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Riverbend Retreat on the Little Manatee River

Photo gallery for Riverbend Retreat on the Little Manatee River

Exterior
Smart TV
Property grounds
Smart TV
Property grounds

Reviews

9.8 out of 10
Exceptional

Entire home

2 bedrooms1 bathroomSleeps 6

Popular amenities

  • Kitchen
  • Washing machine
  • Dryer
  • Pet-friendly
  • Air-conditioning
  • Parking available

Explore the area

View map
Ruskin, FL
  • Place, Little Manatee River State Park
    ‪2 min walk‬
  • Place, Port of Tampa
    ‪40 min drive‬
  • Place, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
    ‪52 min drive‬
  • Airport, Tampa, FL (TPA-Tampa Intl.)
    ‪51 min drive‬

Room options

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The price is AU$509
includes taxes & fees
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About the area

Ruskin

With a stay at this vacation home in Ruskin, you'll be on a river, just steps from Little Manatee River State Park and a 5-minute drive from Camp Bayou Nature Preserve. .This vacation home is 9.8 mi (15.8 km) from Tampa Bay and 4.2 mi (6.8 km) from Gannon University Ruskin Campus.
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What's nearby

  • Little Manatee River State Park - 2 min walk - 0.2 km
  • Seminole Hard Rock Casino Tampa - 35 min drive - 52.1 km
  • Port of Tampa - 40 min drive - 53.0 km
  • Raymond James Stadium - 48 min drive - 61.7 km
  • Busch Gardens Tampa Bay - 52 min drive - 63.0 km

Getting around

  • St. Petersburg, FL (SPG-Albert Whitted) - 48 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Circle K - ‬12 min drive
  • ‪RaceTrac - ‬12 min drive
  • ‪McDonald's - ‬12 min drive
  • ‪7-Eleven - ‬12 min drive
  • ‪Dunkin' - ‬14 min drive

About this property

Entire place

You'll have the entire home to yourself and will only share it with other guests in your party.

Riverbend Retreat on the Little Manatee River

Experience the magic of "Old Florida" at this unique hidden gem on the wild Little Manatee River. The other side of the river is the state park, and wildlife abounds: alligators, manatees, turtles, deer, hogs, hawks and pileated woodpeckers are common sights. Kayaking right from the house is super easy and beautiful. The house itself is very comfortable with two queen bedrooms and a pull-out sofa with a memory foam mattress. The kitchen is fully equipped for cooking. The big screened porch is the best space to hang out. Outside there's a fire pit, hammock and swing. You feel far from everything, but it's only a ten minute drive to the commercial strip and the highway. This is a fantastic place for a romantic getaway or a fun family get-together. It's a natural wonder!
Make yourself comfortable in this air-conditioned vacation home, featuring a kitchen with a refrigerator and an oven. A Smart television is provided for your entertainment. Conveniences include a microwave and a coffee/tea maker.
This vacation home features designated smoking areas, a playground, and kayaking nearby. Recreational activities include mountain biking nearby.
Guests will find features like onsite parking.

Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in the house: WiFi

Parking and transport

  • Parking on site

Kitchen

  • Coffee/tea maker
  • Cookware, dishware, and utensils
  • Hob
  • Ice maker
  • Microwave
  • Oven
  • Refrigerator
  • Toaster

Bedrooms

  • 2 bedrooms
  • Bedsheets provided

Bathroom

  • 1 bathroom
  • Bathtub or shower
  • Hair dryer
  • Shampoo
  • Soap
  • Toilet paper
  • Towels provided

Entertainment

  • Smart TV

Outdoor areas

  • Barbecue grill
  • Firepit
  • Porch/lanai

Laundry

  • Laundry facilities
  • Washing machine

Comfort

  • Air conditioning
  • Heating

Pets

  • Pet friendly

Suitability/Accessibility

  • Designated smoking areas
  • Note from host: Smoking outside only.

Services and conveniences

  • Iron/ironing board

Location highlights

  • In a rural location
  • On a river

Things to do

  • Birdwatching nearby
  • Fishing nearby
  • Hiking nearby
  • Kayaking nearby
  • Motor boating nearby
  • Mountain biking nearby
  • Wildlife walks nearby

Safety features

  • Carbon monoxide detector not reported (host has not indicated whether there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property; consider bringing a portable detector)
  • Smoke detector not reported (host has not indicated whether there is a smoke detector on the property)

Policies

Check-in

Check-in time starts at 4:00 PM

Minimum check-in age: 21

Check-out

Check-out before 11:00 AM

Special check-in instructions

You will receive an email from the host with check-in and check-out instructions

Information provided by the property may be translated using automated translation tools

Check-out instructions

The host requires you complete the following before checking out:

Take out the trash

Return the keys

Please take trash and recycling up the “hill” to the bins where the dirt road ends.

Pets

Pets allowed

Service animals are welcome, and are exempt from fees

Note from host: One or two well-behaved dogs are okay. No cats.

