Siesta Sunset Royale beach house

It was a long pursuit with many hurdles to overcome, but on Monday July 12th Nann and I became the proud owners of this incredible beach house. Built in 1999 and operated by one-owner with a following of regular visitors until August 1, 2009 when the business was closed and the  furniture and appliances were sold off, future reservations canceled and bank foreclosure proceedings began.  The property had been listed for sale, but the change in the economy was instrumental in not finding a buyer.  The property was listed for sale at a time when buyers were few and financing almost nonexistent. The property could not be sold for the amount that was owed in mortgages and while the foreclosure procedure progressed a short sale offer was approved by the bank. When the short sale sign was posted by the Realtor, Nann and I never questioned each other on should we buy it, but rather on how.

Siesta Sunset Royale map location on Siesta Key

Siesta Sunset Royale is located across from Crescent Beach access #7 and is one-block from the tropical Village of Siesta Key. The street address is 5322 Calle de la Siesta and is next to the Charles Ringling House on Beach Rd. This convenient location gives you no reason to leave the key during your visit and makes your toughest decision each day to decide between starting your day on the beach, a short one minute walk or in the tropical Village of Siesta Key a one block walk. We have literally spent every waking hour since closing on the beach house planning our opening day of July 31, 2010 and working at obtaining all of the furniture and housewares that are required to make Siesta Sunset Royale an incredible vacation holiday rental.

John Stanton's rendering of new facade for Siesta Sunset Royale

The property was improved by the former owner with the addition of a pool and spa in 2000  and an expansion of the penthouse in 2002. Additionally our good friend and artist, John Stanton, has been pumping out design changes for Siesta Sunset Royale that are being implemented now and scheduled for future implementation once we have recovered from this first wave of spending. Our contractors are making a number of updates to this eleven year old beach house that will enhance what is already an incredible property with a sky deck that allows panoramic views of Crescent Beach and Siesta Key. The fourth floor efficiency penthouse with a breakfast deck, beach sun deck and alfresco dining room is a perfect getaway location for couples or singles of all ages.

Pool & Spa at Siesta Sunset Royale

Siesta Sunset Royale is a perfect addition to our Penthouse condo #408 at Sunset Royale. Our rental guests and VIP guests will now have access to the pool and spa including their own locker at the pool that can be accessed with their condo key. Nann and I have been diligent over the past 12 years in providing upgrades to our Penthouse at Sunset Royale that improved the holiday experience of our guests.  We were motivated owners at Sunset Royale who were instrumental in the recent rehabilitation and updating of our building at Sunset Royale. We have been relentless in pursuing information and input from our rental guests on how we could improve our penthouse at Sunset Royale. A common question from first rental inquiries was whether or not we had a pool. We knew it was just wishful thinking that a pool would be in Sunset Royale’s future, but today Siesta Sunset Royale provides this pool and spa at our new beach house for all of our rental guests 0f the Penthouse at Sunset Royale.

The last few weeks have been quite an ordeal for Nann and I. The day after we closed on the beach house Nann underwent rotator cuff surgery at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. Additionally we have both been plagued with an unusual malady where we find ourselves waking up in the night and pouring through our closing papers to make sure we did not just dream that we did this,  pinching ourselves during the day to see if we are dreaming all of this and walking around with a smile on our faces that we can’t seem to get rid of. If these symptoms do not go away in the next few years perhaps we’ll seek further help, but for the time being this is pretty nice to live with.

This tip has not only brought nice compliments to many of my dinner recipes, but has also allowed me to salvage what might have been a rather mediocre or even tasteless entree that needed to have some vibrant and flavorful sauce to gather flavor for the entree that needed help. From my perspective eating out should always be an adventure, but the real adventure is preparing your own meals and recipes. Although I have been proficient in the kitchen from the time I was growing up with my brother and sisters, I generally followed instructions from my parents or a recipe and rarely ad-libbed in the kitchen. Our two sons, Jason & Justin, also became proficient in the kitchen and for special dinners the boys and I would give mom a break and choose a meal from Gourmet Magazine to prepare for our planned guests. In every case the meal would consist of recipes that we had never before prepared. Using our guests as guinea pigs was fun for us and them. We were also maniacal at finding all of the ingredients that the recipe listed and not much has changed to this day when making someone else’s recipe. Sometimes this was very challenging, but the end results were always a great tasting extravaganza for all to enjoy.

