Sandy Toes was a perfect get-away for us. My husband and I spent a relaxed week the end of March 2012. The unit was exactly as represented on their excellent web site, very clean and thoughtfully stocked with nice touches including a complementary basket of snacks and laundry detergent; the use of a beach bag, beach chairs, and umbrella; and an extensive notebook of information about local restaurants and attractions. In exchange for agreeing to basic limitations such as no more than two occupants, no smoking, no overnight guests, no pets, keeping the shades set to keep out direct sunlight in the middle of the day when you are out, and rinsing the beach sand off your feet before going inside -- you get an ideal location, helpful hosts, immaculate surroundings, tons of space, and quiet guests in the other units. If those rules seem unreasonable to you, then you would probably be happier elsewhere. We didn’t have any problem complying with them.

The structure consists of 4 units, one occupied by hosts Nina and Glenn, and 3 guest units. It is a 2-minute or less walk to the beach, across a short, little used dead end street (serving a few other low-rise houses) to a sand/gravel path through woods and over dunes to the beach. The beach itself was quiet and sparsely occupied, with nice sand and some good waves. It is located between an endless line of high-rise shore-side condos which start several blocks north of Sandy Toes and run northward, and a state park located several blocks to the south. Only a handful of walkers from the high-rise condos or the park seemed to make it to the section of the beach across from Sandy Toes. When we left the beach, we found plenty to do within a short drive including kayaking (one guided excursion and one half day on our own at a prearranged drop off spot, kayaking among dozens of manatee), exploring home-grown museums and gardens, going to a Mets game, and checking out interesting restaurants (Portuguese, Cuban, bar-b-que, seafood shacks, etc.) If you are looking for knowledgeable hosts and a comfortable, relaxing setting with all of the comforts of home, Sandy Toes fits the bill.

My husband and I stayed in the Coast Condo at Sandy Toes for 3 weeks beginning January 14. Our time there was so ... comfortable!
We arrived late at night, but had no trouble finding the place or getting in. The property is well lit, with private assigned parking in back. The keyless entry (so nice!) meant we didn’t have to bother anyone when we got in, and Nina had the lights on inside for our arrival.
First impression was how clean and spacious the condo is! If you look at the pictures on the website and/or watch the video, that’s exactly what you’ll find. The space is well decorated and uncluttered. There’s no shortage of closet/storage space and there are plenty of hangers. The kitchen is well equipped. And you'll sleep so good on that bed!
TV channel selection is extremely limited, BUT there’s a good, strong cellphone signal and fast WiFi. There’s also a DVD player.
The beach is right across the road and down a path. Only trees and shrubs are between you and the water. Grab your towels, borrow a chair and head down. Even at high tide, there’s still plenty of beach to lounge on or walk.
The neighborhood is great for walking. No high rise condos here. The roads are quiet with little traffic. If you’re walking the beach, the jetties at Fort Pierce Inlet State Park are a good 30 minute walk. Don’t forget to bring a bag to put shells in! The windsurfers are so fun to watch!
Nina has quite a binder in each condo absolutely full of information on what there is to do in the area. These are just a few things we did while we were there:
The Navy SEAL-UDT Museum is within walking distance and so interesting.
The Heathcote Botanical Gardens has an amazing bonzai tree area.
For the treasure enthusiast, go to the Mel Fischer Museum in Sebastian, hold a real gold bar, then head over to Captain Hiram’s for lunch.
The Smithsonian Marine Ecosystems Exhibit (touch tank and aquariums) was fascinating and the St Lucie County History Museum was interesting also.
We enjoyed an airboat ride with “Stumpknockers”, even on a cloudy day.
The last weekend in January, head down to the Port Salerno Seafood Festival. Enjoy fantastic food, two music stages, and nice cold drinks. Oysters to die for!
There are so many good place to eat here, I don’t think you can go wrong if you just check the menus in Nina's binder. No space here to list favorites.
We had a wonderful time. Nina and Glenn take such pride in making Sandy Toes a home away from home for their guests.

I highly recommend this vacation rental.
First, even before you get there, Nina is a wonderful source of information about transportation and directions; she is a source of many helpful hints, given in a generous spirit of hospitality. When you arrive at the rental unit, she has a looseleaf book in the unit which is full of local sights, stores, restaurants, excursions, and museums.
The rental unit itself is quite new, immaculate, and tastefully and cheerfully furnished, with all systems and appliances up-to-date and completely functional, and a fully equipped kitchen. The ambiance is sunny, spacious, and uncluttered. We were quite comfortable for our week's stay and would like to return next winter. Nina and her husband are helpful and friendly, and clearly want their guest to enjoy themselves.
The location on North Hutchinson Island is great. You walk across the road in front of the units and take a short path (one minute) to a breathtaking beach with silky sand, blue-green waters, and an enormous variety of beautiful seabirds, including pelicans. There are many fine restaurants, shops, museums, and galleries nearby in Fort Pierce and Vero Beach, with many other attractions farther afield but within range for day trips.j This was the best vacation rental we've had, so I enthusiastically recommend it to others.

"We started searching for a place for a winter get-away in late summer of 2010. We visited the internet site Home Away.com to look for a one-bedroom 2 bath condo on the mid-coast of Eastern Florida. We found it at Sandy Toes, managed by Nina and Glenn. We started communicating with them and just knew we wanted to visit their place. It exceeded all of our expectations, from the spotless condition of the spacious condo to the full-sized washer and dryer, tasteful furnishings, delightfully comfortable bed, full-size kitchen, and office. From the moment we drove up, we could tell the owners took great pride in maintaining the property. It was beautiful and inviting. They met us and helped us unload our car and Nina was a ready source of information during our stay. She has developed a very informative binder of local information from where to eat to historical places of interest. The first evening we ate at The Tiki Bar restaurant where we ate the best shrimp ever. Other restaurants we especially enjoyed were in Vero Beach (Toojay's, Sonny's BBQ, Lobster Shanty and Dockside Grille). The Fresh Market has wonderful rotisserie chicken and other great food. We would definitely recommend Sandy Toes to other couples who want to just get away for some relaxing days in the sun and warm temperatures."