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Florida Beaches BeachHunter.net Best Florida beach reviews, photos, info. | ||||
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Florida Beaches BeachHunter.net Best Florida beach reviews, photos, info. | ||||
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Don Pedro Island BeachesDon Pedro Island offers a truly unique getaway to the unconventional traveler. It is an island of shell roads, quiet beaches, and homes that are as unique and varied as their owners. The island lacks hotels, restaurants and resorts. What it offers is quiet, crime-free tranquility. It is possible to visit Don Pedro Island without staying on the island, but it isn't necessarily easy unless you have a boat. To visit for the day, you can come over on the car ferry. If you want to bring your car, it will cost you $50. I recommend that you simply bring your bike over on the ferry (about $7) and ride a few blocks to the beach where you'll find several public accesses (no restroom facilities unless you walk 30 minutes to Don Pedro Island State Park). Grande Tours offers passenger ferry service (no cars) to Don Pedro Island State Park by reservation. As of this writing, they offer to take up to 6 people to the island and back for $150. Split 6 ways that's not too bad. The best way to enjoy Don Pedro Island beaches is to rent a house on the island. Bob and Robin Madden of Islander Properties handle vacation rentals and management, real estate sales, and custom home building on the island. Dogs are not technically allowed on the beaches but well-behaved dogs on a leash are generally tolerated. Many of the rental units are pet-friendly. Be sure to check out Palm Island and Little Gasparilla Island. |
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| Don Pedro Island beaches deliver a peaceful tranquility almost unmatched in Florida. |
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| On Don Pedro, there is a slight drop-off about one foot deep at the edge of the water in many places. It is here where you'll find the most shells, fossils and shark's teeth. |
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| Here is the Gulf of Mexico (above) at its most placid. Calm as a lake. Mornings usually bring the calmest conditions, before the afternoon sea breeze picks up. |
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| There are plenty of vacation properties available for rent on Don Pedro. Lots of them are right on the beach. You can walk down to Don Pedro Island State Park in about 30 minutes or so. |
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| Here is the beach house I stayed in (above) on Don Pedro Island. It is offered through Islander Properties and is called the "Beach Lover." |
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| Above is a typical street on Don Pedro Island. Cars are
infrequent. More likely you'll find people traveling in golf carts.
It is very quiet and dark at night. If you like to look at the
stars, you'll see plenty here, and you'll get a really good look at
the Milky Way. At present, the island is about 50% built out. Building costs are $240 to $340 per square foot. There are about 250 full-time residents on Don Pedro Island. Homes have septic tanks and get their water from 3 desalination plants on-island. |
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| Above is the beach at Don Pedro Island State Park. This part of the island is completely undeveloped. The only visitors you'll see here come by boat, or by walking along the beach. |
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| Above: picnic facilities at Don Pedro Island State Park. There is a large covered area with lots of tables, a few BBQ grills, trash cans, outdoor rinse-off showers, and restrooms. Kayaks approaching from the bay side can leave their yaks on a specially built rack near the dock. |
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| At the water's edge I scooped up this assortment of shells and fossils by hand. Plenty of sharks teeth to be found. |