Waterfront home great for family gatherings or weekend getaways! Pet-friendly
Welcome to Rock's Retreat. Located an hour North of Tampa and just minutes from the famous Weeki Wachee mermaids, this 3 bedroom, 2 bath waterfront home has just about everything you need to stay amused! Play arcade games in our downstairs game room or challenge your family to a friendly game of cornhole, darts, pool or ladder ball. Nature lover? You've come to the right place! It's very common to see manatee, dolphin & a variety of seabirds while you're enjoying yourself on our backyard beach or toasting marshmallows in our fire pit. Or maybe you're just chilling on one of our two balconies having coffee in the morning or playing a board game in the evening. Use our kayaks and pedal boat to explore the local waterways. Or get picked up at our dock for an airboat tour (additional fees apply). Close to shopping & dining, while perfectly hidden! We're pet friendly too! So, bring your well-behaved fur-babies and come stay for a couple days, or a week, or even a month! We know you're gonna LOVE IT here!! The elevator is currently non-operational. We're sorry for any inconvenience.
Property manager
Sandi
Languages
English
Add dates for prices
Amenities
Kitchen
Washer
Dryer
Pet-friendly
Free WiFi
Air conditioning
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Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
On-site parties or group events are strictly prohibited
Host has indicated that there are no carbon monoxide detectors or gas appliances on the property
Host has indicated that there is a smoke detector on the property
About the area
Hudson
Located in Hudson, this holiday home is on the waterfront. Show Palace Dinner Theater and Colorama Music are cultural highlights, and travellers looking to shop may want to visit Gulf View Square and Coastal Way - Coastal Landing. Nature Coast Botanical Gardens and Adventure Coast Fun Park are also worth visiting. Make sure you get close to the area's animals with activities such as game walks and birdwatching.
Hudson, FL
What's nearby
Nature Coast Botanical Gardens - 10 min drive - 8.1 km
Hudson Beach - 13 min drive - 12.2 km
Weeki Wachee Springs - 15 min drive - 16.2 km
Weeki Wachee Springs State Park - 16 min drive - 15.2 km
Weeki Wachee River - 30 min drive - 24.8 km
Getting around
Tampa, FL (TPA-Tampa Intl.) - 51 min drive
Restaurants
Panera Bread - 8 min drive
Taco Bell - 8 min drive
Cracker Barrel - 8 min drive
Frank's Restaurant - 6 min drive
Dairy Queen - 6 min drive
Frequently asked questions
Is Waterfront home great for family gatherings or weekend getaways! Pet-friendly pet-friendly?
Yes, this property allows dogs (limit 2 total).
What time is check-in at Waterfront home great for family gatherings or weekend getaways! Pet-friendly?
Check-in begins at 4:00 PM.
What time is check-out at Waterfront home great for family gatherings or weekend getaways! Pet-friendly?
Checkout is at 11:00 AM.
Where is Waterfront home great for family gatherings or weekend getaways! Pet-friendly located?
Situated on the waterfront, this holiday home is 3.1 mi (4.9 km) from Weekiwachee Preserve and within 6 miles (10 km) of Show Palace Dinner Theater and Colorama Music. Cow Creek and Nature Coast Botanical Gardens are also within 6 miles (10 km).
Reviews
10
Exceptional
Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
We had an amazing time here! Made for a great weekend of being on the water, playing games and sitting around the fire with the family would definitely recommend this stay!
Rocks retreat was a great stay, Sandi is a terrific host, easy communication throughout our booking and thoughtful,She even left a welcome basket for us and our pup which was very sweet.We had a blast, Rocks retreqt was fun for everyone.
If you’re looking for quiet look at old Florida this is it! Sandi, the host is amazing! Anything you need she’s on it! The house is situated on some back water coming off the gulf. We were able to watch manitees and dolphins while having morning coffee on the upstairs patio! Aripeka is off the main road, but close enough to some fine dining, fun bars and shopping.We enjoyed the outside bar and were even able to fish, never know what you’ll catch!. This was our third year renting this house and enjoyed everything this house has to offer!
Plenty of things to do. Great location on the water but away from the touristy areas. House is very clean and well maintained. Owner is very responsive and respectful. Owner thought of everything. Felt right at home!
The games on the first floor entertained us while it rained for 2 days. Caught some fish off the dock when the rain stopped. Very spacious, clean and well kept house!
House was very clean and welcoming! Host was very nice! The welcome basket was a hit with the kids after 14 hrs in the car. Everything was perfect. The kids loved the gar room, paddle boat and I even squeezed in a trip on the kayaks at sunset(highly recommended!) Only bad thing was having to head back home!
Awesome getaway. We saw so much sea life. Manatee, dolphin and one alligator in 3 days. My son loved the beach area and my 91 year old father enjoyed playing video games with us. We took the paddle boat out a few times. Great relaxing vacation with excellent host. We will be returning! Highly recommend this VRBO.
