I’m finally all caught up on laundry and life and can sit down with a cup of coffee and write this blog post. LOL, just kidding! It’s midnight and I still have a million things to do before I head back to teaching oh-so-soon.
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while you already know we love seeing new places and I love my dog– Charlie girl. That’s why Lido Key was my location of choice for this year’s family vaca. Every time we leave Charlie at home, I am so sad. I FaceTime her every day and can’t wait to be back home cuddling with her. I really like the Gulf side of Florida, so I did my research and found a beautiful ocean-front resort that lets you bring your pup (30 lbs or less). It’s even considered an “Opal Paws Resort.”
When I told Charlie that she’d be coming with us, she obliged, conned me into purchasing her some new doggy luggage, and hopped in the back of my Explorer. That’s right… we headed to Florida on a road trip instead of airplane this time. And it was awesome! I would love to do a girls’ trip here with Erin sometime. She would love it too!
Where is Lido Key?
Lido Key is not located at the bottom of Florida with “The Keys” everyone knows. There are a few keys on the west coast of Florida, located off of St. Pete/Bradenton/Sarasota area, just south of Tampa. Lido Key is one of them, located directly next to Siesta Key and Longboat Key.
Where Did You Stay?
We stayed at Lido Beach Resort in a beach-front suite on the 8th floor of the Palm Tower. There are two towers on property, the Tiki Tower and the Palm Tower. The Palm Tower is the bigger of the two and has more spacious rooms. The rooms were gorgeous, updated, and clean with a great view of the water.
Upon arrival, the resort provided a goodie bag for Charlie and a doggy bed. She loved the treats! They also gave us a sign to hang on the door that read “Dog in Room” for housekeeping.
There are two pools on property– one of them being an adult only pool. This was where we spent a good bit of our time. They even served you drinks while lounging around or in the pool! The pools both had a beach view– and since the two were so close, we went back and forth between the two and did a good bit of walking on the beach. You can actually walk the entire length of Lido Key!
If you’ve ever been to Disney, you know what the “Magic Band” is. Lido Beach Resort had a similar concept. We had bands that we wore that not only showed we were resort guests, but also got us into our suite, the pools, parking garage, and various other points of entry on property.
What is St. Armand’s Key?
We enjoyed many delicious meals at the resort, but we found ourselves walking to and from St. Armand’s Key quite a bit. St. Armand’s Key is another key off of Sarasota, located 1/2 mile from Lido Beach Resort. They are very close and connected by a bridge that you barely can tell is a bridge! Complimentary shuttle service is also provided to and from St. Armand’s Key; we just enjoyed the walk in the mornings and evenings. We ended up only taking the shuttle once, our last evening because it was drizzling.
On St. Armand’s Key is St. Armand’s Circle (there’s an aerial view of the Circle in the YouTube video embedded above). The Circle is full of numerous restaurants and shops. The cool thing about St. Armand’s Key is that so many people have their dogs with them. There are water bowls outside of virtually every store. Most restaurants even have outdoor seating so that you can bring your pup to breakfast/dinner. Charlie was very happy about this.
Our Favorite Restaurants
1. Cilantro Grill: We went here for breakfast twice. I got the same thing both times because I loved the Marie Antoinette Crepes so much (see photo above). This is on the second level of a building in St. Armand’s Circle, so you can see the whole Circle from above while you dine!
2. Columbia’s: This is an actual Spanish restaurant and a local favorite in St. Armand’s. I had tapas and they were amazing. The crab cakes were probably the best I’ve ever had. I also had scallops that were yummy too!
3. Mexico Lindo Restaurant: We had the best fajitas here! And my margarita was fantastic too! Charlie came with us when we ate dinner here our first night.
4. Daiquiri Deck: I had an amazing crab cake sandwich here with a peach daiquiri. The food is great, but the drinks are amazing. There are so many different selections for daiquiri flavors!
5. Venezia: We ate Italian here our last night with some friends we made while in Lido! The food was seriously amazing. It reminded me of a local homemade Italian place we have where I live.
