Four relaxing vacation days in Siesta Key and Sarasota, Florida

Back in January, my sister decided she wanted to take my parents on a vacation trip to Siesta Key.

She just got her first big girl job and had the money to do so, plus we had vouchers from when we got screwed over by Southwest Airlines on our trip to Hawaii last year. So she waited to book tickets after seeing if I was going to be sent to India (spoiler: I was not), and then we all packed our bags and prepped to head out to Florida for only four days.

Siesta Key had always been my mother’s dream to visit ever since she read about it in a magazine, and it was declared one of the best beaches in the country. Basically, everyone in our circle went there before she did, and now it was her opportunity to go.

One thing I would suggest for those looking to go to Florida is that if you can avoid going in the summer, definitely do so. When we first arrived at the end of the June the heat wasn’t as bad, but into the Fourth of July weekend it began to feel like a very warm kind of hell.

That made the beach a necessary trip because of how we ended up feeling like we were going to be roasted alive if we didn’t end up in the water. I also realized I needed to carry water because of how dehydrated I was getting in this heat.

In the end, we all agreed we would go back. It was such a nice, relaxing vacation and although my father whined at having nothing to do, I loved going to bed each night and waking up not expecting to have a to-do list. It was peaceful.

Flying into Florida

We got a nonstop flight from Baltimore to Sarasota/Brandenton, and that ended up costing us about a thousand dollars after the vouchers were applied.

Flights were really expensive this summer, but when we arrived at BWI to fly out, a ton of people were also flying out. We got at the airport at around six-thirty am after finding our parking spot and getting the shuttle, and ended up getting through security in less than ten minutes after being given the express line.

The flight to Florida was fine; basically we ended up sleeping the entire time. It got a little bumpy once we were over Florida, but besides that it was smooth.

We got into the airport, gawked at how there literally wasn’t anyone in the security line, and then spent an hour in line for our rental car through Budget. Everything moves slowly here in Florida, and we were not amused as my sister and I sat on the floor waiting for our parents to be finished.

We couldn’t check into our condo until a couple of hours later, so we drove to the outlets that were about thirty minutes away. It was super hot and we were hungry, so we walked around for a bit, then headed to the food court. My parents got slices of pizza, and my sister and I split a few chicken tenders. I had made a dinner reservation at an Italian restaurant that made their own pasta, so we didn’t want to eat a complete meal.

After a few hours passed, we headed to Siesta Key, which is its own island. It was about thirty minutes from there, too, and we checked into our condo at the Palm Bay Beach Club. It was a cute little place with one bedroom and two beds, and it had an ocean view of the pool and the white sand.

There were bar style seats so you could eat your breakfast looking out at the view, and we were pleased to do that every morning (except my father, who prefers his phone screen and the television). I’ll discuss all the food places below, but after dinner we headed into Sarasota to pick up groceries from Publix to make breakfast.

Beach Days!

We spent the vast majority of our time in Siesta Key at the beach. The one amazing thing about our rental is that the Palm Bay Beach Club has its own private beach. Our beach was kind of empty compared to the public one down the road, and you had to show your wristbands in order to get a spot on the beach.

There were also men working on the beach that would straight up deliver your chairs to your chosen spot on the beach, which was awesome. We kept making jokes about how this is like the rich live.

Siesta Key is said to be the best beach in the country, and I will firmly agree on that statement. It’s on the Gulf of Mexico, which means the water is warmer than the Atlantic Ocean. I hate beaches with a passion, but my mother was highly impressed that I kept getting out of my chair and going into the water.

You could see all the long and big fish swimming around your feet—that’s how clear it was. The sand was also a firm white and like powdered sugar—it glides right off your feet.

I ended up reading a grand total of five books during this time, as this was such a relaxing trip where I refused to do any work. It was glorious. But I exhausted my personal book supply and ended up leeching off the books that were in our condo.

They had a small collection of books on the ocean, nonfiction, crime novels, and some mainstream books. I ended up reading two books about World War I and World War II; I enjoyed Dead Wake more of the two.

The sun was extremely intense, as I mentioned before. We double applied sunscreen and still I got majorly burned on my shins and feet. My sister and father looked like lobsters, and we rarely burn because of our Middle Eastern genes. If you were not careful, this sun could absolutely ruin you.

We also had two umbrellas we took refuge under, but in this area you kind of need a tent in order to get away with not being fried like a lobster.

Also bring food if you’re staying long; we saw a ton of families with pizza, cookout gear, etc. Some even brought fireworks to light at night; the sunset walks on the water were absolutely gorgeous to see each night.

