My wife received a press trip to write about Zota Beach Resort. I went along for the ride.
For my thirteen years living in Florida, I’ve stayed entirely on the East Coast I have vacations to Alaska, the Carribean, and Key West under my belt, but never before to the West Coast of Florida.
For years people have been telling me to go to the Gulf Coast, it’s so beautiful.” But, I resisted. I mean one Florida beach is as nice as another…RIGHT?
When I was offered 2 nights/3 days at the Zota Beach Resort with my wife Zippy from Champagne Living on Longboat Key, I was like…ewww…no! Then they said the magical two words….PET-FRIENDLY!
I never miss an opportunity to travel with my mini-bull-terrier Clem. He is an excellent road tripper and companion. He never asks: “Are we there yet? or ask me to pull into a gas station to “GO” every 5 minutes.
As I did my research I learned that not only is Zota Beach Resort pet-friendly, but so are several of the surrounding restaurants in the area. That sealed the deal. I was going.
For those driving across the state, be warned…the driver over from Port Saint Lucie isn’t exactly great. It’s three hours spent on a boring one-lane highway. Clem slept in the backseat through the whole trip until we finally made it past all of the cow pastures, orange groves, and cornfields to Sarasota and on to Longboat Key.
We pulled to the Zota Beach Resort and it looked spectacular. Our room overlooked the gorgeous gulf beach with the sparkling white sand of the Gulf of Mexico. Zota’s chaises and cabanas dot the landscape like a Gray Malin photograph. If we hadn’t called Clem in for dinner and bedtime he would have spent his entire time on the balcony, sniffing the food from the restaurant below and listening to the sounds of people playing in the water. He’d no fool, the sunset over the Gulf is something to behold.
The West Coast – Sarasota and the Longboat Key area is a moneyed area. In a parking lot full of Bentley’s, Maseratis, Porsches, and Mercedes, my 2017 Buick SUV did quite fit. Oh and Publix (the local Florida grocery chain where we went to pick up a few things) even offered celebrity cooking classes (not something that I’ve ever seen at my local Publix).
- Is the West Coast different from the East Coast? – YES
- Is it as beautiful as people said it was? – YES
- Would I go back again? – In a heartbeat.
Experience the West Coast of Florida for yourself with a visit to Longboat Key. My suggestion, stay at the beautiful Zota Beach Resort for the perfect vacation with or without your pet.
