Bonita Bay Group’s Verandah community strives to make all of its residents feel welcome; including the furry, four-legged kind.  While Verandah offers walking and fitness trails, the center of the canine congregation seems to be Blossom’s within the River Village.

It has become a morning ritual for dogs of all shapes and sizes to gather, sniff and play.  More than 20 dogs and 30 residents join in on this daily routine. 

Pauline Raymond says her three-year-old Yorkshire Terriers have attended the gathering for over three years now, since they were puppies.  “They literally stomp their feet at the door in the morning. These guys just fell in love with it the first time, and I’ve met the best people here. Verandah is the most special community I’ve ever lived in.”

Even residents without canine companions come to be a part of the action.  Jan and Bob Barclay make it a point to never miss these animal antics.  Jan says, “We enjoy the camaraderie.  My husband will tell me ‘we have to get going or we’ll miss the dog people!’”

Jane Cooper has been attending these morning gatherings for over five years.  “We often see each other every day. We talk about what’s going on in the community and the world, and over time, our own personal stories and histories come out. We really get to know and appreciate each other. These relationships are unlike any I’ve experienced before. We have become a kind of family.”

With all the excitement and enjoyment the dog-loving residents of Verandah have, now is the perfect time to learn more about making Verandah your new home.  After all, a dog’s life isn’t such a bad thing.

The Clementine, a two-bedroom plus den, two-bath villa built by Wyman Stokes Builder, is located in the Citrus Creek neighborhood. The home offers 1,834 square feet under air and 2,939 total square feet.

The villa combines the conveniences of a low-maintenance lifestyle with a floorplan that features an open great room design with island kitchen and tray ceilings. The outdoor living area exceeds that of many larger homes and features a pool and spa.

Citrus Creek offers lakeside home and homesite packages built exclusively by Wyman Stokes Builder. The Clementine model is priced at $399,000.

Click here to learn more about the Clementine.

The Bonita Bay Group’s Verandah community has residents from all over the world.  Ron & Gail Chimenti moved from the great state of Wisconsin to make Verandah their new home after several word of mouth referrals.

Ron Chimenti said, “We thought Verandah was a great value, and we have a lot of friends who spend winters in the area. A friend from my country club in Green Bay bought a home here before us, and after moving here we found out that our four closest neighbors are from Wisconsin.”

It’s no wonder why Verandah is such a desirable community to live in.  The most attractive and most loved features are the two rolling, green golf courses.  These golfing greens not only serve as a great fitness outlet, but also provide a lively social scene.  In addition to golf, residents enjoy the large variety of amenities to keep them physically active including tennis, kayaking, strolling through the stunning nature preserve and the fitness center.

“We’re both very happy we bought in Verandah,” said Chimenti. “We use the fitness center and all of the amenities, and our kids come down and we go kayaking or ride bikes. Plus we bought the house my wife loved. We were in Milwaukee for a week during Thanksgiving and when we pulled into Verandah, we were both happy to be back. It was a good test for us. We know this place is home.”

Verandah offers estate, custom and traditional single-family homes, villas and coach homes.  Home and homesite packages start in the low $200,000s and up.  For a limited time, homesites have been reduced; starting in the $50,000s.

Whether you are from Wisconsin, Washington or even Wales, now is the perfect time to see why the Verandah community makes the perfect home.

The Destin floor plan is offered by Pulte Homes in the Sutherland neighborhood. This four-bedroom, two-bath, single-family home has 2,202 square feet of living area and offers formal living and dining rooms.

The kitchen and breakfast nook adjoin to the family room providing excellent space for casual entertaining. Its outdoor areas include a 140-square-foot lanai and a two-car garage.

The Destin is base-priced from $193,400.                                 

Click here to learn more about the Destin

The San Lucas, a single-family model home by Arthur Rutenberg Homes/A.R.B.C. Corp., has a covered cabana and lanai oriented to lake views offered in Verandah’s Cedar Hammock neighborhood. The three-bedroom, three-bath model’s al fresco space includes an outdoor kitchen, seating area, pool and spa.

The home has 3,135 square feet of air-conditioned living space and 4,790 total square feet. Large windows and walls of sliding glass display views from many of the model’s rooms. The San Lucas has been built to the Florida Green Building Coalition’s green home standards.

The San Lucas features interior design by Arthur Rutenberg Homes and is priced at $1,264,985.

Click here to learn more about the San Lucas

The residents of the Bonita Bay Group community, TwinEagles, have a variety of interests and hobbies; however, it comes as no surprise that one of the most popular leisure activities is golfing.  Since TwinEagles offers such a beautiful golf experience, many residents take advantage of being so close to the greens.

For many resident golfers, improving their game is always a goal; this is why TwinEagles is home to the Dr. Jim Suttie Golf Academy.  This incredible, state-of-the-art facility is located within the TwinEagles community and teaches golfers, from novice to expert, the fundamentals for achieving a better game.  The golf academy utilizes advanced digital computer and video swing analysis and balance machines that determine weight distribution during the swing.  As if the academy wasn’t already technologically advanced, multiple cameras are used to record the various swing angles from the building onto the driving range, as well as floor-mounted monitors with split-screens that allow Dr. Suttie to match body type and swing style similar to a professional golfer.