Since moving to Sunset Royale, in the past ten years I have been able to take over the culinary duties and preparing meals is still fun. Now I also prepare my own recipes and I would like to share a personal tip on cooking and a wonderful fish stock recipe. Just as my friend Chris had clued me in so long ago on the importance of understanding reduction I will offer my opinion on the  importance of stock. I don’t care what kind of stock you are making, the ingredients used and the preparation of the stock makes the meal. Stocks need to be rich and flavorful. If you are using store purchased broth I would like to suggest you go out to eat. If you are purchasing stock from the store and it comes in a can or carton, I’m sorry, this is not stock! If you have a special gourmet location that makes their own stock and also makes it available to their customers, you just might be on to something.

Recently our friends from Scotland who were staying in our Sunset Royale  Siesta Key Beachfront vacation rental chartered a boat and asked me to go fishing with them in the Gulf of Mexico. I gladly agreed and planned on spending most of my time taking pictures and to also do a little fishing. I actually spent most of my time fishing and took two pictures.  At the end of the charter our Siesta Key charter captain from Double G Charters, Gary Gilliland,  was cleaning and filleting our fish and I asked him to please also give me the bones and heads. We had a fair amount of fish and I’m sure he thought this was a little unusual, but nonetheless after locking eyes with me and seeing that I was dead serious, complied.

That evening we prepared a meal for seven adults and two children with the Spanish mackerel we had caught that day.  The meal came out great and the rest of the fish along with the fish carcasses and heads were added to the freezer for future meals and for a fish stock. I had placed all of the Spanish Mackerel heads in one freezer bag and following is my recipe for a wonderful, rich fish stock that will enhance your next fish chowder, seafood risotto, seafood sauce or whatever recipe you might have that calls for a fish stock.

Parr’s Siesta Key “Eyes Wide Open” Fish Stock

9-Fish heads-fresh or fresh frozen

2-Large Leeks-light green & whites only sliced in 1/4″ pieces

2-Carrots- peeled and sliced

2-Large yellow onions-sliced

5-Large parsley sprigs

4-Large lemon grass leaves

2-Tbs extra virgin olive oil

2-pieces of whole mace

2-Tbs sea salt

2-Tbs peppercorns

2-Cups dry white wine-not cheap (if you can’t drink it, you don’t cook with it!)

12-Quarts cold water

Spanish mackerel heads resting on sauteed vegetables

Siesta Key "Eyes Wide Open Fish Stock

Place onions, carrots, leeks, parsley, lemon grass, salt, peppercorns, in bottom of a large stock pot. Saute , stirring often, over medium high heat until leeks and onion start to soften, about 5 to 8 minutes. Do not allow onions to brown. Place fish heads on top and cover with wine and water over high heat.  Bring to a rolling boil, skim the foam from the top and turn heat down to low/medium and maintain an active simmer for 30 minutes. Strain the liquid into a large bowl (you can use a large colander for this). Remove fish heads with tongs from strainer and mash fluids from the rest of the broth ingredients in the strainer to add more flavor to the stock. Let stock cool and mix with wooden spoon. Pour two cups of broth into individual freezer bags and place in freezer for future use. Stock will keep for at least 6 months, but make sure you maintain enough stock out of freezer for a meal of your choice to be served tonight. You will find the stock to look rich and flavorful and it is.

Incredible Siesta Key Fish Chowder

After making this rich and flavorful stock I chose to make a fish chowder with some additional Spanish mackerel. This was without a doubt the most flavorful and richest fish chowder I have ever tasted. I hope you enjoy this stock recipe and obviously Spanish mackerel are not a necessary ingredient for a flavorful and rich fish stock. On the other hand, if you are a person who holds great fish stock in high esteem, I would choose a mackerel for my fish head of choice. Siesta Key Eyes Wide Open Fish Stock will not leave you wishing that you had added more flavor, herbs or spices to your stock. Just giving you a “heads up” and if anyone would like my fish chowder recipe, let me know.

Siesta Key Beach Full Parking Lot

The issue of access seems to keep targeting  parking access. One local resident proposed vacant lots along the road become Sarasota County property for additional  parking lots. Some suggest a free bus service from other areas to shuttle beach goers to Siesta Key Beach while others complain the burden of providing parking or access should not be a Sarasota County responsibility.

Many of our Sarasota County supervisors feel it is justifiable to charge for parking at the beach. They claim this will cause visitors not to stay at the beach as long as they presently do, thereby creating space for those who cannot find parking and additionally raising more money for the county to spend. Those supervisors do not not wish to discuss the incredible burden paid parking would put on the surrounding neighborhoods of Siesta Key beaches. There is almost no commercial property in the beach access areas other than access point #5 at the foot of Ocean Boulevard in the Village of Siesta Key. None of the beach access areas accommodate very many cars other than the significant parking lot at the Siesta Key Public Beach entrance.

