The Cottages On The Key — Attraction in Siesta Key

I would not recommend Cottages on the Key to anyone. I warn you from renting with them. Our time at Avanti Villa with Cottages by The Key was absolutely disastrous.

First and foremost, when we booked the unit, it was under different management. It was advertised as a 4 bedroom unit. When Cottages by the Key took over, they never informed us that it was actually a 3 bedroom unit. It was still listed that way on their website until we informed them that, based on their guided tour photos, it looked like it was actually a 3 bedroom unit. They said yes, it was a 3 bedroom unit, but they would make the basement into a bedroom for us. We had 7 adults and 3 kids going on this trip, and we needed it to be 4 bedrooms. They had a unit available that would have better accommodated our family, and we were happy to pay a bit more for a bigger unit, but they were going to charge us more than it was even listed on their website to stay there. They were not accommodating to us at all.

They were incredibly hard to get in touch with. They made everything way harder than it needed to be because of all the back and forth. We tried to get in touch with Heather, the CEO, because this issue was not getting resolved. We were told to stop trying to get in touch with Heather, and she would not be speaking to us. Truly horrible customer service.

When we arrived, there was a small roll away cot folded up in the basement with sheets laying on top. It was not in fact set up as a bedroom. This basement had a hole in the wall open to the outside of the house that was filled with a trash bag. We had to go buy a blow up bed and sheets. It ended up not being enough room, and we had to rent another unit down the road.

The most disturbing thing is that they claim to have a 35-point inspection, but I found a pill on the ground next to where my son was going to be sleeping. A quick Google search showed me that this was a lithium carbonate pill that is used to treat mania that is part of bipolar disorder. Needless to say, if my son found this pill, it would have been detrimental.

My mom emailed to make sure that pack-n-plays could be set up in the closets for two of the babies to sleep in. We were told that they checked the unit, and they would be able to be set up. This was not true, the closets were small, and they did not fit.

There are many other things that made this stay disappointing: The toilet on the main floor didn’t work when we arrived The bathroom vanity in one of the bathrooms was moldy because the shower sprayed directly onto it The hot tub cover had an ant infestation and the pool had to be treated by a few different people while we were there Fourth floor area had trim that had fallen off and was laying on the floor We found urine soaked paper towels under the carpet where the babies had been playing all week We found a rat by the hot tub that was dazed and didn’t run away. My husband had to exterminate it and disposed of it in a bag. We called to tell them so they could collect it. It was still sitting there when we left. No one came to get it. The beach towels were rolled up but were soaking wet and smelled like mildew.

They refunded us half of the cost of the stay, which about covered the price of the other unit (small, one bed unit) for the...

UNFORGETTABLE VACATION!! My family and I traveled from South Africa to vacation in Florida, and we found the perfect location and the perfect home. We stayed at The Grand Canal Home in Siesta Key with the vacation rental company, The Cottages On The Key. We were all absolutely blown away with the high quality, and layout of the home. When we arrived, the lights were turned on for us and there was a relaxing music playing in the home from the living room television. It was as if we were walking into a spa! We could not believe when we saw beautiful cupcakes welcoming us with our family name written on them. Immediately, we felt welcomed and felt as the home was prepared specially for us. We arrived very late at night and it was very convenient to find a startup kit of toilet paper and hand soap in the restrooms provided for us, as well as some basic cleaning supplies under the kitchen sink. This saved us until we could go to the store in the morning as we were too tired to go out that first night. We love to cook together, and I must say, that kitchen had absolutely everything you can need to cook and also to set a nice dinner table. We also love to grill and even the grill was nicely cleaned for us with an extra propane next to it, should we need to replace the one connected. You can easily see how the staff of The Cottages thinks of everything you may need. Our family of 6 had more than enough space in the home. All the beds were so comfortable and most importantly of all, everything was exceptionally clean!! We loved to spend time inside the home, but we also spent just as much time outside as well. This beautiful canal front home had plenty of outside furniture for us to sit in around the pool area. We had many mornings where we gathered around, sitting on the rocking chairs to drink coffee together, and in the evenings, we sat back out again to watch the sunset and drink our South African tea looking out the canal. A very special part of being by the canal, is that we were able to rent a boat and conveniently have it docked at the home. We took the boat out many times and had really fun memories out in the water. Even dolphins we saw during sunset hours, which was a beautiful memory. We rented the pontoon boat from The Black Pearl of Siesta Key and Captain Larry was absolutely the best! He met with us at the home to clarify any questions and was just the nicest person you can imagine to ever meet. Exceptional service! I also have to say the staff from The Cottages on The Key are outstanding! They can easily be reached and were extremely helpful to answer a few questions we had about the home and the area. Talking about location, the beautiful white sand Siesta Key is such a short drive to Orlando! We visited Disney for a day and that was a magical experience for us. As you can see, I could go on and on about our vacation experience with The Cottages. We have so many memories we will never forget!! We highly recommend this vacation rental company and we cannot wait to be...

We rented Villa Vista Mare on Siesta Key Beach and we were not disappointed. This condo is beautiful and well appointed. Anything a vacationer needs is provided ( beach towels, beach chairs, beach caddy, bikes, laundry detergent, etc. no detail was missed). There is a direct view of the ocean from this unit and it is right near beach entry point #11. There is a nearby trolley stop, so you can take the free trolley into the "downtown" area for the restaurants and gift shops. We opened the huge accordion doors to the balcony and enjoyed the ocean air most mornings. The balcony is large enough to sit 4 comfortably and is great for watching the boats of the people going up and down Beach Rd. While we were there, we saw Santa come by on a Harley Davidson! Hahahahaha! It was just a super short walk and we were on that famous white powder sand of siesta key. The beach here is huge so keeping socially distant was a breeze. The building has a private pool and grill. There is also an elevator! The unit itself was beautiful and tastefully decorated. The kitchen is stocked with all of the household necessities. The beds were fabulous. This place is huge and had plenty of room for us to spread out. Cottages on the Key staff stayed in touch and made needed suggestions. When we arrived there was a spread of delicious cupcakes and wine to welcome us. What a nice touch! NOTE: There is a guest book on the bar area, so don't forget to leave a few words for fellow travelers. I took my mother and daughter for a holiday getaway to recharge and we were better for it, thanks in part to this beautiful place! This is a wonderful condo in a wonderful location and we can't wait to...