Great location easy access to beaches shopping and entertainment.

We encountered both good and bad things in the house. It was clean upon our arrival, and well set up for a party our size. The washer and dryer worked well, and the kitchen was well appointed. We appreciated the location of the house and it’s proximity to the dog beach and wonderful restaurants. We also found some problems. The back yard is no way like the ones in VRBO promotional pictures. Everything is overgrown and out of control. Plants are growing in the gutters, in both front and back. While the front is covered in grass, the back has only sporadic blades in spots. For the most part the ground covers in the back were sandy dark dirt or inches of leaves fallen from the trees. The trees and palms were overgrown, covering the entire area in shade creating the dirty sand covering the floors inside the house shortly after our arrival. We were enticed by the beautiful green lawns in the promotional pictures which were perfect for our dogs, but it didn’t exist. While the TV set up was OK once figured out, it was complicated and set up only for selected channels. Overall our stay was nice, but the house was disappointing.

This property was just what we needed. We have family who lives in South Venice and we were there most the week. But it was nice to go to our own place to sleep. Clean, Comfortable and a fence yard for our Pickle (dog). We had no problems. Love the extra slippers! Thank you for letting us stay in your home.

The purpose of our trip was to visit friends who are experiencing health issues. Sandcastle Cottage, conveniently located a 5 minute drive away from their home, allowed us to comfortably visit without fatiguing either our friends or ourselves. The kitchen was very lovely and functional so we were able to purchase groceries and prepare home-made meals to give to our friends. It was a lovely way to spend time with those we love yet balance the difficulty of their situation with walks and bike rides. Would recommend this type of trip to anyone worried about out of town friends and family. Sandcastle Cottage is a peaceful place. It had everything we needed and many nice touches to enjoy.

They had such beautiful furniture, Nice back yard,All in all they have a beautiful piece of property

Clean,convenient, great amenities and instructions and suggestions.

I wanted a fenced in yard for my dog and this place has a very large back yard which my dog very much enjoyed.

A little far from historic Venice and the beach (about 20 minutes) but other than that, great. Very responsive to problem we had (15 minutes and it was fixed). Extremely clean. South Venice Beach Ferry was great.

This property was absolutely perfect!! It was mostly just me and my three LARGE dogs, but my best friend flew in and love the property too. We want to make this our annual get together and absolutely hope to stay here again.

Very nice property with very nice amenities. Property Manager responds to all communication promptly and is very helpful with providing all sorts of information. Things to do, ferry pass to the beach, very clean property in a quiet neighborhood. Simply a very nice place to spend time in Venice. We are extremely happy with this rental and highly recommend this property and manager.

Ruth is amazing! The house was perfect for me and my family, including Max the beagle. The fenced backyard is a huge plus! The beach umbrellas and shark teeth finders were helpful too. There were plenty of towels and pillows. The ferry was close by and always on time. (The ferry operators are tough - we tried to make them smile, but to no avail!). Even so, the trip was delightful and we loved our time at the Sandcastle Cottage. We truly enjoyed our stay and look forward to staying with Ruth again.

A dingy property in a not great area. Bathroom tiny and very sub-standard (no wonder there are no photos). Window / door frames full of ingrained grime. Bedroom very sparse with no headboard and bed directly under a dark dirty window. Backyard is a joke - very dark and bare, so unusable. Owner gone off the radar the minute I sent an email, despite constant messages before arriving. We only stayed 30 mins and then left - glad to get out of it.

We, my golden-doodle and I, stayed in the Sandcastle Cottage in South Venice for 3 wonderful months! It is very near the Manasota Beach Park, South Venice Beach, Venice Friendship Center, Venice Island and Englewood Farmer's Market and shopping ... and two dog parks with one at the beach in Venice! The house was immaculate and well equipped with a very nice screened in lanai for dining and relaxing ... at breakfast or cocktails in the evening. It appeared recently renovated with new appliances, etc. Any questions I had about the house or the surrounding area were IMMEDIATELY answered by a quick email to/from the owner. She could not have done more to make our stay better. We loved the ferry to the South Venice Beach and the opportunity to meet neighbors heading for the same private rustic beach area. The Senior Friendship Center has activities all day with live music and dancing most afternoons. AND YOGA ON MANASOTA BEACH (3 miles away) WAS THE BEST EVER for all levels, ages (many senior citizens participate as well as younger people), abilities ... everyday at 9 AM (except Sunday). A perfect place for young and old ... and their furry 'children'. I would highly recommend it.

