º Tropical Escape Sarasota º Experience Florida Up-close!

We had our wedding on Jan 11, and the venue was exactly what I wanted: beautiful and comfortable. Michael, the owner, was a pleasure to work with, and every one of our guests kept saying how wonderful the place was. I couldn’t have been happier with it.

The pool and hot tub were a real treat, and the grounds are large and enclosed by dense vegetation. The house has everything needed for a comfortable stay, with beaches and shops close by. I’m grateful to Michael for his hospitality. He replied very quickly to all my questions and requests, and I really enjoyed communicating with him.

The property is stunning, though the owner’s house next door was in a state that took us aback. The fire pit is also on his property next door, and we didn’t feel comfortable using it. There are cameras everywhere, which made the stay uncomfortable. We’ll remember the good parts of our wedding and the people around us who helped keep the day special, but other beautiful venues can be enjoyed without this kind of harassment. Before booking, I was uneasy after reading reviews about Michael, but I wanted to judge for myself. We spoke by phone because we were traveling 2,000 miles for the wedding, and I hoped things would go smoothly. He seemed to have an “it’s everyone else’s fault, I’m not the issue” attitude. My husband smoked on the porch twice, which he knew was not allowed. Still, Michael fined us $500 on our wedding day and waited at the bottom of the stairs until it was paid. He wanted me brought into the conversation while I was getting ready, but everyone there said no. He said he’d shut down the wedding if we didn’t pay right then. Afterward, his Venmo comment was about a paragraph long and felt like a joke. I don’t understand why the charge was $500 when the listing says the smoking fine is $250, and the Venmo note said we weren’t charged for the first “violation.” That was only one of several problems during our four-day stay. He was disrespectful to the men setting up our tent and said they needed to be punished, comparing them to children who don’t listen because they hadn’t called him before arriving. The woman from sales told me he’d called to complain that the men were ruining his driveway. On the afternoon of the rehearsal, my dad had to pull over to let the truck pass, and I got this text: “I just heard a Mercedes drove completely off the driveway through the grass 😣”. The morning after the wedding, he told my husband the pool was “leaking” and looked like it had been “slashed with a knife,” and said he’d check the cameras. We’d used the pool once, on the first day, when only my ten-year-old went in for about 30 minutes. He’d been creeping around on the wedding day and saying he was filling the pool, so I don’t think the pool had anything to do with us. It felt like he was trying to fine people to cover things that needed fixing. He also kept mentioning that he’d take leftover food, and the checkout list says leftovers can be left in the refrigerator. We took our food across the street for less fortunate people instead. I expect he’ll respond as he has to other negative reviews, saying we were horrible guests, but we weren’t. My wedding was perfect thanks to the people around me, and I won’t let this take that away. Best of luck if you decide to book.

The place looked much nicer online than it did in person, and I felt like I wasted my money. We stayed three nights with friends. After we booked, the owner added a long list of fees that hadn't been disclosed, charging for little things like each guest or visitor, pool and hot tub use per person per day, and dogs by the pound per day. He lives on the property and would show up unexpectedly. Before returning my security deposit, he checked the cameras to count how many people had been there, since guest and visitor numbers are limited. I wouldn't stay here. Find somewhere else.