The Gasparilla Inn & Club has celebrated more than 100 Christmases in true Old Florida style.
Im not the only one who feels that way.
I come over the bridge in the morning and just feel a change, you know?
Originally opened in the early 1900s, the inn has been carefully preserved and renovated.Credit:Photo: Carmel Brantley; Styling: Page Mullins
In keeping with the inns signature aesthetic, even its location is subdued but elegant.
It doesnt sit on the main road.
You wont see lavish gates or any loud signage announcing that youve arrived.
Settle in, and enjoy one of the hotel’s many seating areas with festive holiday vignettes.Credit:Photo: Carmel Brantley; Styling: Page Mullins
The building (painted a soft, buttery shade of yellow) is unimposing but stunning.
You just feel an immediate sense of ah, Malasics says with an exaggerated exhale.
And the chain reaction began.
Credit:Photo: Carmel Brantley; Styling: Page Mullins
The inn became known as the winter retreat for the wealthy from the Northeast.
Its charming traditions endear it to guests.
Sharp made extensive improvements to the property and the entire town of Boca Grande.
That’s not wallpaper: It took several weeks for this leafy pattern to be stenciled by hand.Credit:Photo: Carmel Brantley; Styling: Page Mullins
He developed the Gasparilla Inn as the centerpiece of the community and set the standard for everything surrounding it.
Picture a place thats as manicured as a scene fromThe Truman Show(without the eeriness).
Theres a familial quality to the entire island.
Prosser and his team source fresh greenery for the inn from North Carolina.Credit:Photo: Carmel Brantley; Styling: Page Mullins
Everyone knows everyone isnt just a saying hereits a fact.
Normally, encountering that many smiling faces might seem a bit suspect, but people are just plain happy.
Sarah Farish (Sharps only daughter) and her husband, William, now own the property.
The Beach Club exudes Florida kitsch and personality.Credit:Photo: Carmel Brantley; Styling: Page Mullins
Theres a sentimentality about the inn that people are drawn to, says Bowman.
They go back year after year for a reason.
The lobbys signature white furniture wasnt replaced but re-covered in fresh yet traditional fabrics.
The decorations are “done to a very beautiful level but not over-the-top,” says designer Ian Prosser.Credit:Photo: Carmel Brantley; Styling: Page Mullins
The care that is evident in each corner is overwhelming.
The Gasparilla Inn Beach Club had perhaps the most measurable transformation.
All Twirled Up
Farishs thorough approach didnt end with the renovations.
You’ll need a reservation (and an outfit that suits the occasion) to spend an evening in the dining room.Credit:Photo: Carmel Brantley; Styling: Page Mullins
Shes also meticulously involved with theChristmas decorations.
Farish prefers to keep the holiday displays traditional, like most things at the inn.
Theres no glitter, per se, notes Prosser with a chuckle.
The inn’s casual restaurant, The Pink Elephant, gets plenty of fun touches.Credit:Photo: Carmel Brantley; Styling: Page Mullins
Generally speaking, evenmagnoliagarlands dont fly here (too much brown for Farish).
It evokes a huge amount of fun, Prosser says.
Add Christmas bows and strands of garland, and youll likely start thinking, Should I stay forever?
Credit:Photo: Carmel Brantley; Styling: Page Mullins
Credit:Photo: Carmel Brantley; Styling: Page Mullins