We, my golden-doodle and I, stayed in the Sandcastle Cottage in South Venice for 3 wonderful months! It is very near the Manasota Beach Park, South Venice Beach, Venice Friendship Center, Venice Island and Englewood Farmer's Market and shopping ... and two dog parks with one at the beach in Venice! The house was immaculate and well equipped with a very nice screened in lanai for dining and relaxing ... at breakfast or cocktails in the evening. It appeared recently renovated with new appliances, etc. Any questions I had about the house or the surrounding area were IMMEDIATELY answered by a quick email to/from the owner. She could not have done more to make our stay better. We loved the ferry to the South Venice Beach and the opportunity to meet neighbors heading for the same private rustic beach area. The Senior Friendship Center has activities all day with live music and dancing most afternoons. AND YOGA ON MANASOTA BEACH (3 miles away) WAS THE BEST EVER for all levels, ages (many senior citizens participate as well as younger people), abilities ... everyday at 9 AM (except Sunday). A perfect place for young and old ... and their furry 'children'. I would highly recommend it.

This was a wonderful find in Venice. Great accommodations and convenient location as well as pet friendly. We would definitely book again.

We have used VRBO to make vacation reservations at various locations and have been quite satisfied with all but one of the homes in which we have rented. However, the vacation home which we stayed in Venice, Florida was exceptional and was even more than we expected. Not only did it meet the listed description as advertised, it exceeded it in so many ways. We have "never" rented accommodations where the kitchen has been stocked with every pot, pan and kitchen utensil imaginable, it also had many common and often used spices (cinnamon, garlic salt, Italian seasoning to name a few) which was so very thoughtful. There were robes and slippers in the closets for our use, and plenty of nice towels and wash cloths. The bathrooms had soap, toothpaste, band-aids, alcohol, tampons, shampoo and more. There were bicycles, shark-tooth strainers, beach chairs and beach towels, out-door gas grill . Everything for the guests pleasure and comfort. So very, very thoughtful. Sophie the Lewellen Setter loved the yard and squirrels. We will certainly rent this property when we return to the Venice area if it is available. Ruth is so helpful and accommodating with emails of places to visit, shop and eat. She made sure we were satisfied in every respect. We would not hesitate to rent any of Ruth and Dan's 5 properties when we return to Venice and recommend them to anybody planning to visit the area.

Ruth Miller was amazing, she went above and beyond to make sure we had the best vacation. The house was amazing and so very clean. We really felt at home here. The s Venice beach was great for shells and shark teeth. We even saw manitees.

This property is clean and pretty. Plenty of bath towels are provided and 2 beach towels plus lots of beach going equipment. The kitchen is well stocked with utensils and cooking equipment. Besides being close to historic downtown Venice, which has quaint shops, restaurants, a beautiful park and theatre, lots of other attractions are only 1 - 1.5 hours away. We had a wonderful , conformable stay here.

Loved the property. The fenced in yard was great for our dog. Also loved being able pull the car in to the garage. Owner thought of little things that came in handy, flashlight, zipper bags, beach chairs, etc.

Wouldn't stay here again. Neighborhood not great. Septic tank backed up into bathroom. We were moved into a much nicer house and area with a useable backyard for our dog and were compensated with two additional free days. The second house was very nice in a good neighborhood and what I was expecting to stay at originally. Very clean and amply supplied. Robes were at nice touch.

Greatly appreciated staying at the Sandcastle Cottage in Venice! The property was clean, the beds were very comfortable and we appreciated the extras like robes, beach towels, easy wifi access and snacks etc! The owner provided excellent communication in regards to check in and out. Thank you!

I wish it was closer to the beach but other than that, it was a very nice property that was very clean and cozy!