Presently parking is a problem very few times during the year. One of those times is now when we have many spring breakers and their parents or grandparents driving to the beach with those on spring break to enjoy this ritual. Unlike other spring break areas of Florida, Siesta Key is fairly calm and peaceful, but there is not enough parking for all who wish to be here with a vehicle. During this time of the year all of the condominium associations in the area are forced to be vigilant to keep trespassers out of their residents parking areas. Many pay for security to maintain their parking areas for the residents and others put managers and office help on extra hours of duty to keep their parking spots available. This same problems occur one other time of the year and that is on the 4th of July when Siesta Key merchants and condominium associations sponsor major fireworks on Siesta Key Public Beach.

"Keep out" and "parking lot full" signs do not deter those trying to park

Parking is usually available on most days of the year. Charging for parking would put every business and many condominium associations and residential neighborhoods on year around defense mode to preserve their parking areas for those who own them.

Every merchant in the Village of Siesta Key will tell you that the village is seriously limited in providing parking for everyone during peak times all year round. For many of us walking to the village is healthy and stress free. We don’t need to search and vie for available parking and can’t help but feel bad for those with no other choice.

Siesta Key is a truly unique area and the common reference of many about this being paradise is generally on target. To all of us who live here the minor traffic issues on a few days are easily acceptable. Somehow the merchants in the Village of Siesta Key seem to have figured out ways to accommodate their patrons and share parking facilities at different times of the day and night. The county has been put on notice by merchants and by other Siesta Key Associations that it is not acceptable to expand the business community or additional residential impact without also adding the parking that is necessary to accommodate the expansion.

This leaves the beach access parking as the one remaining issue. I believe I have an answer for this issue. To all those who drive to the beach and find no parking available, go away and visit on another day. I don’t mean to be rude, non-caring or arrogant in my stance, just practical and pragmatic. The reality is that when there is no place to park at the beach the beach is full!! It is at its maximum and you arrived too late on this date to participate.

I did not come to this realization on my own, but rather had it delivered to me along with many other local citizens when I attended an open meeting sponsored by the Sarasota Parks and Recreation. The purpose of the meeting was to inform all who attended about the proposed changes that were presented for everyone’s comments and input. Parking was a popular topic by many of the residents in attendance.  John McCarthy, General Manager of the Sarasota Parks and Recreation, made mention of an older study that was ordered for the State of Florida to determine how many people the State of Florida beaches could reasonably accommodate. I don’t remember the exact number, but the total number of parking spaces at the main beach parking lot after the planned revamping of the park was close to or over the total number of people the park could accommodate and this was factored by an average number of people per vehicle. The study did not include the additional people who walk to the beach from surrounding areas or take public transportation. You might want to read the last sentence one more time. Basically when the parking lot is full so is the beach, in fact it is overcrowded!

Siesta Key Public Beach on a crowded afternoon

Captain Gary Gilliland of Double G Charters

This past year Kevin Smith, our vacation rental guest and friend, asked me if I would like to go charter fishing with his sons Morgan and Lorne and grandson Owen. For some reason I said I wasn’t sure, but stated I did know a local charter captain who had a good reputation and knew the area waters. Kevin took Captain Gary Gilliland of Double G Charters phone number from me and a few days later told me they had arranged the charter and again asked me if I was going and would I be available on the morning of the charter? I thought for about a half of second and said I would and I was! My thought was to just ride along and take pictures, but the fish were biting and before I knew it, I was doing what I always said I was going to do, but never found or made the time to do, fishing.

Captain Gary netting our bait for the day.

Kevin’s older son Morgan showed up timely but groggy for our outing, but younger son Lorne had been over served in Siesta Key Village the night before and did not seem to be able to get out of bed that morning. I learned later Lorne also needed some help in getting into bed early that morning. Lorne had obviously been taken advantage of by the bar maid in the village. Morgan’s young 10 year old son Owen was ready and anxious to get out on the water and catch fish. Our captain was waiting for us at the north bridge on Siesta Key and we were underway quickly. Because of rougher waters further out in the Gulf of Mexico, Gary, our charter captain and owner of Double G Charters, said we would stay in the bay and closer to shore in the Gulf, but not to worry as we were going to catch some fish. We all got on board and in minutes we found ourselves in a grassy area of the bay, with Captain Gary easing up on the throttle and carefully watching the water. Gary pointed to birds over the water and said this is where we will get our bait, cut the engine, threw out the anchor and quickly sent a cast net flying into the water. When he pulled it back up the cast net was teeming with pilchards, which he quickly emptied into our bait tank. Gary cast one more time and we were set for our day of fishing.

Owen Smith of Ballachulish Scotland makes the 1st catch of the day, a spotted brown trout.