This was a last minute baby moon before our son comes at the end of this month and we couldn't have picked a better house. Communicating was super easy and the property exceeded our expectations. We were able to enjoy the water and balcony, it just really was the best. We highly recommend this property.
We enjoyed every minute, from watching the sun rise from the back porch to kayaking with manatees, watching a dolphin and turtle swim by, enjoying the fabulous game room, grilling on the charcoal grill, paddle boating, and relaxing in the clean spacious home. On our last night, we took a sunset dinner cruise on the Island Rose just above 10 minutes away in Hernando Beach. Highly recommend this awesome place. Excellent communication with host and the home was very well stocked. Just get groceries, unpack, settle in and enjoy!
I stayed with a couple of girlfriends to celebrate a milestone birthday, 60, the home was perfect for the weekend. The area is full of beautiful birds, which kept us quite entertained from the balcony. The down stairs game room was a bonus. The host was very responsive. I would choose this rental again in the future .
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Great host, location, and home. Highly recommended for anyone with ADA needs. The elevator worked flawlessly, shower was easy to enter, master bedroom double-doors made entry/exit easy. The back deck with binoculars made it easy to observe all the wildlife. Sand Hill Cranes visited every day. We will surely come back again. Thanks, Sandi
Our families came together for a reunion and Rock’s Retreat was perfect in every way. I just can’t say enough about what a special time we had and it was and largely due to the diverse accommodations. The game room, the beach space, the dock for fishing, the paddle boat, the oar boat, the Roku TV, the games, and the wonderful gift basket filled with goodies for the 6 children all contributed to a great time for all. Sandi is a perfect property hostess. Thank you Sandi for everything.
Extraordinary hospitality in a beautiful home, couldn't ask for more!
Service and communication were top knotch throut our stay. Personal and extra little touches to make us feel welcome were above and beyond the norm. The property was extremely clean, furnishings were new and very comfortable. Very cute vacation vibe throughout hone. Our 3 year old loved the beach area and roasting marshmallows in the fire pit. Home has private secluded feel but close and convenient to shopping and restaurants. Enjoyed mornings on deck spotting manatees in water below. Plenty of outdoor seating as well. Would definitely recommend this property and this host, couldn't ask for a better experience!
Rock's Retreat is such an awesome place! It was more than enough space for our party of 4 adults and one small dog. The entire home was very clean and easy to access, and Sandi provided some great personal touches like a welcome basket with snacks. The game room on the ground level was such a great hang-out space, and we all loved the expansive deck including our 16yo dog. It was by far his favorite spot to hang out. And if all that isn't enough, there are also kayaks, a paddleboat, grill and firepit on the premises. We could have easily spent the entire weekend at Rock's and had plenty to do! Thank you, Sandi, for a wonderful stay. We hope to be back soon!
We were quite pleased with all that this beautiful home has to offer. It has been decorated tastefully and thoughtfully for your enjoyment. Everything you could possibly need is at your fingertips. We enjoyed every single minute that we were at Rocks Retreat! It truly was a treat. Waking up each morning to that view and the peaceful serenity was amazing.
Our last evening was especially enjoyable as we were able to sit with dear friends around the fire pit and reminisce after playing some pretty awesome games from our childhood in the garage! We’re already looking forward to scheduling our next visit.
WOW! This place is PERFECT!! The house was extremely clean and well maintained. The game room downstairs was so much fun, arcade games, darts, pool table and more. The elevator was awesome for bringing all your belongings upstairs (wish we had one at our second floor condo LOL). Our favorite part was sitting on the balcony and listening to the birds and watching the water. We even saw a dolphin swimming in the canal!
Sandi was VERY quick at responding to any correspondence and requests. She is very sweet and accommodating!
I would highly recommend staying at Rock's Retreat, I know we will be back again soon!
This house was just the perfect spot for a nice relaxing month stay in an old Florida setting. The house was just immaculate! Having coffee overlooking the water, seeing manatees, dolphins, and other wildlife was just the way to start your day! Sandi, the property manager, was very helpful and attentive if we ever needed anything. If you never been to Aripeka, your not going to find all the typical Florida vacation attractions. It's so quiet and peaceful, just far enough of the beaten path, but close enough to great bars and restaurants. the house came with a paddle boat which was fun, Sandi brought in 2 kayaks which was an added treat, so much to explore going out to the gulf! Our whole trip was so much enjoyed, thanks Sandi!
JOHN G.
Stayed 28 nights in Feb 2023
About the host
Hosted by Sandi
Why they chose this property
If you love nature, you'll love this place! Manatee mating season runs from March to November, and it's very common to spot manatees in the canal behind the house on a regular basis. Seabirds are abundant, and you will occasionally get lucky & spot a dolphin feeding in the canal or a playful otter searching for his next meal! Great location for avid fishermen or anyone just wanting to 'get away from it all'!
What makes this property unique
Outdoor elevator, backyard sand beach area, fire pit, game room, pet friendly, two minutes from public boat ramp & little store. Beautiful sunsets off the local bridges. Flexible check-in/out times (when available).