Review: Optimystical Vista is the only home rental you will ever need

Imagine waking up with a 180-degree view of an ocean bay. No homes to the left, right, or center. Just open water, a small island of mangrove trees, and dolphins. If that is your idea of a perfect vacation, then Optimystical Vista is your heaven on Earth.

We have stayed at Optimystical Vista for a week each of the last two years. We are ready for our third trip this summer. We have kids that range from 17 to 9 and have a two-year-old as well. When we told the four of them we were going this year again, they jumped up and down with excitement.

Truly, this is a perfect getaway for families who want to semi-disconnect from the world. The home is beautiful. There is a lower-floor garage area, a second-floor living area, and a third-floor master bedroom with a balcony that offers incredible views of the water.

Located on the Gulf of Mexico on the west coast of Florida, Optimystical Vista sits about an hour north of Tampa Bay (traffic included). There are a lot of things in the area to enjoy as a family, including a water park just up the road. You are also about an hour and a half from Disney World, Sea World, and Universal Studios but honestly, we never leave the house except to get groceries.

The home has everything you need from a coffee pot, cookware, utensils, glasses, etc… There are televisions in two bedrooms and the living room and the home has WIFI available for guests.

In the living room, you can enjoy floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the water on all three sides. Facing to the west, there is a channel to the right, and to the left is more of the bay. The channel is a popular feeding area for local dolphins who will swim up the channel and back. We will get to more about the wildlife soon.

The home will comfortably sleep six adults or however your family is made up of kids. The kitchen is big and the dining table is also perfect for larger groups. Cooking is a pleasure whether on the outside grill or in the house. Windows give you a view of the ocean around you.

There is a deck that wraps all around the house except for the back of the home. The two sides are a small deck you can walk on while the very large main deck off the living room is amazing. A spiral staircase will take you to the top deck and another staircase will give you access to the lower floor without having to use the elevator. Yes, there is an elevator.

There is a video game system, like the ones from the 1980’s arcades in the garage along with a ping pong table and pool table to enjoy.

From the dock or the property line, you can fish or take a kayak out and explore. We take our kids snorkeling and while sometimes there isn’t a lot to see, it is a great beginner’s option and there is a lot of fish along the rocks and under the dock. Snorkeling out to the mangroves is fun but you should have a dive flag as it is the access route for boats.

Needless to say but Optimystical Vista gives you some of the best sunsets on the gulf coast.

The wildlife is incredible. We have watched as manatees swim up the channel or through the bay and eat right off the shoreline. Dolphins are a daily visitor and typically there will either be a small pod or a mother and calf which we have seen the last two years. They will literally swim under the dock. Which by the way allows you to launch the kayaks that are offered to you and stored in the garage.

Last year we got to see a couple of sea turtles which was really fun. There are pictures on the properties VRBO site of a shark being seen but I have not seen one in the two years I have been there. It could be because of the dolphins that have been in the bay two or three times daily.

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Every vacation rental has to have some things that are not perfect and this one is no different. I can attest that it is not because the owners do not care. The owners, Ken and Jeremy are incredible and there are not enough nice words I can say about them. The local handyman who serves as the caretaker of the home is also a fantastic person should you need to work with.

For our family, none of the “issues” are stuff that deters us from going. Our biggest problem was that the pool cues did not have tips because they were broken by previous guests who did not report them being broke or were courteous enough to replace them. There is a local Walmart and you can buy a pack of pop-on tips if there are none. They are only a couple of bucks at best. We bring our own.

There are few sliding screens that stick but if you read the home notes clearly, some doors should not be open and they are labeled. It may be a problem for some but again, take the time to read.

This is a home that my family and treats like our own and because of that, we have taken great pride in making sure that we leave it as good or better.

The owners of this property want you to feel at home and as a result, they have gone to great measures to make you feel welcome. We have stayed at a lot of rental properties over the years but this has become our yearly family tradition and we hope that when our oldest moves away to college and eventually starts a family that this is where we will all come together to spend our time.

To book this property, visit their VRBO site here, pick your dates, and then just get ready for one of the most relaxing vacations you can hope for. It’s a perfect getaway.