Young Owen showed very quickly that he knew something about fishing. Owen questioned me on my fishing abilities and I candidly responded that I had not fished in a number of years. Owen proudly stated he fished all the time with his papa and as I looked over to Owen’s papa, all I could really see was the pride radiating from this gentle Scot who obviously had a special relationship with his grandson. I learned later that Kevin and Owen fished regularly in the Highlands of Scotland where they live and Kevin’s two sons, Morgan and Lorne, were not known to pick up their fishing poles and come along. That was fine with Owen as he received all of papa’s attention. Owen yelled out that he had a fish and was the first to bring one into the boat, a nice spotted brown trout.

Lorne, Sheila, Kevin, Owen, Brione, Natalie and Morgan make up the Smith clan from Ballachulish Scotland

When the fish quit biting in this area of the bay, Captain Gary headed out into the Gulf and anchored in the area of Stickney Point off of Siesta Key. We started catching Spanish Mackerel, King Mackerel and soon had enough for tonight’s dinner along with some future meals. Captain Gary pointed out two very large eagle rays that were jumping out of the water about 200 to 300 yards from our boat. Captain Gary took us back to where he picked us up at the north bridge on Siesta Key and quickly started to clean and fillet our fish.  I realized I needed to speak up quickly if I wanted to keep the fish racks and heads, which I did. When we arrived back at the condos at Sunset Royale, Owen and I found a good recipe for the Spanish mackerel along with a couple of side dishes, which we prepared while uncle Lorne, a professional chef,  continue to recover from the ghosts of Siesta Key Village from the night before. We had a delicious fish dinner and plenty of fish left over for future meals. I learned on this day the importance of hiring a knowledgeable charter captain when planning a day of fishing on Sarasota waters. Only with Captain Gary’s knowledge and contacts on the radio with other captains were we able to bring in the catch we did this day.  I also learned to never underestimate the fishing abilities of a 10 year old who is trained by a talented “papa” on how to fish. In addition I  learned that young Owen was pretty savvy and a quick study in the kitchen. I could not wait until I used the Mackerel heads for a special fish stock, stay tuned.

This suggestion actually started with Giuglia in June of 2009 after her two-week stay at the penthouse and was repeated to us by others renters since. Giuglia’s suggestion was that it would have been nice to have a computer in the condo to go along with the broadband wireless internet that we provide because of the request of another vacationer from a few years back. I told Giuglia that I would follow up with this and over the course of the year discussed with others this suggested addition. This survey included vacationers who had brought their computer along and those who had decided not to or did not have a laptop or webbook to bring and, of course, Nann. To a person they all felt this would be a real benefit and surprisingly those who had brought their own laptop were the most positive on having this feature available in the condo.

Giuglia was right and this had to happen, but it is not as easy as just going out and purchasing a computer. During the survey I learned that for the most part those computer savvy vacationers who brought their computers or would have liked to have a computer available while staying at the penthouse, basically wanted to surf the net, check their email, send emails and source local information. One of the most mentioned websites that the vacationers wanted access to was www.sunsetroyale.com. This is where they were able to source much information before or after they booked their dates for the penthouse and now they were here without a computer to access the website. Sunset Royale’s office does have a computer for rental guests to use while staying at Sunset Royale, but the office hours are limited and not generally maintained so reliability of access is a problem. I on the other hand had concerns about not wanting to become the official computer technician for all issues regarding the computer’s hardware or software.

I also learned that many of our rental guests would have loved to have a computer, but were limited in their computer skills and were not sure they would benefit from a computer. Others had light usage experience and relied on others to help them find their way on operating the computer. Few if any had any interest in printing anything, except for boarding passes and none had any interest in saving a file onto the computer. In my previous life of running an electronic security company I had learned the importance of the KISS principle, Keep It Simple Stupid!

Click on logo to visit litl

In 2009 I read an article about a new computer company in Boston, Massachusetts called litl. The founder and CEO John Chuang spent three years perfecting his concept of a simple webbook device that would satisfy the needs of many Internet users and bring out many more potential users. I am confident of the future success of litl, especially after I received an email from them today telling of interesting and fun new updates to litl with incredibly easy instructions on how to update our (your) litl. This email stated, “Finally, we’ve made improvements to the litl’s software based on your feedback.” I mentioned earlier how important listening to the customer is and obviously litl is of the same belief.

In the late 1800′s and early 1900′s many people would have loved to own and drive a car, but many hurdles stood in their way. Certainly the largest issues were access to a vehicle along with roads and the ability to have the benefit of KISS to operate a vehicle. Many innovations brought the vehicle to almost everyone in America and the rental car companies make it accessible pretty much wherever we go.

