Relax on the porch. Enjoy a home-cooked breakfast. Read a book in the garden. Experience a quainter side of Sarasota at one of the local bed & breakfasts, where Deep South charm meets the cultural beach town we know and love.
At Palmetto Riverside Bed & Breakfast and The Cypress, Banyan House and the Horse & Chaise Inn, Sarasota area visitors are treated to simple, peaceful elegance behind white picket fences or surrounded by lush palms and oaks. You’ll feel right at home.
Historic, Old Florida Charm at Palmetto Riverside
Located on the Manatee River in Palmetto, Florida, the Palmetto Riverside Bed & Breakfast is what innkeepers Mieke and Wim Lippens call their “dream house,” a 1913 residence listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Visitors may feel as if they’ve taken a trip back in time, with the century-old oaks in the gardens and the plush European design of the house, but the flatscreen TVs, Wifi and iPod docks will allow for the enjoyment of modern amenities. Each luxurious bedroom also features spacious walk-in showers or bathtubs and the property is decorated with the owners’ family collection of Hermes scarves and vintage cameras.
A treat visitors will rarely find outside of a bed & breakfast is a gourmet, home-cooked meal. “[Innkeeper and my wife] Mieke prepares a European breakfast [for our guests]. Our divine food served in the morning includes crepes with a hot Belgian sauce, homemade yogurts and smoothies, French cheeses and more,” says husband and innkeeper Wim Lippens. “We also have a restaurant license, so guests can have lunch or dinner on site, which they really appreciate. We also welcome French cuisine lovers that are not staying with us by appointment.”
As the inn is situated on the Manatee River, visitors can come and go by boat using the 200’ private pier. Palmetto is a short drive (or boat ride) away from the beautiful marina on Sarasota Bay, the sandy beaches along the Gulf of Mexico, sprawling golf courses and the rich art and culture of downtown Sarasota.
The setting and location of Palmetto Riverside also make for beautiful weddings, where the bridge, groom and/or guests can arrive by boat. The inn also hosts family reunions, corporate events, baby showers and other events.
Rooms start at $159 per night and suites start at $199.
For more information and to book your stay, visit www.palmettoriverside.com or call (941) 981-5331.
Palmetto Riverside is located at 1102 Riverside Drive, Palmetto, FL.
The Cypress, Downtown Sarasota’s Only Bed & Breakfast
Nestled amid exotic gardens and grapefruit and mango trees, The Cypress Bed & Breakfast Inn is housed in a quaint yet grand, old-fashioned home overlooking Sarasota Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. The property features five sleeping quarters with private bathrooms. Each bedroom is themed to exude a different vibe while all offer an old Florida feel and modern amenities like cable and Wifi.
The innkeepers decorated the premises with European and American antiques they gathered over the past several decades. The sprawling front porch is the perfect place for a snack or a long chat, the gardens are made for long strolls or sitting and breathing in the fresh air and the cafe and kitchen are meeting places for laughter, storytelling and breakfast, which includes juice, fresh fruit, homemade entrees and fresh-baked muffins. The Cypress also offers an evening cocktail hour.
“Our guests enjoy meeting the three owners and interacting with us...getting to know us personally adds to their experience,” say innkeepers Vicki, Nina and Robert. “Guests comment on feeling as if they are visiting family and look forward to returning to The Cypress over and over again.”
The Cypress is a short walk to downtown, which features galleries along Palm Avenue and shops, restaurants and bars along Main Street. Also within walking distance are the Sarasota Opera House, Florida Studio Theater, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens and the Sarasota Film Society.
Rooms begin at $150 per night.
The Cypress celebrates its 14th anniversary this August.
For more information and to book your visit, go to www.cypressbb.com or call (941) 955-4683.
The Cypress is located at 621 Gulfstream Ave. S., Sarasota, FL.
Under the Banyan Tree: Venice’s Banyan House
Situated just under a sprawling Banyan tree, the Banyan House Historic Bed & Breakfast is a getaway in a “grand old home” in Venice, the shark’s tooth capital of the world. Its garden patio, pool and spa provide a private oasis in a tropical paradise.
