We stayed at Veranda Beach Resort in Sept 2008. We loved every minute of our stay. I have gobs of photos to post & you be the judge. Our view was amazing - 1st level with impeccable style & elegance. Surrounded by windows on all balconies of which there were 3 with gulf view. Could not ask for anything better & we were more than impressed. Directly on the beach and great for early a.m. shell collecting. I found the most amazing Sea Urchin shells & to actually see the sea-turtle hatchlings was something else. See photos. But you have the option of a pool if you like & that's an interesting concept. 1/2 exposed to the Fla sun & 1/2 under the resort itself in case it is raining or you want to skip the sunshine and just read a book. Cabanas provided on beach & a covered BBQ area. Kitchen fully stocked. Plus you do not need to drive anywhere for the just before sunset w/a glass of wine or whatever and waits patiently on the chaise lounges provided on the beach to watch it appear! Absolutely gorgeous! Or you can travel North a bit to the Sandbar Restaurant where you can sip a Mojito or a glass of wine & patiently wait and dine. We arrived late for check in & that was a tad confusing because we had to connect with the Maintenance Mgr for our key and at first we could not locate him. But finally did & all worked out well. Everything in good working order, well stocked kitchen & definitely above average. Only major issue was a drawer in the kitchen (that kept the utensils) was difficult to open. We did report it when we left w/a few other minor issues (light bulb out & door lock broken on sliding glass door). Besides that all was wonderful! Could not have asked for more. Many positive & friendly timeshare owners mostly. Directly across the street from Publix Grocery Market & drug store. Easy drive to St Armand’s Key for upscale shopping & dinner at Columbia Restaurant (Cuban) or Cafe Europa or Hemingway’s. Pattigeorge is another outstanding restaurant nearby. Or drive to Mar Vista North and sample old Florida fresh fish catch of the day. However, just remembered we have T-Mobile for our cells & did not have any reception the entire time. We had to drive 1.3 miles to hear anything at all. I reported as a negative to T-Mobile. However, Verizon & AT&T subscribers had full service.

Anna Maria Island is still “old Florida"... the way I recall it in the 50's.