Sarasota

Sarasota, Florida, USA

The Sarasota area not only offers miles of glorious sandy beaches, there's also a wealth of cultural activities and attractions, numerous shops and boutiques, and plenty of restaurants and bars to enjoy.

Sarasota

There are several islands, known as keys or barrier islands, separating Sarasota Bay from the gulf, these include Lido Key, St Armands Key, Otter Key, Coon Key, Bird Key, Siesta Key and Longboat Key.

Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport is only a few minutes away, while Orlando is around 2 hours drive, Tampa 1 hour and Miami 4 hours.

Read more about: Beaches | Things to Do | Out and About | Nearby Attractions | Sarasota Reviews

Sarasota Hotels (19)

This family friendly hotel offers a good range of facilities in a central location, ideal for family holidays....

The Anna Marie Island Apartments Hotel provides spacious accommodation with good amenities, ideal for families looking for their own privacy and extra space....

The Best Western Midtown Hotel provides ample facilities in a good location, ideal for a relaxing holiday....

Bridgewalk, A Landmark Resort offers spacious and homely style accommodation on the laid back historic Bridge Street, close to the beach where you can relax and watch the dolphins....

The Days Inn Sarasota Hotel offer comfortable accommodation in a good location, ideal for a relaxing holiday....

The Hampton Inn and Suites Venice Bayside South Sarasota offers a good range of facilities and amenities in a central location....

The Hampton Inn Sarasota I-75 Bee Ridge Hotel not only caters well for leisure travellers, it also provides good facilities for business travellers too....

The Hilton Garden Inn Sarasota Bradenton Airport Hotel offers ample facilities in a central location making it ideal for a peaceful holiday....

Guests will enjoy views of the Gulf from the elegant restaurant on the 7th floor of the Holiday Inn Lido Beach Hotel....

The Holiday Inn Sarasota Bradenton Airport Hotel is just as popular with business travellers as it is with leisure travellers due to the International convention centre being right next door....

The spacious and well furnished suites are ideal for those looking to relax in the Florida sunshine....

The Hyatt Regency Sarasota Hotel offers comfortable accommodation and a welcoming atmosphere for all to relax in....

The Jamaica Royale Hotel offers spacious accommodation with plenty to do in the surrounding area and is ideal for families....

The Lido Beach Resort Hotel offers a good range of facilities and a warm atmosphere, perfect for relaxing holidays....

The Comfort Inn Sarasota Hotel offers comfortable, well equipped accommodation in a central location....

The Ritz Carlton Sarasota Hotel offers a really good range of facilities to keep the whole family entertained....

This family friendly hotel offers a good range of facilities for all the family to enjoy with good facilities in the surrounding area....

These spacious villas are spread out over 30 acres of land and provide a peaceful atmosphere, perfect for anyone who just wants to relax....

This beach side location is just perfect for lazy days in the sun. ...

Beaches

The beaches in the Sarasota area are found on the Gulf Coast side of its Keys; Lido Key which features the north Lido beach, the Lido public beach with snack pavilion, playground and picnic tables, and the south Lido park with picnic area. Siesta Key with its wide award-winning Siesta Beach which offers good facilities including lifeguards and playground, the quieter Crescent Beach and Turtle Beach with playground, picnic areas and horseshoe pit.

Longboat Key has over ten miles of quiet white sandy shoreline, much of which is privately held for residents of the beachfront condominiums and resorts. However there are three beaches with public access; Whitney Beach, Longboat Key Beach and Beer Can Island. Beer Can Island Beach at the northern tip of the island is a small beach accessible only by boat at Longboat Pass; Whitney Beach a quiet beach with no conveniences; and Longboat Key Beach where amenities simply include picnic tables and public parking area.

Beach volleyball is a popular activity throughout Florida, and while most area beaches have at least one court, Siesta Key has multiple courts and plays host to numerous tournaments throughout the year.

Things to Do

There's plenty to do in the Sarasota area both on land and on water; golfing, hiking, fishing and boating, snorkelling and diving, jet skis, kayaking, kite-boarding and parasailing are all popular activities in the area. Also the Legacy Trail is one of the top 10 bicycle trails in the state of Florida, this 10.8 mile scenic trail stretches from the north of Sarasota all the way south to Venice.

The Mote Marine Aquarium and Research Centre is a small aquarium with a good variety of marine life to view. The aquarium features touch tanks, a shark tank, manatees and sea turtles.

Situated on the Sarasota Bay, the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is an urban oasis boasting a living collection of rare and beautiful tropical plants.

Sarasota Jungle Gardens is more than just a park, it%u2019s home to over 150 native and exotic animals including birds of prey, alligators and other reptiles, parrots and flamingos. With daily bird and reptile shows that are as educational as they are entertaining.

Out and About

There are plenty of shopping and dining opportunities to be found around the Sarasota area; a good choice of which can be found in St Armands Circle, situated on St Armands Key; on Main Street in downtown Sarasota; and on Siesta Key at either the Siesta Key Village or the Siesta South shopping area.

Sarasota Bay covers a large area, where having a car is highly recommended. However there is a wide network of buses which operate around the town of Sarasota and a seasonal free trolley service which runs the length of Siesta Key.

Nearby Attractions

There are plenty of attractions to discover in the surrounding area, such as the popular Busch Gardens Theme Park and the Florida Aquarium, both of which are located in Tampa (approx 70km away).

The South Florida Museum found in Bradenton (approx 15km) offers three attractions in one; a museum, a manatee aquarium and a planetarium.

Graph displaying average temperatures throughout the year at Sarasota

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