There’s also turtle season if you’re coming after May and before winter; we spotted a turtle hatching enclosure right by the water our final night walking on the beach.

Lots of good eats.

My family puts me in charge of food because I have a taste for good food without breaking the bank, and Siesta Key was a little pricier if we’re talking about meals. The average restaurant was above $20 a plate, and if you’re heading into the main part of town, it’s impossible to find free parking at certain times of the day. W

e were so frustrated with the parking situation in Siesta Key, and we genuinely all agreed that the downtown part of the area was not good.

Downtown Sarasota looked nice, we didn’t go there, but Siesta Key was more of a place where you just chill at the beach. Even the souvenir shops sucked. But we were only a five minute drive, thankfully, so that wasn’t bad.

Anyways, here’s a list of the best eats I picked out:

Cafe Gabbiano Restaurant. This was where we ate at the first night. I had made a reservation for 5 PM, which is when they open, and honestly, we didn’t need it. If you show up at opening no one’s there. It was only us. They started us off with fresh made bread and olive oil with balsamic, which was delicious. My parents ordered caesar salads to start with. Then our entrees came out. I ordered the lasagne bolognese, and you could tell they made their pasta from scratch. It was al dente, but it was made with love. I enjoyed their food very much.
The Cottage. My sister and I split the bill at this restaurant. She ordered a grouper sandwich, while my parents and I ordered the Peruvian chicken. This was on the pricier side, but it came with an insane amount of food. Each of us were given 1/2 of a chicken, a pile of fries, and a bowl full of coleslaw. I don’t eat coleslaw, but my parents raved about it. The Peruvian chicken was extremely tender and melted right off the bone, and while I was disappointed they didn’t give us the green sauce that Peruvian places usually give you, the yellow was fine. My sister liked her grouper as well.
Made in Rome Organic Gelato. This was our dessert the first day after the Italian food, as I really wanted to try this gelato. I read the owner was from Italy, which caught my interest. We all ordered the amaretto cherry gelato, except my father (he got a sugar free strawberry one), and agreed that is was good.
Meaney’s Mini Donuts. This was our dessert the third day. We ordered three different kinds of mini donuts to try out as a kind of sampler of sorts. Each donut container cost us $5, so $15 for 18 donuts wasn’t bad, even if they were the mini ones. My sister got the plain glazed ones, my mother ordered the Bavarian cream, and I got the strawberry cheesecake. I liked mine order the best, and my mother agreed.
Columbia Restaurant (St. Armands). My parents and I agreed this was our favorite restaurant of the trip. We went on our final night, and it was about a twenty minute drive. We parked at the church nearby (which was donation-based parking), and then were seat in the outdoor section. This is a famous Cuban restaurant because it’s the oldest restaurant in Florida, having been established in 1905; I bought my best friend a gift card to the Tampa location before she moved and she loved it. They start you off with literally half a loaf of bread per person, and my father was in love the moment they set that bread down. It was warm, and the waitress said they had them brought in fresh from Tampa each morning. I ordered the Cubano sampler, which gave a bunch of different Cuban dishes: a slow-roasted pork, a beef roast, plantains, steamed yucca, a beef empanada, and yellow rice topped with onions and beans. My mother and sister ordered shrimp and yellow rice, while my father got the grouper. Everyone raved about their meals, and we got the churros for dessert-the guava sauce was divine. The vibes are also so cute here, as it looks very Cuban and is mainly open-air seating.
Another Broken Egg Cafe. Our final meal before heading to the airport. We parked in front of the restaurant and were seated immediately at eight am, but it got very crowded as the time wore on. My sister and I agreed to go dutch for this meal, so she ordered the strawberry French toast and I ordered the cookie dough waffle. My father got an omelette and my mother a regular waffle. Each came with a side dish and two eggs—it was an insane amount of food for the price. We were stuffed in the end, but wow this was one of the best breakfasts I’ve had in a while. The perfect ending for this trip.

St. Armands Circle

We came to St. Armands to originally eat at the Columbia Restaurant, but decided to stay and walk around for a while.

We all agreed this was so much cuter than the downtown Siesta Key area, and the shops were even better quality and nicer. After our dinner we basically just went in and out of shops at this time, although it was almost the period where everyone was beginning to close down for the evening, and looked at the various Greek style statues they have in the area.

There’s a cute little rock garden in these parts, too, that we spent five minutes gawking over before moving on to the other side of the circle. If you need somewhere to eat, this part of town definitely has you covered!

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