Is How Sweet It Is...Private Island Beach Life pet-friendly?

Yes, pets are allowed at this property.

Where is How Sweet It Is...Private Island Beach Life located?

Situated by the sea, this vacation home is within 1 mi (2 km) of Little Gasparilla Island Beach and Tails and Scales Charters. Gasparilla Marina and Uncle Henrys Marina are also within 2 mi (3 km).

How Sweet It Is...Private Island Beach Life Reviews, Deals & Photos 2025

10/10 Excellent

Robin D.

Feb 14, 2024

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Awesomeness

Excellent

Stayed 8 nights in Jan 2024

8/10 Good

Nicole K.

Oct 7, 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, communication, listing accuracy

Disliked: Check-in

Fall ‘23

Property is nice & cute. Easy short walk to the beach. Loved the sunset views from the back decks. Unfortunately the mosquitos and no-see-ums are atrocious & can’t enjoy the porch or deck. This is about 1/2 way on the island and the sand is lower, so it stays damp. Needs a new shower head. Vacuum doesn’t pick up the sand. Could use some mats at the doors and curtains in the LR.

Stayed 7 nights in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

John R.

Jun 7, 2024

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

What a wonderful time!

My wife and I love going here to get away and relax. We took Pirates Water Taxi to the island, where we were picked up at the dock and taken to the house. I think it took longer to load the cart than it did to drive there. This is the first time we rented this place. It is very comfortable and it feels lived in, like a beach house should. Everything worked fine & we had zero issues. Love the large outdoor shower! Everything we needed was there & the beach chairs were great! Its about a one minute walk and your on the beach. We were there during a holiday when it was busy and it felt as if we had the beach to ourselves. When you see the most people is during sunset, & its always breathtaking! Late at night you can go out on the beach and with a red light, or a full moon you can watch the sea turtles come in and lay eggs. This is a special place because there are no cars, no roads leading to it. The people are friendly and respectful. It is all private property and private beach. Thank you to the owner for sharing their wonderful piece of heaven! We loved it!!

Stayed 3 nights in May 2024

6/10 Okay

Miasarah R.

Aug 28, 2022

Liked: Location

Disliked: Check-in, communication

Awesome location but needs work!

I want to start this review by saying our stay was a good time, the rental home is actually good and has the potential to be great. However, the people who rent (Tarpon Rental) this place need to do a better job. If you are bringing pets they will hit you with a hidden fee the day of that is $168 and was not disclosed until you go get the keys. I did not mind the fee as much as I did the whole not telling us and keeping it a surprise until we got there. The check in process was not very friendly. Again, the house has SO much potential and is in a great location and the people on the island are super friendly and willing to help. The house could use some care and a good thorough cleaning as it was not in the best conditions and last thing I want to do during a vacation is clean up, which should not be the case if they charge such a high cleaning fee. We are glad that we brought our own linens, towels, blankets because the ones either have sand on them or are not clean so make sure you pack those up but travel light because it is a bit of a walk to bring everything into the house. Overall, we still made the best out of our trip, it was super relaxing and the sunsets are absolutely breathtaking here.

Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2022

8/10 Good

Jasmany N.

Jul 14, 2022

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Nice Beach House

I love the place. Very nice. If you love everyday beach this is the place. House just needs alittle updating. But loved it...

Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2022

6/10 Okay

kevin l.

Jun 4, 2022

Liked: Cleanliness, communication, location, listing accuracy

Disliked: Check-in

Great Cottage BUT...

Better get a GOLF CART or someone to drag your stuff to the house from the DOCK ! Office ladies are fine, but the load/unload was BRUTAL ! Cottage is easy 1/4 mile walk from dock with fishcart that holds 2 bags + - Promised a ride from office + delivery of stuff to cottage, got none - Slider wheels on GLASS DOOR terrible ( main entrance ) A/C vents filthy, def. a beach shack in need of some owner's $$ - Dryer on last legs, appliances original from the 1970's - Note: This cute cottage is USED too much - Great place & location / but a family of 4 easily shows it's weakness ~ I DO recommend this place, but if you're looking for perfect and easy, try another - Needs a strong Dad / Mom willing to work to make it work for a family - Golf cart is a MUST ! Sadly, owner has GC locked up downstairs, too bad its not for the paying customer ~ In summary: Enjoyable but exhausted from our vacation -

Stayed 3 nights in May 2022

6/10 Okay

Marlene C.