Not much is different when you compare this to the advent of the home computer and access to the Internet.  The home computer is now ubiquitous and access to the Internet is pretty much everywhere. Now litl brings ease of use, KISS, to everyone and to condo #408 the Penthouse at Sunset Royale on Siesta Key. Click on the litl logo above and read for yourself on this incredible Internet webbook and book your reservations today to use litl while staying at our (your)  beachfront condo on Siesta Key today.

New look of Sunset Royale on Siesta Key

In August of 2009 I published a blog page on three owners at Sunset Royale who found it necessary to sell their piece of paradise on Siesta Key. In a very short period of time all three condos were sold and we were not surprised. Sunset Royale’s location  on Siesta Key at the public beach is truly idyllic and our recent complete rehab of our building makes this a very desirous building for a Florida second home. This beachfront 34 unit condominium building is not only looking good because of their 2007 investment by owners in completely

View from Lanai Window

rehabbing the building, but also has a vacation rental policy that allows one-week rentals and therefore those owners who choose to rent their condos through the on-site Association owned and operated office have the additional benefit of rental income when they are not using their condos for their own use.

Artie & Beverly VanHouten have had the pleasure of vacationing in their Condo #310 at Sunset Royale since the building was built in 1969. Art’s father is an original

King-size bed & Beach View

owner and purchased this condo in pre-construction. Artie and Bev now have a new custom home they had built in Sarasota County to accommodate their extended family and are offering their newly remodeled and refurnished one-bedroom beachfront condo for sale by owner at $399,000 fully furnished and turnkey ready. The panoramic and unobstructed view of Siesta Key Public Beach and the Gulf of Mexico is visible from every room in the condo.

Living room with queen-size sofa bed

Beside the King-size bed in the bedroom and a queen-size sofa bed in the living room there is also a Murphy bed on the lanai. Condo #310 has new ceramic tile through out the kitchen, dining room, living room and lanai with new carpeting in the bedroom. New fixtures in bathroom and kitchen along with all cabinets, vanity and appliances. With all of the updates inside this very nice condo and the additional building updates of all new windows, doors, roof, sewage waste pipes, water supply pipes, insulation, new building facade, roof and paint this

All new Kitchen

is as close to new construction as you can get without purchasing and paying for new construction prices. In 2009 this condo grossed over $19,000 in rentals and this was with Artie and Bev blocking out many dates for personal use of their “piece of paradise“.

You have received an email of this blog page from the Sunset Royale Breeze because at some time in the past you either vacationed at Sunset Royale, inquired on renting a condo on Siesta Key at Sunset Royale or received vacation rental information from Sunset Royale. We have found that Siesta Key vacationers feel this is a perfect place to vacation and remove the stress of our daily lives. Actually owning and/or living on Siesta Key remains the ultimate dreams of many visitors. If you have an interest in acquiring further information on this Siesta Key opportunity you can contact the owners directly with the information below.

Artie & Bev VanHouten

1-502-695-5202 Residence

1-502-330-1127 Cell phone

abvanhouten@gmail.com

View of Sunset Royale from para-sail in Gulf of Mexico

Once I completed the layout for our special page and before I published it, the reality that with a one-week minimum rental at Sunset Royale it would not matter if I offered one free day or five free days, once it was rented even for just 7 days, I would not have availability for another rental so I changed the offer to up to five free additional contiguous days if you rented within the open dates for condo 408 in December. With the publishing of this special on our website I also sent this special to previous rental guests and awoke the following morning to a request from a previous inquiry, who was not mailed the special offer, requesting to book a week in December during the available period and also taking advantage of one of the special dates available at no additional charge. With a smile on my face the dates were booked. Over the next two days I received inquiries from former rental guests who had received our special offer who were also interested in our special offer.

Oh, oh I needed a plan and quickly looked at the only other available week in 2009, which was seven days in the beginning of November. This time I had no free dates to give away and It is easy to merely provide a discount, but I wanted to again do something different, this time offering a “gourmet” meal cooked by the landlord, delivered and served on the open balcony of condo 408 and with no shame suggested the rental guest invite Nann and I to join them for dinner, but this of course was not mandatory. I responded to our inquiries from former renters who had inquired on the no longer available first offer published this special dinner. Within a few days we received an inquiry from a mother who wanted to know if her daughter would be able to smoke on the outdoor open balcony. I responded positively and made her aware of my dinner offer. We soon received a confirmation with the comment, “You making us dinner ‘seals the deal’, what women would not enjoy that”!

