Gulf Coast Out & about

Sunset Dream villa is within easy reach of Florida’s most beautifully stunning and relaxing

We recommend Myakka state park for a really good day out it is one of Florida's oldest and largest state parks

Myakka is popular for hiking, fishing, camping, Air boat ride, and wildlife observation. we take good walking shoes and a picnic.

We stopped of at the fishing bridge beside Englewood bridge mid afternoon to see the Dolphins feed under the bridge

Boca Grande island is an easy 20 minutes drive from Sunset dream villa.

Boca Grande is a seven mile long island that boasts no high rises and no traffic lights, a 104 year old lighthouse, Pristine white sand beaches stretch the entire Gulf side of the Island,

Dolphins, white pelicans, osprey, and manatees are only some of the unusual species you may encounter.

Boca Grande has a good selection of restaurants each have their own unique style, featuring dishes made from the freshest local seafood as well as international specialities.

Is a unique Harbor side shopping mall, marina with several dozen boutiques and gift stores, as well as six restaurants which provide dining with Harbor views adjoining the mall is a marina, where sightseeing cruises and fishing charters are available.

You can have a really splendid cooked breakfast just 3 to 5 mins from Sunset dream villa.

Rotonda Golf & Country club Restaurant / Bar is only 3 to 5 mins from Sunset dream villa

All you can eat nights In Town, Wednesday Prime Rib - ONLY $10.95. Friday Grouper & Cod - ONLY $9.95

Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium
1600 Ken Thompson Parkway
Sarasota, FL 34236
941-388-4441

Meet the Mote's Resident Dolphins

Mote Aquarium's resident dolphins, Moonshine and Harley, help educate visitors about dolphins and other cetaceans found in the world's oceans. Moonshine is a pantropical spotted dolphin and Harley is a long-snouted spinner dolphin. Both are commonly found in deep tropical waters and are not animals that you would likely see if you went for a walk along a Gulf Coast beach.

Both dolphins were brought to Mote's Dolphin and Whale Hospital for rehabilitation after they stranded at young ages. After months of rehabilitation, the federal authorities that regulate the protection of wild marine mammals, the National Marine Fisheries Service, decided that the dolphins could not be returned to the wild. Those officials also decided that because the animals were both members of genus Stenella, were extremely social species and could be found together in the wild, they should be housed together for long-term care.

About Moonshine

This male juvenile dolphin was stranded in 2003 in the Florida Keys and found on the beach with a severe sunburn. After several months of treatment by the Marine Animal Rescue Society of Miami, he was brought to Mote for additional treatment. Although Moonshine's sunburn eventually healed following treatment at Mote, a liver abnormality has kept him from being released.

About Harley

Harley is a juvenile female that was estimated to be 6 months old when she was found washed up on a beach on Mustang Island, Texas . Veterinarians believe she was separated from her mother, possibly in rough seas. After treatment by the Animal Rehabilitation Keep (ARK) at the University of Texas , it was determined that she was just too young to be released. Although experts could show her how to catch prey, they are unable to teach her where to find the prey in the wild or how to avoid predators. Harley came to Mote in March 2005 so she could live with a companion that was a similar species -- in this case, that's Moonshine.