May 8, 2022

Liked: Check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Amazing Location on LGI

The location of this How Sweet It Is is just a short boardwalk to the amazing beach of Little Gasparilla. We did have two non-related events that caused power outages of 16+ hours. This property could use an upgrade on basics like flashlights and candles, along with a deep cleaning. The floors never felt entirely clean and the dishwasher is iffy. Also, don’t plan on using the second fridge…or opening it, for that matter. The sheets and upholstery all need a good shakeout/cleaning as well. One final note, the second bedroom window leaks during driving rain and water pools on the floor. Not trying to discourage because the location is great and the people you meet are so friendly and helpful. This is a good property waiting to be great with a little TLC. The garbage service is as promised, and with the cost of water taxis, it might be good to have that second refrigerator clean and working to store extra groceries. LGI is magical and memories are there to be made. Our check-in was slightly delayed through no fault of Audra, so we were grateful to have her wait for us with keys.

Stayed 8 nights in Apr 2022

8/10 Good

William D.

Apr 19, 2022

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Would stay again

Cute beach house, great location on quiet section of beach. Kitchen supplies could use updating but otherwise well stocked. Comfortable beds too!

Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2022

8/10 Good

Gennifer C.

Jan 9, 2022

Liked: Cleanliness, location, listing accuracy

Beautiful Island

We loved our stay and will probably be back. The house had everything we needed, and the island is beautiful. If you’re coming around Christmas, we noticed that the crowds came immediately after the 25th. Just FYI if you want a less crowded experience. The only small inconveniences we came across were being given the wrong set of keys at check-in. No big deal. We just had to wait a little bit for the correct set to be brought. Also we were asked on a couple occasions to contact the people on the island who could take us and our luggage to and from the dock, but were never provided their numbers. When we asked to have their numbers, we were told to call the office. Customer service there was a little lacking. On our last day, we asked about a ride back to the dock with all our luggage and were told “we only get you to the house, not back”, so we opted to take several trips walking our luggage to the dock. Again, that was a customer service issue, but not a huge deal. Just something to take note of. One note on the house: During our stay the inside shower was not operating properly. Luckily the outdoor shower is amazing and much more comfortable.

Stayed 6 nights in Dec 2021

10/10 Excellent

Kristina S.

Jul 7, 2021

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Private Island Getaway

Little Gasparilla Island is a wonderful vacation getaway! There are no roads on the island, no cars, no stores or restaurants. It's wonderfully quiet and private. The beach is soft white sand, and the ocean is safe and perfect for swimming in the warm, clear green waves. The beach is a quick two minute walk, there are houses directly in front of this property, which was kind of misleading based on how it is presented. The ocean view that you do have is from the back porch that gets full sun all day long and is too hot to enjoy. This is easily remedied by simply going down to the beach to enjoy the stellar views. Previous reviews have stated that the property is dated, and although the decor is charming, as a homeowner, dated means the bathroom is dingy and badly requires updating, and the beds are horribly uncomfortable. The kitchen is stocked with most of what you need to fix your meals, and there is also onsite laundry. The rental check in was very easy and right next to a grocery store. We bought our supplies and went straight to the dock for the water taxi, all very easy and convenient. We very much loved our time on LGI and appreciated our stay at this property, any negative review is more of a heads up than it is meant to deter renters. We loved our vacation on LGI and only wish we spent more time there. (Family of four, with an 18 and 14 yo.)

Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2021

10/10 Excellent

COnnie E.

Jul 7, 2021

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Very peaceful

We enjoyed this vacation spot so much! Everything was perfect.

Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2021

10/10 Excellent

Robert S., Oak Ridge, USA

Jun 23, 2021

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great time

Audra and Judy were great.. house was nice and local was excellent.