Aerial Photo of Elysian Resort in British Columbia

What followed was a truly pleasurable visit by Gail and her daughter Harmony who manages a fishing resort in British Columbia, Canada called Elysia Resort at Quesnel Lake, which I will publish a follow up blog page on in 2010 before the resort opens for the season. Harmony gave us the unique history of Elysia along with some great stories about the fishing and events that are held at Elysia Resort. For those who have a desire for unique fishing experiences in a relaxing remote area away from the freeways, phones and daily routines that seem to overwhelm our lives, Elysia sounds like the Siesta Key of the North Country. Stay tuned for more on Elysia Resort and Quesnel Lake, but for now back to the dinner with Gail and Harmony.

My first thought was that a fresh seafood dinner would be out of the question, but nothing could have been further from the truth. Although Harmony is involved in running the fishing resort she has little time during the busy summer season to do her own fishing and many guest practice catch and release. Both Gail and Harmony felt fresh Florida fish sounded great to them. I had also promised fresh key lime pie, but had to reconsider when I could not find fresh key limes before they arrived. We chose the date and time and we were graciously welcomed to the dinner, which was to be served on the balcony at 4:00 PM.

Broken Sunset Royale Grill

At 3:15 PM I ventured down to the gas grill at Sunset Royale to prepare the heat for the fish when a problem occurred. I was attempting to light the grill with no success. A long time owner named Bob who also had planned on using the grill came out to assist when he saw me struggling with the grill. We both worked at attempting to start the grill for about 15 minutes including changing propane tanks, but with no success. Bob suggested I make a trip into the village of Siesta Key to purchase another propane tank in case one was empty and the other perhaps defective, which I did with no success. Unfortunately this was the second time in the past month that our association grill was letting me down. In October I had attempted to use it only to find a very neglected interior with peeling paint and rust, which did not make an inviting cooking source for our dinner that night.  Following my complaint the association took notice by having the grill cleaned and painted. We do have charcoal grills across the street at the park, but the weather was unusually windy and cool that day making the chances of successfully grilling a six pound mackerel on an open grill very doubtful. The fish was too large to broil in our oven and I was unwilling to fillet and lose the affect of serving a large whole fish on the balcony with steamed summer squash, fresh green beans, miniature potatoes and grilled egg plant on a platter. I know the importance that a meal is prepared properly and taste good, but presentation was heavy on my mind.

Grilled King Mackerel with steamed vegetables and grilled egg plant

I called Leslie from the Beach Place who owns the popular old Florida garden cottages next to our building and she graciously let me use their grill to prepare the over 30 inch long mackerel. I also plied her sister Pam with a good drinking bottle of red that I had been saving for a special time. I sent Nann over to Gail and Harmony’s condo with a magnum of chilled 2003 Mer SoLeil Chardonnay that was ready to drink and to inform them of the later dinner time and to share some smoked mullet dip with crackers before dinner. With the help of the Beach Place’s grill, dinner was served before long and received accolades from Gail, Harmony and Nann. My epicurean reputation intact I was able to finally relax with a glass of wine and enjoy wonderful company with our Canadian friends from British Columbia. I broke the news about no key lime pie, but served authentic fresh tiramisu, which I had picked up that morning from Paisano’s Italian bakery.

Harmony, Gail and Nann dinner served on balcony Sunset Royale condo #408

Although the dinner was late, the company was exceptional and in the wee hours of the morning Nann and I worked our way back to our condo leaving no dishes to be cleaned or kitchen to clean up for our guests. Undoubtedly the best part of owning and operating a vacation rental is the meeting of so many very nice people from all over the world. Nann and I have never experienced a renter who we would not graciously welcome back, but living vicariously in the lives of rental guests can only be outdone by sharing meals with them and sharing our life experiences and stories. Needless to say all of our guest are amazed at life on Siesta Key and looking forward to the time in their lives where they too can be living in their own paradise. Until then their visits to Siesta Key give them the realization that life on the beach is certainly in everyone’s reach and Nann and I readily admit that it’s not too shabby.

Sunset Royale from the Gulf of Mexico

Living on Siesta Key is truly like living a dream. I remember as a little kid the anticipation and excitement of going on vacation. The memories of those vacations bring nothing but the thoughts of good times and fun without a care in the world. When Nann and I first moved to Siesta Key I could not get out of mind that I was not on vacation, but actually living here full time. This is like living a dream. I can’t honestly say that we don’t have a care in the world, but to quote from Dudley Moore in the movie Arthur, “It doesn’t suck!” Even when we might have a day that was trying or  exhausting, looking out on the beach or better yet, taking a walk down the beach and watching the sunset is so very restful and you can feel the stress of the day leaving your body and the calm igniting your soul.

A comment from many of our rental guests as they prepare to leave for home and return to the daily routine of their lives is to please let them know if we ever here about a “good deal” on a condo in our building or if we ever were to sell, please call them. In many instances we find Realtor listing information and business cards that our guest left behind. We have had many rental guests who have purchased property in Sarasota and now live here or have their real estate purchase rented out until they can someday move to Florida themselves.