My husband and I decided spur of the moment to make a trip down to Venice Florida which we had briefly visited five,six years ago. After seeing the outstanding reviews and great price we booked it. It exceeding our expectations. The house was very clean in a quiet neighborhood (which is important !). The king size mattress in the master bedroom was very comfy .The house was well equipped and had everthing two people would need to spend the day at the beach. There are two very nice Schwinn bicycles equipped with lock and helmets .The owner was super fast in responding to any questions we had. She left us a notebook full of helpful recommendations. The best amenity by far was a pass for the ferry that takes you to a semiprivate beach which is only five minute drive. It's one of the prettiest beaches I have ever seen. The only thing to be aware of in renting Sandcastle was that it was a 15 drive to downtown visit and to some of the other Venice beaches. It's a small concession to all the positives of renting Sandcastle.

I had never rented a vacation home and the whole ordeal I was very nervous. Needless to say, the owners were very understanding of my leariness and made this trip a very smooth ride. We had a wonderful stay. My dog was accepted as one of the family and this was the most important thing for me. Nice fenced in yard which provided safety and comfort for my dog. My dog was very comfortable in the house as was I. I take "Doggy Vacations" so if my dog is happy then I am happy. We are extremely happy with the arrangements. The house was very clean and very nicely decorated. It had a welcoming feel to it. We had a problem on my last night with the hot water heater, but the owner was awesome about it and had a new one installed within a few hours without any inconvenience to me. We went to beach while they replaced it. They are wonderful and very easy to work with. Very prompt in all communications. I am looking to retire and am staying in different cities throughout Florida, I will definitely choose to rent this vacation home again should I choose to go to this area again, which I am actually considering. They provided wonderful local information and brochures, and my pooch thoroughly enjoyed Paw Paw Beach and dining for both of us was welcomed in town. Thank you very much Ruth and I look forward to renting from you again sometime.

Great place to stay. Very clean and everything you need. Ruth is great she thinks of everything for your stay ! I had to stay longer than expected and Ruth took care of that for me. The private beach is great the ferry was fun. 2 thumbs up. I recommend this place.!

We had a wonderful time in Venice. Enjoyed the close proximity to the beach without the normal hotel feel. House is in a quiet neighborhood and everything worked perfectly.

We stayed here while attending the for Fox Lea Horse Show. Everything was within distance to the house. The house was spotless and the owner thought of ever little detail that you may need was there. My daughter and I felt safe and comfortable, we had everything as if we were home. Loved the dog beach. We would stay here again next year. Thank you

We stayed here for our honeymoon, and it was a perfect, relaxing getaway! I highly recommend visiting the South Venice Beach, which you can get to using the ferry pass provided at the house. It's only about 7 minutes from the house. Everything in the house is spotless, and it's nicely decorated and cozy. The kitchen is spacious, and it's easy to cook a nice meal in between beach time. Overall, we had a great time, and I would love to stay here again!

We had a great time and we loved that it had a screen room porch, 2 bathrooms and they had things like towels for the beach, a shell strainer, toys to play with at the beach etc. We also had plenty of things we needed like paper towels, garbage bags and fresh bathroom towels etc. It was nice having a garage to keep the van in and we really liked the location as it was easy to get to anything in Venice. We would stay there again for sure!

My husband and I stayed here with our dog. We found the house spotlessly clean, nicely decorated with a very comfortable bed and furniture. Everything we needed was provided. The neighborhood was quite and close to several beaches, downtown and the Legacy Trail. We enjoyed using the bikes that were provided. The dog beach was such a Zen experience for anyone traveling with a dog. We found restaurants in the area that we were able to take our dog to. I highly recommend it. The reason I gave it a 4star is because I would consider a house closer to town a 5 star.

Stayed a month at Sandcastle property in Venice and couldn't have been more pleased with the house. It was well stocked and ideally located for all of our activities. A plus was the ferry pass that allowed us to go to a semi- secluded beach to hunt for shark teeth! The property manager was so helpful with information about the surrounding communities, places to shop, eat, and sight see. We would definitely recommend this house to our family and friends!