Stayed 10 nights in Jun 2021

8/10 Good

Doris M., Gastonia North Carolina

Jun 3, 2021

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Only One Complaint

This property was perfect for me and my small dog. It's not immaculate but comfortable and felt almost like home. The furniture they have on the deck is VERY nice! The outside underneath the house was a great area to kick back and relax. The ONLY complaint I have was that the description says that it has the internet but it was down the entire time I was there. I understand that this is something that does happen on the island but I wish this was put in the description of the property instead of saying they had it. I called the realty company several times and the issue was never resolved. I needed it for work so this was very frustrating.

Stayed 7 nights in May 2021

10/10 Excellent

heather n.

Mar 31, 2021

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

A little gem of a house!

We decided to book a place at LGI on a whim, and were really pleased with our stay! The island is magical, and really fun and relaxing. The beach and ocean are AMAZING. Truly just a minute walk to the beach. In spring you can see the sunset from the deck. The deck furniture is really nice! The outdoor spaces are plentiful and comfortable. The house is super cute. A little dated and low budget with the amenities, but really not an issue. The couch is comfortable. The main bed is comfortable. The twin beds are not comfortable, but would be fine for young kids. The TV is cable only with no on-demand access or ability to log into Netflix or other online services. I would change that if I were the owner. We were a bit nervous about being "stranded" on the island for a week. We made an extra reservation for the water taxi just in case we needed to get off the island. It's NOT needed. We went off the island for sightseeing, but there's not a lot to do that's nearby, and you can get groceries delivered. I wish we had just done that. A golf cart is not necessary, but it is really nice to go on evening rides, so if you can swing the extra $$ I would do it. Definitely order pizza from the pizza delivery on the island. The number should be on the fridge. Also be sure to visit the gift shop at the north end. Super cute and lots of great souvenirs. Bring an umbrella or tent canopy for the sunny days. Definitely worth it! We purchased seafood from Twin Lobster before we ferried over and it was delicious. If your kids have a Onewheel, they would be perfect for the island. Tarpon Realty was very helpful and cheerful! Very easy to work with. Definitely worth it to vacation here!! Take the plunge - you won't regret it

Stayed 7 nights in Mar 2021

10/10 Excellent

Kelsey L.

Sep 1, 2020

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Wonderful stay!

We had a wonderful stay! The house has everything you need for a great beach trip. I have been coming to LGI for years and was so grateful for the ease of the check-in and checkout process, communication from the host, support getting from the dock to the house, and the many amenities provided! We did have a little trouble with the Internet, but that is typical of a stay on the island. We hope to be back soon!

Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2020

10/10 Excellent

brenda E.

Sep 4, 2019

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Wonderful!

The property is fantastic! Loved everything about it!

8/10 Good

Scott L.

Jun 6, 2019

Fantastic Location

This property is situated within very close proximity to beach access via a boardwalk over the nearby sand dune. The golf cart was a tremendous amenity provided by this rental. Being a pet friendly property was an added bonus for our Vizsla. The only real negatives noted were a front sliding door that was not fully functional and was extremely difficult to open and close and sand remaining in the shower upon arrival. Overall a nice place to stay on a great island!

8/10 Good

Angela S.

Dec 17, 2018

Perfect for quiet getaway

Make sure you understand that Little Gasparilla is only accessible by boat and there are no stores of any kind. It was exactly what we were looking for. House is very close to the beach. Golf cart was fun. Nice house, comfortable beds and furniture. A bit dated and very clean but not immaculate. I would rent this house again.

Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2018

10/10 Excellent

Kelley M.

Aug 20, 2018

Great property

The property was perfectly located and equipped. We enjoyed relaxing there very much. Red Tide was in at the time we were visiting which was not much fun, but we had fun in spite of it. The home was wonderful!

Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2018

How Sweet It Is...Private Island Beach Life

Photo gallery for How Sweet It Is...Private Island Beach Life

Reviews

Entire home

Popular amenities

Add dates for prices

About this property

Entire place