2020 has been a year like none other–a global pandemic, election drama, and school and vacations cancelled. Before school restarts (hopefully), I wanted a vacation. We needed a vacation! But what would we feel comfortable doing amidst COVID-19? We were in search of a great social distancing vacation within driving distance of home. What about “glamping” on a Florida houseboat in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico?

Our unique Florida vacation rental, located just off the shoreline of Clearwater Beach, Florida, provided the perfect combination between adventure, sand, surf, sun, and social distancing. Let me fill you in on our experience!

Glamping On A Florida Houseboat–The Emerald Gold

Have you every considered a houseboat vacation? This is a truly unique experience. Anchored off the shore of Clearwater Beach, the Emerald Gold, one of three houseboat rentals managed by Florida Boat Suites, is available for rent at $239 per night.

The boat is a 52-foot, two story houseboat. Included in the price for the rental was:

• a small Boston Whaler boat with a motor to get you to and from the shore to the houseboat. A tank of gas was provided.
• the use of a double seated kayak.
• A generator to power the boat as well as about 8 gallons of gas

The houseboat, though not luxurious to look at from the outside, was furnished very nicely. The living room area is appointed with a leather love seat which pulls out into a bed. There is a matching recliner.

The living room area transitions into a kitchen which was equipped with two refrigerators, a microwave, a hot plate, sink, and coffee/wine bar area.

The houseboat’s small bathroom shares space with an office equipped with a desk and hutch.

The bedroom is outfitted with a queen size bed, dresser, and shelving unit.

Our favorite spot is the upper deck. Stretching the length of the boat, the upper deck always had a cool gulf breeze, beautiful views, reclining lawn chairs, a grill to cook dinner, as well as a bar area.

What is the difference between “Camping” and “Glamping”?

“Glamping” or luxury camping is a mix between enjoying nature and the togetherness camping has to offer without sacrificing all of the joys of the comforts of home.

I felt our vacation on a houseboat was the true definition of “glamping” and here is why:

• Though a bit more rustic than staying in a condominium or a hotel, the houseboat is furnished very nicely and includes use of luxurious linens and towels.
• The houseboat has a generator which needs gas in order to provide power and air conditioning. This is not as luxurious as staying in a furnished home but definitely more upscale than camping with no electricity and no air conditioning.
• The houseboat has a kitchen with a microwave and two refrigerators whereas camping in a tent does not provide this.

Our Houseboat Vacation

Our gracious houseboat host met us at the dock. He had the Boston Whaler which we were provided for our use, but also had another boat as well as two additional helpers to take our luggage ahead of us to the houseboat.

We received a full tutorial on how to use the dinghy as well as the inner workings of the houseboat to include instructions on the use of the generator, kitchen appliances, grill, air conditioners, and lighting within the houseboat.

He even handed me a bottle of Chardonnay to enjoy during our stay.

We were low on gas for the generator and the Boston Whaler. A quick text to our amazing host and this was also taken care of. There was a loud beeping noise when we returned to the boat one evening and one of the air conditioners was not working. A simple text message also solved this issue. The host was very responsive.

Glamping in Florida

The houseboat is anchored just off the shore of Clearwater Beach, Florida. After docking the dinghy at the public boat dock, we were within walking distance to the the beach, restaurants, and activities. A short boat trip away was a local grocery store to get supplies as well as the Clearwater Aquarium.

Though anchored in the middle of the bay, the houseboat can be seen from shore. In an emergency, the dinghy provided could be rowed to the dock.

---

RECOMMENDED ARTICLE:

Things To Do, See, and Eat While Visiting Clearwater Beach Florida

---

The Good, Bad, and Ugly: What Should You Know About Glamping On a Houseboat

There are definitely positives and negatives to choosing a glamping vacation. Before I get into the nitty gritty, I probably should give this disclaimer. I am a girly girl and camping is not my cup of tea. Give me my own bathroom with a functioning toilet and toiletries. I enjoy air conditioning. I do not like to sweat. Some would say I am spoiled or a princess. I fully admit, I like luxury.

Having been upfront with my disdain of camping, here is my truth about glamping on a houseboat.

The Good

As you may know by now (if you have read any of my other articles), my goal is to reinvent the American dream. Instead of having it all, it is instead my wish to collect memories. We do not give physical gifts, but instead experiences. The trips we had planned earlier this year were all cancelled due to COVID-19. We needed a vacation where we felt comfortable leaving our home and glamping on a houseboat fit the bill. The most incredible part of glamping on a houseboat is that I can honestly say it is one of the most unique trips we have ever taken with our son.

