shells, before they had a chance to wash ashore. As the wind kicked up a bit the small swell was wonderful for the kids and I to ride the waves on their SUP's and boogie boards. For the remainder of the week, depending on wind direction we spent all our time on the sound side (Pine Island Sound) exploring the canals that lead to and from Braynerd Bayou on our SUP's. It's an easy paddle over and the canals with their mangrove trees alive with crabs were wonderful to explore. We paddled among 6 - 8 Manatees on the way to or from the Bayou each day. The manatees were very curious and friendly like a golden retriever. We also saw several dolphins, small hammerhead sharks, rays, and more fish leap out of the air than I can possibly count and too many birds to mention. The kids felt so adventuresome paddling with ease through the tight canals and Bayou - it's truly another world! The accomodations are exactly as advertised - truly a spectacular place! The kids room, wii, pool, throwing rocks to knock down the coconuts across the street, shelling, wildlife - it all was a great adventure - Thank you for everything.