6. Lido Beach Grille: Upscale restaurant on the 8th floor (our floor) of the Palm Tower. It has windows all the way around and overlooks the beach or Sarasota– guest’s choice! It’s a beautiful view with delicious food and a must-visit while in Lido. My scallops were cooked perfectly!
7. Café Lido: This restaurant is right on property. You can hit it up for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! We had breakfast here and it was great! I also recommend the Chocoholic Milk to drink with your breakfast if you’re into Ghirardelli and Bailey’s. YUM.
8. Madison Avenue Café: I had the best French toast I’ve ever had here. The service was quick and the breakfast was bomb! This is a breakfast/lunch only restaurant, as well as a bakery/deli/wine shop. They close at 3PM. I definitely recommend visiting for breakfast!
9. Starbucks: There is a Starbucks in St. Armand’s and there’s always a line out the door. If you’re a Starbs lover, you’ll be happy to know you can still get your fix while on vacation here. I actually didn’t have coffee all week until we left Lido for the long drive back to Pittsburgh!
10. Kilwin’s: We stopped here for ice cream one evening. Charlie had some whipped cream. I went to one of these in Mackinac with Erin!
11. Poolside Tiki Bar: We ate lunch here almost every day– and it was delivered right to our pool chairs! They have everything– from tasty frozen drinks, to appetizers, seafood, and salads! Some evenings, after a big meal from the Tiki Bar, we considered this our dinner and stayed in for the night with Charlie girl!
Why Do We Recommend Lido?
1. Everything is walkable. We were able to walk anywhere we needed to go and never had to take our car out of the parking garage. With the variety of shops and restaurants at St. Armand’s, just a half mile away, we never felt the need to go anywhere else.
2. The sunsets are amazing. Being on the Gulf side of Florida, you don’t have to wake up early to catch the sunset. You can see it every evening.
3. There is an adult pool. I love kids. I mean, obviously; I have them with me 180 days of the year. But it is nice to have an adult pool when vacationing if you just want to relax without splashing, noise, etc. There are also 3 hot tubs surrounding the adult pool.
4. You can bring your pup. This is actually what landed me on Lido Beach Resort’s website to begin with. I ended up loving it for many reasons beside just this one, but how amazing it was to have our girl with us at the beach.♡ And she was treated like royalty by the staff at the resort. The other people staying there loved her too! She was a very popular girl by the end of the week.
5. The ocean is warm and crystal clear. I’ve been all over the world and to some of the very best beaches– from Hawaii to Aruba. This beach is definitely comparable. Sometimes, I couldn’t believe I was in Florida! The water was very blue and clear and so so warm!
6. You see tons of sea turtle nests– and maybe a sea turtle or her tracks if you’re lucky. We got to see eggs that baby sea turtles had just hatched from and fresh tracks of a mama sea turtle who had laid her eggs just hours before we took our morning walk (see photo above)! I always get an Alex & Ani bracelet on my adventures, something that reminds me of my trip– and this time it was most definitely the sea turtle.
*There’s a cute little store with Alex & Ani, other jewelry, high-quality gifts, and Simply Southern shirts in St. Armand’s Circle called “Alicia’s Dream.” It was my favorite store to shop in!
Will we be going back? Absolutely. It was one of our best vacations yet. Can’t wait to return! Thank you for an amazing stay, Lido Beach Resort! See you soon.
xo,
Ash
Shop Charlie’s Travel Supplies
Doggie Carseat: My aunt actually got this for her for Christmas two years ago, but here is a similar one. On long road trips, I feel safer if she is in her car seat. She did sneak up a few times for cuddles though.
“Shag Donut Cuddler Bed”: I swear we have like 5 beds we’ve accumulated over these last two years. We have quite the little lounger on our hands. This fluffy donut bed is from Amazon. She loves to relax in it, so we brought it with us!
Suitcase: This doubles as a dog carrier. She fits inside it too! It’s actually meant to be a carrier, but it was the perfect suitcase for all of her things!
Collapsable Food/Water Bowls: Thank goodness for these! We used them a ton on the car ride and while in Lido Key!
Dog Carrier: Didn’t have to use this much because Charlie likes walking, but brought it just in case her little legs got tired.
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