Longboat Key - A Touch of Casual Elegance

Longboat Key is the quietest of Sarasota's barrier islands. One single main street, Gulf of Mexico Drive, runs the entire length of the island with short lanes and cul de sacs on each side. Those side streets are lined with everything from a few remaining old Florida-style cottages to maintenance-free luxury villas and high-rise luxury condos. There are also dozens of waterfront mansions with gorgeous views of either Sarasota Bay for those facing east or the Gulf of Mexico for those facing west.

Longboat Key spans two counties; the southern end is in Sarasota County while the northern end extends into Manatee County. Just south of Longboat Key lies St. Armands Circle and Lido Key and to the north, it reaches to Anna Maria Island off the Bradenton, Florida coast. Known for its tasteful luxury, manicured surroundings, excellent private golf courses, and the absolute dearth pf neon signs a gaudy billboards, Longboat Key makes a statement of "casual luxury and elgance."

With a average year-round temperature of 73 degrees, Longboat Key, with its almost constant soft breezes, is the perfect place for all sorts of relaxing activities from golfing and biking to tennis, fishing and sailing or even just leisurely strolls through boutique shops and elegant dining in 5-star restaurants.

Golfers especially like Longboat Key, it being the only barrier island in the Sarasota Florida area with a 45-hole golf course at the private Longboat Key Club. The Longboat Key Club Harbourside course is a 27-hole layout of three 9-hole courses. Bordering Sarasota Bay, this course plays through stands of oak, palm, fig, palmetto and southern pine trees. But, the almost constant wind puts a premium on accurate shot-making. The more gentle breezes off the Gulf of Mexico keep Harbourside a refreshing challenge year round. The 6,792-yard Islandside golf course, set in a protected bird sanctuary, borders the Gulf of Mexico and features water hazards on all 18 holes making accuracy off the tee essential.

Those who own a yacht or a large sailboat will appreciate the 291 protected deep-water slips at the Longboat Key Club Moorings Marina with no obstructions between their slip and Gulf of Mexico waters.

Those who appreciate the arts will enjoy not only the Longboat Key Center for the Arts, with its permanent collection and changing exhibits of invitational shows, art classes and workshops, and cultural events year round. A brief drive across a bridge to Lido Key and then the Ringling Bridge and Causeway brings you to the heart of the Downtown Sarasota Arts & Cultural District.

If you are considering purchasing a Sarasota Florida luxury home or condo, especially if a waterfront location is on your mind, it would be a mistake not to let me introduce you to the "Longboat Key Lifestyle" before you make a final decision. I assure you that you will definitely be impressed by this "Little Sliver or Paradise".

Call me at 941.266.1799 for answers to all your questions about Longboat Key. I would be delighted to show you this wonderful place.