a friend of mine asked me sarcastically the other day where people who live in florida go on vacation. siesta key, baby. or the keys if you want to dive. a sandwich and a few at the daiquiri deck, and then a sunset. it's a little slice of heaven.
Gillian,
We have stayed in 2 of the condos at the Sand Cay. I believe the first one was 314. I loved the way it was furnished -seashell theme and one post was painted like a palm tree. You could see the Gulf through the trees from the balcony and also the pool. We have since stayed in 219. The picture window looks over the Gulf and it looks like a picture! The furniture is nice -black leather couches ,chrome & glass. Not my personal favorite and not as comfortable as 314 but it must be hard to find durable furniture to hold up especially with all the sand that ends up inside! I keep a towel near the door to wipe feet on and one to put shoes on but it still gets tracked.
With young kids you may want to try a ground floor unit. They have patios -not real good views but easy in/out and some are right near the pool. They have a website: http://www.exploringsarasota.net/sandcay/
The Sea Club is also nice -right on the beach. The only problem is 1 bathroom instead of 2 and sometimes have ant problems. These are villas that are all ground level so you have to be careful about cleaning counters etc. But you walk outside and the beach is just a few feet away.
website:http://www.seaclub1.com/
More info at the chamber of commerce sit (but it is slow).