Island Retreat Florida

Eric was a great host! The campsite is exactly as advertised and he was very welcoming and helped us tremendously when we had an emergency! The island itself is very private and in great condition.

This is a great alternative to traditional campgrounds, being that you’re on your own private island. A very unique experience on a convenient-to-everything island. Restaurants and the boat ramp are literally seconds away from the site. We ordered out and stayed at a primitive campsite - where else can you do that? The food was still hot when we came back from picking it up - by boat. Pretty awesome!
The 3 sites were built-up off the ground and well constructed. There was a 4th platform with a roof-over dining area that would have been very nice during rainstorms or the heat of summer. Fire pits were enormous and plenty of cut firewood was stacked in multiple convenient locations.
Eric was a gracious host and communicated everything about the island very well. My wife and 3 teenage boys rented out the whole island at a reasonable price. The boys had one campsite that was close by (a short walk through a canopy trail to the middle of the island), but far enough away that it provided them the independence teenage boys crave. My wife and I felt like we were all alone on the island most of the time.
A few tips... we came by 18’ aluminum Jon boat. If you’re familiar, these things float in inches of water. But a low tide (only) and in the last 10’ to the boat landing, we had to motor up and push in by pole. All other times there was easily 2-3’ of water under us all the way to the landing. Also, bring decent water shoes. Flip flops were not the thing to wear at the landing site due to some mud and oysters. Also, there is currently some bridge construction very nearby with work going on overnight. They used loudspeakers to communicate and had some frequent loud banging overnight. This obviously has nothing to do with the management of the island but keep this in mind if it’s still ongoing when you plan to stay. It was definitely noisy at night. My teenage sons and I are deep sleepers and didn’t have a problem, but my wife noted difficulty due to the noise.
Otherwise, this place is spectacular. We caught (and released) dozens of spotted sea trout and mangrove snapper nearby (mouth of the river) and truly enjoyed our stay. Thanks again to Eric for the hospitality and we will definitely be back!

Response from Eric, the Host, on January 3rd, 2021

Thanks Spencer for the kind and thorough review and picture of the family and pups enjoy the place. I enjoyed communicate with you about your trip. We have come a long way the island in our first year. Glad your family was able to stay and the weather held. Great tips on the water shoes. The landing at low tide has oyster shells I am in the process of removing/clearing. This tip will be added into the listing and sent with the Welcome Package in the works for parking, map and other tips about the island and surrounding area. Hope to have some surprises for you on the island if you visit again the future. Thanks again Spencer - Eric

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