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome

Note from host: Children love this place!

Important information

You need to know

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
Onsite parties or group events are strictly prohibited
Host has not indicated whether there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property; consider bringing a portable detector with you on the trip
Host has not indicated whether there is a smoke detector on the property
This property is managed through our partner, Vrbo. You will receive an email from Vrbo with a link to a Vrbo account, where you can change or cancel your reservation

Property is also known as

Riverbend Retreat on the Little Manatee River Ruskin

Riverbend Retreat on the Little Manatee River Reviews

Reviews

9.8

Exceptional

Rating 10 - Excellent. 14 out of 17 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 3 out of 17 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 0 out of 17 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 17 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 17 reviews

9.6/10

Cleanliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Megan C.

Liked: Cleanliness
The property was beautiful, the house clean, the kayaks were great, we’ll be back!
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2026

10/10 Excellent

Kane F.

Liked: Cleanliness
It was a nice clean home it was fun riding the kayaks in the river and enjoying the scenery I got to see a pretty large alligator sun bathing in the mornings across the river! Would definitely recommend staying here if you love the outdoors and a quiet atmosphere
Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2026

10/10 Excellent

Jodi

Liked: Cleanliness
The cabin was very nice and clean. The beds were comfortable. The only thing was there were no eash cloths for bathing. Easy enough fix. We bought some inexpensive ones for our stay. Would stay there again.
Stayed 5 nights in Mar 2026

10/10 Excellent

Lisa F.

Liked: Cleanliness
Riverbend Retreat is a very relaxing and comfortable house. It is fully stocked with anything you would need to have a peaceful, relaxing stay. Although we didn’t take advantage of the kayaks, we did do some fishing which was a great way to spend the afternoon and evening. Even though it’s a secluded location, there is shopping and restaurants close by. We also spent some time at both E.G. Simmons County park which has a small beach and Little Manatee State Park which you can paddle to. Check in and check out was extremely easy. We really had no problems but when we did communicate with Sidney, he responded quickly! Definitely recommend it!
Stayed 27 nights in Feb 2026

8/10 Good

brock m.

Liked: Cleanliness
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2025

10/10 Excellent

Tammy K.

Liked: Cleanliness
Awesome place to stay. It was a great escape from all the hustle and bustle. Clean, comfortable, and quiet. We are planning on making it a tradition every year. Our grandkids had a smile on their face the whole time.
Stayed 6 nights in Nov 2025

8/10 Good

Mark B.

Liked: Cleanliness
Pet friendly and well kept. Plenty to do on site and house was secluded and quite.
Stayed 4 nights in Nov 2025

10/10 Excellent

Rick f.

Liked: Cleanliness
Beautiful location great accommodations
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2025

10/10 Excellent

John T.

Liked: Cleanliness
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Ann E.

Liked: Cleanliness
This is a beautiful spot. Comfrotable & cozy. Kayaks are terrific.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

chris h.

Liked: Cleanliness
Great Place
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2025

10/10 Excellent

Jeremy H.

Liked: Cleanliness
We had a great stay and will return.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2025

10/10 Excellent

Jessica P.

Fun

The property location was beautiful. We had an awesome time.There was a lot of ants in the house as well as dirt/debris in the beds which was remedied by washing the sheets.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2024

10/10 Excellent

Ann E.

Liked: Cleanliness

Riverbend

Very cute cottage. Very clean. Lots of little amenities - a cooler, beach chairs,sitting areas outside, fishing poles, laundry detergent, plenty of kitchen tools. Best part of course were the kayaks. Kayaking the river was really nice.
Stayed 4 nights in May 2024

8/10 Good

Cindy S.

Liked: Cleanliness

Gator Fun!!

We had a nice stay at the River Bend Retreat. Did a little kayaking, got to watch 3 gators slide into the water. Continued paddling and enjoyed the scenery!! The Retreat was homey, and had pretty much everything we needed. Sidney was a phone call away with any concerns. It is a unique location and was very relaxing.
Stayed 7 nights in Apr 2024

10/10 Excellent

Tim F.

Liked: Cleanliness

Great Old Florida property!

Place was very well equipped and right on the river. This is “Old Florida” so it’s not new or fancy so if that is your speed this is not for you. We loved our stay and it was very peaceful. Communication with Sydney was great.
Stayed 7 nights in Feb 2024

10/10 Excellent

Jan M., Sunrise FL

Liked: Cleanliness

Cozy and Secluded Yet Convenient to Shopping

The Riverbend Retreat is what I'd called a cute, cozy, and comfortable cottage. It's secluded and private yet within a 15 minute drive to restaurants and shopping. The property is so peaceful, and my favorite parts were the wrap around screened in deck, and the firepit by the river. And the opportunity to kayak and fish was a plus (although we did not partake). We'll be returning!
Stayed 5 nights in Dec 2023