The Banyan House offers a specialty breakfast in the every morning, each prepared from the bed & breakfast’s collection of personal recipes. Breakfast is served in the solarium, which has stained glass windows and a view of the Banyan tree. The adjacent Victorian-inspired living room is the perfect spot to settle in with the good book or get to know your new friends around the fireplace.
The Banyan House is a short walk from Venice Beach, infamous for the pre-historic shark’s teeth in its sands and a jetty, ideal for fishing, relaxing or taking in the view. The Banyan House also provides complimentary bicycles for further exploration, as well as beach chairs, umbrellas, coolers, ice and sand shovels for visitors’ time at the beach.
In addition to the heated pool and spa, the Banyan House offers up an exercise room, billiards room, free WiFi, a grill and numerous spots to relax, from a hammock under the tree to umbrella-covered tables in the garden.
Innkeepers Chuck and Susan McCormick have owned the Banyan House since 1986 and their love for it grows more each year. They bring their southern charm, as well as their love of cooking and passion for serving others to their business everyday.
Rooms at the Banyan House begin at $139 per night.
For more information and to schedule your stay, visit www.banyanhouse.com or call (941) 484-1385.
Banyan House is located at 519 South Harbour Dr., Venice, FL.
Experience Historic Venice at Horse & Chaise
Take a trip back in time while experiencing of all the pleasures of modern day Venice at the Horse & Chaise Inn. Each of its nine rooms are historically themed, honoring local influential people and landmarks.
The Mediterranean revival-inspired inn is a bright, quiet getaway, surrounded by palm trees, with a piece of history everywhere you turn. The original part of Horse & Chaise was built in 1926, dating back to the development of the city of Venice. The inn has a large fireplace in its living room and a staircase tower, as well as a fountain and deck, both outdoors, overlooking the property’s Cuban Laurel tree.
Horse & Chaise offers up a full breakfast each morning, as well as a 24-hour snack cupboard to satisfy your post-beach cravings. The inn provides beach chairs and towels for visitors’ beach days, as well as bicycles, though, if you prefer to walk, the inn is within reasonable walking distance of downtown Venice’s boutiques and Venice Little Theatre.
Guests have access to a bottomless cookie jar and beverages in the dining room at all hours. Free WiFi is also included.
Innkeepers Jon and Lois Steketee lived on the Horse & Chaise property for years before opening it as a bed & breakfast in 2000. As longtime Venice locals and involved community members, they know all there is to do in the area and they are eager to share their information and love of the area with visitors to the inn.
The inn is open from October 1-July 4. Rooms begin at $115 per night.
For more information, photos and descriptions of the fascinating historically themed rooms or to book your stay, visit www.horseandchaiseinn.com or call (941) 488-2702.
Horse & Chaise is located at 317 Ponce de Leon Ave., Venice, FL.
To Do in SRQ
Sarasota boasts a variety of activities to delight visitors to Palmetto Riverside, The Cypress, Banyan House and the Horse & Chaise Inn. In addition to the cultural and botanical spots downtown, Sarasota is home to the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, top-notch restaurants, boutiques, malls, bars and clubs and shopping mecca St. Armands Circle, which is steps away from Lido Beach. Sarasota is home to numerous other beaches, including tranquil Longboat Beach, private Casey Key Beach, sharks tooth haven Venice Beach, the more secluded beaches Nokomis and Manasota and popular Turtle and Crescent and, of course, the world-famous Siesta Beach, rated one of the top 10 beaches in the U.S. by Dr. Beach. Boating, kayaking, water sports, biking and, of course, golf are also popular in Sarasota. Venice is home to Venice Little Theatre, numerous shops and beautiful South Jetty Park.
For more information on all there is to do in the Sarasota area, visit www.sarasotafl.org.
Palmetto Riverside and The Cypress owners are Belgium and New Jersey transplants, respectively, that dreamed of calling Sarasota home. The houses they chose for their bed & breakfasts will undoubtedly make you feel at home and, perhaps, decide to call Sarasota home, as well. If you decide to call Venice home, the Banyan House innkeepers also own Banyan Realty and are available to help visitors become locals.