Sunset Royale after construction

I would be remiss if I did not make our previous rental guests and friends aware of some opportunities that presently exist. Let me also state that I am not in the business of selling real estate and I would receive no compensation in anyway if one of the following properties were purchased because of my publishing this page on the Breeze. In 2006 the Sunset Royale owners in a near unanimous decision approved and completed a building renovation at Sunset Royale of over $2,800,000 dollars. All of the plumbing and water supply in our building was completely replaced and brought up to current code requirements. All of the window and doors in our building were replaced with windows and doors that meet the building code requirement of our area of 143 MPH wind born debris. All railings and balcony surfaces were replaced, the roof was redesigned and engineered to add a mansard and dramatically change the look of our building. Structural issues were discovered and remedied during the reconstruction. The building was repainted and new landscaping planted throughout the property. Many who were familiar with Sunset Royale in the past actually thought we tore it down and rebuilt a new building, not realizing that a metamorphose actually took place with the help of willing owners.

Now comes the opportunity. For different personal reasons three members of our Sunset Royale community have found themselves in a situation where they need to sell their property. 2009 is not the greatest real estate market and Sarasota is one of those areas of the country that was hit the hardest on falling real estate values. Any one of the following properties would have sold for much more in 2005 or even 2006. When you consider that each of the owners paid an $80,000 assessment for the building improvements of 2007, I believe you will find the asking price of these condos to be of exceptional value that should prove to be an astute investment in coming years. Sunset Royale is a beachfront property and we are not creating more beachfront in the United States. Nann and I, along with other Sunset Royale owners consider this paradise, we think you will also. When purchasing real estate the three most important items to consider after the price are location, location, location. Nann and I are saddened that all three of these owners find themselves in a situation where they must sell their piece of paradise and look forward to meeting the three new owners who will join our small and unique community. The present owners of these three properties had no indication that I was writing or publishing this article until I published this blog page and sent it to all.

Condo #118 is a two bedroom fully furnished condo that faces the side street of Avenida del Mare. The Sunset Royale condo association has created a patio area in front of each first floor condo and this patio area has the additional feature of fronting on the quiet and very low traffic side street with a great view of the Gulf of Mexico. The asking price for this fully furnished condo is $399,750.00 and this is the multi-list link for this 1st floor Sunset Royale property.

Condo #318 is a third floor two bedroom condo that faces the side street of Avenida del Mare and has Gulf of Mexico views from the lanai and master bedroom of this condo. This condo has been owned by the same family over 30 years and is well maintained and fully furnished. The asking price for this fully furnished condo is $399,999 and this is the multi-list link for this 3rd floor Sunset Royale property.

Condo #314 is a third floor two bedroom beachfront condo with stunning views of Siesta Key Public Beach and the Gulf of Mexico. This newly redecorated condo has all new furnishings and decor and is turnkey ready to go. The asking price for this fully furnished turnkey condo is $575,000 and this is the multi-list link for this beachfront 3rd floor Sunset Royale property.

Sunset Royale Condo Association maintains a rental office for owners who wish to use their condo as a vacation rental. This valuable service is an extremely convenient, on-site office operated by Sunset Royale Association for the exclusive use of Sunset Royale owners. The ability to own a piece of paradise and to also create income from your property that will make paying for your property easier is of value. To be able to turn over the rental of your condominium to the Sunset Royale Association–priceless.

Siesta Key Competition

Don’t know about you, but I have always enjoyed a game of volleyball. I’m talking about participating and trying to win. Pure amateur participation and I’m talking company picnics, family get together or just an occasion at the park or beach. I am now 66 years old, overweight and under exercised. Have not always been 66, but for the most part, have always been overweight. Living at Siesta Key Public Beach has allowed me to entertain myself by watching amateur and professional volleyball competition that is “competition”. Lot’s of teams, sponsor supported and fun to watch in what is literally my front yard.

Recently I was handed a copy of a publication called “SpikeKey Beach“. My first thought was, ‘what is SpikeKey?’ and once I browsed through the magazine it was obvious they were talking beach volleyball, my front yard beach events that will probably completely replace my fascination with the Siesta Key Drum Circle every Sunday late afternoon and evening on Siesta Key Public Beach. Once I drilled much deeper into the publication and discovered that a much better question would have been ‘who is SpikeKey?’, even though what is SpikeKey is a proper question at this time because who is SpikeKey has made it more than them. Hope you followed this.

