BRIANA'S CABANAS

Beach stays • travel finds • tropical escapes

Anna Maria Island

Look…I’m picky. If I’m pulling out my card for a Florida trip, these are the places I’m looking at first.

Budget finds, couples spots, and one place that made me briefly forget I have responsibilities

My Favorite Places to Stay

Anna Maria Beach Resort

Okay...this is my #1 pick and I’m not even pretending to be unbiased here 🤣The pool got me first. Then I realized it’s literally right on the beach. Then I started looking through the rooms and yeah...game over.The rooms are gorgeous, some have full kitchens, and the whole place has that clean luxury, “I accidentally booked somewhere way more luxe than I meant to” feeling.This doesn’t feel like one of those hotels where you sleep, shower, and leave. This feels like the kind of place where you grab coffee, sit on the balcony forever, spend way too long at the pool, wander down to the beach, and suddenly start calculating what it would cost to stay another night.Honestly? If I booked Anna Maria tomorrow...this is exactly where I’d stay.

Cedar Cove Resort and Cottages

Okay hear me out...if you're the type that wants giant resorts, crowds, and a million people fighting over pool chairs...skip this one 🤣But if your dream vacation is waking up, making coffee, opening the door and basically stepping straight onto the beach? Yeahhh...this one gets me.Cedar Cove has that smaller, tucked-away island vibe that feels way more like staying at someone's little beach paradise than a hotel. Every room has its own personality, the whole place feels super relaxed, and somehow it feels like one of those spots people accidentally discover and then immediately start gatekeeping.Also...can we discuss the fact that IT IS LITERALLY RIGHT. ON. THE. BEACH. Like not "beach access." Not "short walk." Not "across the street." I mean walk outside and your feet are basically in the sand.And The Nut House? Exactly the kind of random little island thing I love because places like this always end up having the best stories 🤣This place gives less "luxury resort" and more "pretend you secretly own a beach cottage for a week" energy...and honestly? I kinda love that.

Bridgewalk Resort

Okay…Bridgewalk kind of has me in a chokehold for completely different reasons than my usual picks.Most places on Anna Maria make you choose — quiet beach location or being close to restaurants, drinks, and things to do. This somehow gives you both.You’re right in the middle of Bridge Street, so everything is right there.Walk downstairs and you’ve got restaurants, bars, shopping, and some of my favorite spots literally steps away. Daiquiri Deck being right there definitely did not hurt its case either.But the rooms are what sold me. They’re clean, bright, modern, and feel way more like a beach condo than a hotel room. Full kitchens, oversized spaces, balconies, spa touches…this is one of those places where you unpack and immediately settle in instead of feeling like you're just staying somewhere.And the beach? Right across the street.This feels like the kind of place where mornings start slow with coffee on the balcony, afternoons turn into beach time without a plan, and nights somehow end with “let’s just grab one drink” before you realize it’s been three hours.If you like being able to walk everywhere and still come back to somewhere that feels calm and beautiful…this one deserves way more attention than I think people give it.This one feels less like checking into a hotel and more like slipping into island life for a few days.

Zota Beach Resort

Zota feels like one of those places where you accidentally start acting richer on vacation 🤣
Everything is super clean, modern, and calm — big ocean views, private beach access, cabanas, poolside drinks, spa vibes...the kind of place where you unpack your suitcase and immediately think, okay yeah...I could disappear here for a few days.
The thing I actually really like though?
The location.
It's on Longboat Key in one of those spots where you're not locked into one area your entire trip. You're close enough to head north toward Anna Maria if you're in the mood for beach-town, laid-back island vibes, or go toward St. Armands for shopping, dinner, walking around, and date-night energy.
And for everyone who has Siesta Key on their Florida bucket list...you're only about a 35–40 minute drive away there too.
Honestly...that’s what got me. I like options 🤣 Beach day, pool day, little St. Armands date night, Siesta day...you can switch up the vibe without switching hotels.

Tortuga Inn Beach Resort

Not gonna lie...this one surprised me. It's more cute and practical than flashy luxury, but honestly? I kinda get it.
It's technically beach adjacent, but you still get direct beach access, so you still have that easy beach-day feel without paying full beachfront prices. And they've already thought of a lot of the little stuff — beach loungers, umbrellas, towels, BBQ grills, and 2 pools are all there.
Room sizes range from smaller studios all the way up to a 3-bedroom penthouse if you're traveling with family or friends, and some rooms even have full kitchens, fireplaces, and big jetted tubs.
Yeah, parts of it feel a little dated...but not in a "this carpet has seen things" kind of way 🤣 More like cozy Florida beach condo vibes.
And honestly? If you're planning to spend most of your trip out exploring Anna Maria, hanging at the beach, grabbing food, or bouncing around nearby areas, this kinda makes sense. Toss a backpack cooler in the car, pack some drinks and snacks, and call it a day.
You're getting a lot without paying luxury resort money.

The St. Regis Longboat Key Resort

Okay...this is the one.
Like the "close the tabs, stop searching, pull out the card" one 🤣Because at some point, vacation stops being about finding a place to sleep and starts being about finding a place that actually feels like an escape.The kind of place where you wake up, grab coffee, open the curtains, and immediately see palm trees and water instead of a parking lot.The kind of trip where nobody's asking, "okay so what are we doing today?"Because it's already there.
Beach? There.
Pool? There.
Drinks? There.
Spa? There.
Dinner? There.
Lazy river? THERE. 🤣And somehow they even added a giant saltwater lagoon with tropical fish because apparently somebody sat in a meeting and said, "what if we just made people never want to leave?"This feels less like booking a hotel and more like disappearing for a few days.The kind of place where you lose track of what day it is.
Where dinner turns into drinks.Drinks turn into sunset walks.Sunset walks turn into "we should do this more often."The kind of trip you end up talking about six months later while you're standing in your kitchen making coffee and suddenly say:"God...remember that place?"Honestly?This is the first place on this list where I'd stop acting responsible.Because if I'm already taking time off, already paying for flights, already planning a trip...I want the one that makes me feel like I actually left real life behind.And this one?
This one IS that place.

One Last Thing...I’m ridiculously picky about hotels. If I'm taking time off, booking flights, and planning a trip, I want somewhere I’ll still be talking about months later.These are the places I keep coming back to — from quiet little beach spots to full-blown “absolutely not in my budget but I’m looking anyway” energy 🤣And if you end up booking one? I’m living vicariously through you.

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