General Manager of The Club at TwinEagles, Jay Severson, says, "We are so fortunate to have Dr. Suttie on our team. His forte is teaching, and this building was designed specifically to meet the needs of his academy. This program rounds out our instructional program at TwinEagles and gives us one of the best instructors in the world."

TwinEagles makes the perfect home for any golf enthusiast.  For a limited time, reduced homesites are being offered from the $140,000s.  See why TwinEagles is the perfect place to call home.

Verandah by Bonita Bay Group is proud to be named a Where To Retire Magazine 100 Best Master-Planned Communities for 2009.  This is the second time that the Verandah community has been recognized for its outstanding layout, amenities and strong attention to detail.  Verandah has been the featured cover story in both 2007 and 2009.

Verandah’s inclusion of natural elements not only accentuates its beauty, but residents can enjoy their homes knowing they have not upset the natural habitats of animals living in the area.
The most recent article also applauds Verandah for being an environmentally friendly community for its conservation of 500 acres of nature preserves, lakes, parks, wetlands, golf courses in a riverfront conservation buffer.  Verandah encourages the building of Green homes and has been the recipient of many awards commending it’s commitment to being Green. Such awards include 2007 Project EverGreen’s Because Green Matters, as well as being recognized by Florida Association of Realtors’ with the 2006 Environmental (ENVY) Award, along with many others.

In addition to its environmental accolades, Where To Retire was impressed with the amount of activities offered to its residents including nine miles of walkways, paths and fitness trails, a tennis and fitness center, canoe/kayak livery and two golf courses.  Karen Northridge, Where To Retire, publisher, wrote in a letter to Bonita Bay Group that each of the 100 communities honored “are leaders in providing a high quality of life to those who are embarking on new adventures in retirement.”

Explore Bonita Bay Group’s Verandah community and make your retirement exciting.

The residents of Bonita Bay Group’s communities strongly believe in helping their community.  Shadow Wood and Verandah residents have spent countless hours raising money for Habitat for Humanity of Lee County; an organization that builds simple, decent and affordable housing through volunteers.

This year, the communities of Bonita Bay, Shadow Wood and Verandah reached an important landmark by raising over $280,000 for their 2009 efforts.  To date, these residents have raised $1,737,980 for Habitat for Humanity of Lee County.  Residents of the Bonita Bay community formed the committee in 1996.  Shadow Wood residents have offered support and generous donations since 2003; these contributions have lead to the sponsorship of over 15 homes.   Residents of the Verandah community formed a committee this year and partnered with First Bank in Fort Myers to sponsor their first home.

The committees have raised funds through such events as golf tournaments, raffles, auctions and an 8K race.  Residents have also volunteered time with the construction of the new homes.  The donations in accordance with volunteering in the construction of the homes help Habitat for Humanity of Lee County provide housing for those living in sub-par conditions and grant them the dream of owning a home of their own.

Cal Walker, a Bonita Bay resident, committee member and volunteer coordinator noted, “These are people much like us, with families, who so badly want to have an opportunity to own their home. Makes you feel that you’ve done something positive to change peoples’ lives.”

Habitat for Humanity of Lee County is grateful for all the hard work.  Karen Quanstrom, Vice President of Development for Habitat for Humanity of Lee County said “Bonita Bay Group assists these communities in their commitment to supporting local families to realize the dream of homeownership.”

Bonita Bay Group is very proud of the fact that residents of its five communities recently contributed a substantial sum of money to the United Way of Lee, Hendry and Glades campaign. The Brooks in Bonita Springs, raised  $198,000, Mediterra in North Naples raised $180,000, Verandah residents in Fort Myers organized their third United Way campaign and raised $61,000.

Another reason for Bonita Bay Group to be proud is the fact that the contribution of its residents represents more than one-fifth of the $8,019,741 campaign total for the three Southwest Florida counties. Also, Bonita Bay residents, who first began raising money for United Way in 1998, made the second largest contribution to this year’s campaign – $866,000 (with Publix Super Markets making the largest) for the ninth consecutive year.

Bonita Bay Group is a diversified company involved in the planning, development, sales and management of master-planned communities, free-standing recreational amenities and commercial facilities. The company is respected for its commitment to meticulous planning, environmental stewardship, integrity and attention to detail. Additional information about the company is available at www.BonitaBayGroup.com.

Bonita Bay Group prides itself on offering premium real estate locations in the Southwest Florida area. Bonita Bay Group’s Homesite locator allows you to view location options for your next home.  Whether you are searching for a view of one of our award winning golf courses, a tranquil lake setting or a breathtaking view of a nature preserve, the choice is yours.

Bonita Bay Group’s Homesite finder lets you browse the types of lot that you are looking for in a specific community.  The Homesite function even allows you to designate a price range for your desired lot.  Bonita Bay Group makes it possible to explore the home of your dreams within the set price range you have in mind.

Premium homesite choices begin at $200,000 and are available up to $600,000.  View pictures of exquisite, available real estate locations and contact Bonita Bay Group directly to get more information about all available sites.  Visitors also have the option to view neighborhood site plans to see each home location.  Build a home surrounded by lush, manicured landscaping and soothing scenery.  Bonita Bay Group makes finding the perfect home location easy.