Megan Wallin and Kristen Batt are SpikeKey. Megan, 26 year old 6′ 3″ graduate of Cardinal Mooney High School in Sarasota and lettering in 3 sports and Michigan State University graduate on a sports scholarship  along with Kristen, 26 year old 6″ 1 ” Venice High School and University of Kentucky graduate on a sports scholarship are SpikeKey. A beach volleyball team of two young athletes who compete in AVP (Association of Volleyball Professionals) and have focused on representing the United States of America in Beach Volleyball in the 2012 Olympics. I am not sure what we can do to help SpikeKey achieve this goal for them, Siesta Key, Sarasota, Florida and the USA, but this blog page is my start.

Megan Wallin is the sister of Brett Wallin who is Sarasota Florida’s best fish monger and owner of Walt’s seafood restaurant. I would give you their website in a link, but it is still being developed and have been told that it is going to be great and I will be one of the first to know when it is ready for prime time. In the meantime you can check out Walt’s on the Sunset Royale website on our “foodie” page.  Megan gives private volleyball lessons on Siesta Key. Between their busy schedules these athletes train, practice and compete in a sport that will hopefully bring then a gold medal.

Megan giving volleyball lessons on Siesta Key

Megan and Kristen are in training and very focused on a lofty goal. Their volleyball coach is Bob Parker.  Bob has trained many AVP athletes and was selected to the United States Senior Olympics games. He has over 30 years of experience and is nationally known for his knowledge of volleyball. Their Siesta Key trainer is Vern Gambetta. Vern is recognized internationally as an expert in training and conditioning. He has worked with world-class athletes and teams across the country. Vern was the former Director of Conditioning for the Chicago White Sox and Director of Athletic Development for the New York Mets. He was also the strength & condition coach to the US Men’s World Cup team in 1998. You now know about SpikeKey and how to source more information, additionally you have been told once more on this site of Walt’s and last, but not least become a SpikeKey supporter by obtaining a free SpikeKey membership for more beach volleyball information and Siesta Key competition dates along with more SpikeKey updates. What could be better than to watch a volleyball competition with our own SpikeKey the next time you stay in favorite Siesta Key Beachfront Condo?

We knew that our website needed to be able to convey to all who visit it the special features and location of Penthouse condo #408 at Sunset Royale, but we knew nothing about setting up a website. The more we thought about what we liked and did not like about the various websites we visited and observed, the more we realized that we not only wanted to be very direct and to the point on the features of our vacation rental, but we also wanted to familiarize the unfamiliar with Siesta Key and Sarasota. This in our minds meant lots of pictures and much information to disperse in some fashion. We still knew nothing about setting up a website and we really needed to find out how to do this.

In researching how to set up your own website, having others set up your website for you and finding websites that were already setup with a template where you just needed to change the name and load your own information, we found we had learned an incredible amount about websites including the knowledge and understanding that we could not produce our own. There were so many obstacles and hurdles to overcome that what originally seemed like a simple task, became a chore and adventure that we spent way too much time on in our attempt to learn how to do this ourselves. Just when we were ready to resign ourselves to purchasing a template website that we knew would be mediocre at best, we discovered this Dayton web design firm and Ian Lawson who removed us from our cyberspace fog and brought much clarity on what was needed for us to have a website that would meet and exceed all of our wishes and allow us to manage the content going forward. Website design is truly for professionals. Not only to make it look good, but even more importantly to make it work well for us and for the visitors. We turned the entire project over to Ian.

The rest is now history and our Beachfront Penthouse Condo on Siesta Key is not only highly recognized by search engines on the Internet, but our rental guests constantly comment on how helpful and informative they find www.sunsetroyale.com to be and how much fun it is to read the “Breeze” and to be able to peek into our world on Siesta Key. Nann and I have always stated how we live vicariously in the lives of our rental guests. Today when we read the comment in our guest book that was left by our departing guest we also realized how much we change and intercede into the lives of others when they happen to pass our way at Sunset Royale on Siesta Key. We are stopped by strangers who are staying at other condos at Sunset Royale who tell us they found this location by visiting our website and even though our condo was not available they were able to obtain another condo in our building and how much they love their new found get-away on Siesta Key.

It is now just over one year since our new website was published on June 16th of 2008 and through a program called Google Analytics that we found out about from our web designer Ian Lawson, we thought we would share these rather astounding numbers with you. You can see how many guests we have had stay at our condo by reading our testimonial page on our Sunset Royale website, but here are the actual numbers of website visitors along with the total number of visits and the countries and cities that have landed on www.sunsetroyale.com. In one year from June 16, 2008 through June 15, 2009 we have had 6,950 unique visitors from 2,278 cities in 70 countries from Anguilla to Vietnam visit our website a total of 9,629 times and viewed 31,066 pages. We’re impressed! Thanks to all of you.

Siesta Key Beach at Sunset Royale