Villa from the front (click picture for larger image)

Real Estate agents say the three most important aspects determining property values are location, location and location. If this is the case then this villa must be nearly priceless. Whilst the villa itself is luxuriously appointed with everything that could be needed for a perfect vacation, it is the breathtaking view from the florida room which makes it so special even for Crystal River.

In our experience Crystal River is unique, being the commercial center for the surrounding area, it has a wide selection of restaurants and shopping but still retains the small town atmosphere and southern hospitality. However it's uniqueness is due to its position being situated on the glorious Kings Bay which is rightly named "The Jewel of the Nature Coast" of Florida.

We chose our Villa for a number of reasons, it is in Palm Springs which is our favorite neighborhood and is surrounded back and front by Florida wetlands which have been designated bird and animal sanctuaries so can never be developed. However the principal reason for choosing the villa is its location on a beautiful natural spring-fed waterway which leads directly into Kings Bay. Palm Springs is at the southern end of Kings Bay where the manatee reside in largest numbers.

Since the new Suncoast Parkway (which leads directly to Tampa Airport) was completed to a few miles south of the city, property prices have soared especially those on the waterfront. This is primarily due to the influx of commuters but also due to very strict controls on any further waterfront development.

There is a feeling about Crystal River which is noticeably absent from many communities in Florida. The developments have been done with care, there is a certain style which suggests that development has been planned and is not haphazard. Most of the new business buildings have been attractively laid out with grass boundaries to the road and the properties themselves are solidly built rather than being timber or aluminum faced.

Original housing was based round the magnificent Kings Bay, which is a fresh water bay fed by natural springs. This maintains the water temperature in the Bay at 72°F year round and hence attracts the manatee, for which Crystal River is famous, especially in the winter months. The rigid enforcement of local codes has meant that there are absolutely no high rise developments, the maximum allowed being four stories (the norm is two story) hence the is little intrusion into the natural beauty of the Bay.

Kings Bay at sunset

From our villa there are two routes to Kings Bay, the direct route passes under a bridge but the other slightly longer but more scenic route (around 1000 feet) has no bridge hence the waterway is navigable for normal pleasure craft at all but the lowest winter tides.

View from our yard down the canal towards Kings Bay

The villa is superbly situated in that it is close to Plantation Inn and its golf course but is not part of a major housing area. It is part of a single row of traditional Florida villas of varying design and size, surrounded by protected Florida wetlands.

Villa location (click for larger image)

There is a large screen room (often called a florida room or lanai) at the back of the villa which overlooks the waterway. It is an ideal spot to watch the water bird life, herons both blue and white, local forms of kingfisher and cormorants are present most days.

The Villa is centrally air-conditioned to keep you cool on the hottest of days. A new Carrier system was installed in 2004 and this operates in all rooms except the Florida room (pointless due to the screen windows).

Almost opposite the point at which the spring enters Kings Bay, are Banana and Parker Islands, which are popular spots for viewing or swimming with manatee. Kings Bay is the only place in America where it is legal to swim with the manatee. In winter months part of the Bay round the islands is turned into reserves to protect the manatee and allow them to breed without interference.

Some of the restaurants are locally owned and run, this means they retain a distinctive nature which is absent in most national chains. Most tastes are catered to from cordon bleu to burgers and there a number of excellent seafood restaurants in the area (as there should be since much of the food served is straight off the boat)..

Our boat slip

Diving in the clean spring water is very popular and there are a number of diving schools which cater for everyone from novices to experienced divers. Kings Bay is home to manatee throughout the year but the population swells during the winter months to the largest number of manatee in Florida, swimming and diving with the manatee is becoming ever more popular.

Kings Bay measures roughly 2 miles long by 1 mile wide. It is fed by huge fresh water springs the largest of which is a major attraction for divers. The water is rarely deeper than 9 feet especially at the southern end and due to its clarity manatee can easily be seen. The Bay is home to a huge variety of animal life. Ospreys can always be seen hunting fish, there are a pair of bald eagles nesting nearby. Buzzard Island is home to hundreds of its namesakes. Pelicans are always around and can be seen following the hunting dolphins. Fish life is equally abundant, snapper, redfish, bass, cobia, snook and tarpon are all present but numbers do vary in the seasons. Dolphins can often be seen hunting in pods, driving schools of fish into smaller bays where they can feed on them more easily. I fish in the Bay most days mostly for entertainment but catch enough to ensure that we eat fish at least once a week. The size of the Bay also means that whilst some spots do get crowded at week-ends (people tend to anchor up together and spend the afternoon socializing), there are always places to be completely alone to commune with nature.

A fascinating and exciting way to spot manatee is to take the helicopter flight from Crystal River airport. It is reasonably priced and the surest way to spot where the manatee are gathered. The aerial shots mentioned earlier were taken from this helicopter.

Manatee visit our spring and occasionally dolphins come to feed.

Dolphin next to our seawall

The waterway has an abundance of fish life (hence the dolphins and birdlife), large shoals of mullet arrive with the tide and the bigger ones leap clear out of the water. We often catch snapper and bass from the seawall and I have caught trout. There are many bass, most are small but the larger ones are there, my best to present is 3lb but I have seen much bigger ones. Cat fish are present in numbers but are easier to catch at night

We accept a variety of payment methods, US renters can pay by check or money orders.

For the convenience of renters who would like to pay by credit or debit card we can accept payment on-line via our association with RentalSystems, this allows on-line reservations and immediate confirmation. To use this service, please click on the book online box below.

However for all renters who have an email address we can also accept payment by PayPal. Once you have emailed us and we have confirmed mutually availability we will send an email request via PayPal for the reservation fee which can be paid by any recognised credit or debit card (please note this will require the setting up of an account with Paypal, if you do not want to do this please use the methods above).

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