The night time views from the top deck of the houseboat were nothing short of spectacular. Even during an evening thunderstorm, the sky was gorgeous.

We were able to spend time just being a family. Whether we were jumping from the top deck, chatting about life, watching dolphins play, or eating dinner under the stars, the time spent together was priceless.

The bad

So perception can be reality. Remember, I am not one who loves camping so my idea of bad may not be your idea. In any case, I felt it necessary to give my honest review to include what I may consider bad or at least a little ugly.

There is a kitchen. The kitchen included a sink, hot plate, microwave and two refrigerators. There was a Keurig coffee maker as well. All very nice. It should be noted the microwave only works with the number 6. If you needed to heat something you would either need to put in 6 seconds, 66 seconds, or 6 minutes 66 seconds. You could open the door to stop it if that was too much time, however you could not cancel the time out and had to then take your food out and restart the microwave to finish its count down.

The refrigerators work without the generator. This is a wonderful feature. Be aware they do not get really cold, or at least as cold as I would have liked, so you will want to have ice and coolers if you want your drinks cold. Where can you get ice? There is a gas station within walking distance of the boat dock. Bring your cooler on the dinghy or you will have melted ice by the time you get back to the houseboat.

If you, like us, like air conditioning at night when you are sleeping, make sure to fill the generator before going to bed. You will run out of gas during the night if you do not do this.

Now For The Crap

Here is the honest truth. There were some crappy parts of our stay. Literally, crappy. So here it goes; here is the crappy truth.

If you have to crap, it is not a pleasant experience. During the explanation from our host on the inner workers of the boat, it was explained we would need to add a cup of water into the commode in order to flush our solid waste. True story. I will go ahead and say you will need quite a few cups of water and it takes forever to finally flush.

There was an unpleasant odor. We are still not quite sure if this was caused by the potable water but there was a pungent odor that lingered throughout our stay.

Things You Should Know Before Glamping On A Florida Houseboat

I had unrealistic expectations of the experience of staying on a houseboat. I did not really think about how the houseboat would be powered and more so thought it would be like staying on a yacht. Realistically, the experience was much different and definitely very similar to camping in a recreational vehicle on the water.

Tide changes

When glamping on a houseboat you must be aware of the changing tides. When checking in, our host recommended we download an app on our phone. The tides did not affect us while on the houseboat, however when taking the dinghy to shore, it did. If it was low tide, it was quite difficult to get out of the Boston Whaler and onto the public dock. Because we had several people in our party, my husband would drop my son and I at a floating dock and then would tie up at the public dock. He is more agile than I am so heaving his body weight up from the Boston Whaler onto the dock was easier for him. Take this into consideration if you are traveling with people who are coordination challenged (like myself).

The generator

We are Floridians and are used to having air conditioning. There will not be enough gas on the houseboat to run the air conditioning at all times. In fact, there may not be enough gas to run the air conditioning even all night every night without having to call the host to replenish it (which he did when we texted him). In addition, the generator is loud. Be prepared to sweat because leaving the generator on at all times is just not feasible.

Choose a cooler month

Lastly, I would recommend refraining from choosing to glamp on a houseboat in any of the hot summer months of Florida. In Florida it is miserably hot from May through September. I think choosing to stay in a more cool month would have provided even more enjoyment. The lack of air conditioning would not have mattered as much and the cool sea breeze would have been that much more delightful. Even in the winter months you can swim in the Gulf of Mexico and enjoy Clearwater Beach.

In Summary

Glamping on a houseboat was a memorable experience. Though my expectations were not realistic, I quickly adapted. I enjoyed this unique experience on the Emerald Gold complete with wildlife sightings, swimming in the Gulf of Mexico, sand between my toes, delicious food, and exhilarating attractions. Most importantly, we felt as if we escaped the reality of 2020 for a few days and reconnected as a family.

Have you glamped on a houseboat? What was your favorite part. Drop me a comment, I’d love to hear about

Disclaimer:

This post includes affiliate links. At no extra cost to you, I will earn a commission and/or points/incentives should you click on a link and make a purchase or sign up for a free service. This blog is independently owned and the reviews of any product and/or travel destination here are my opinion

I paid $199 a night to rent this houseboat. This is a discount from the normal price of $239 per night.