Beyond The Wall Bed and Breakfast features six cottages, the main house with a lobby, and a pool area for guests. The property is open year-round and serves a full homemade style breakfast served in the lobby. About 25 restaurants, 30 shops, and 7 breweries can be found within 400 yards of the B&B. A few of the recommended nearby restaurants include Hog Island Fish Camp Seafood Restaurant and Q Southern BBQ. The atmosphere of the property's location is generally laidback, which is one of the reasons the current owners moved to Dunedin, Florida, in the first place. The owners, Mark and Michelle Rocco, opened Beyond The Wall in 2017 and have been maintaining the B&B since then. They both hope for their guests to enjoy the atmosphere and environment of their establishment.
Beyond The Wall is located in Dunedin, Florida, on one acre of land, featuring six cottages plus the main house that includes five rooms in total. The property is open year-round, and guests are able to book the main house or event venue to host events such as weddings, graduations, retirements, birthday parties, and other similar celebratory events. The venue's hours are from 11:00 am to 10 pm, and to use the venue, guests are required to rent every room in the main house. The owner asks that guests contact him to schedule an event or tour.
Every cottage is a one-story duplex, and each offers several amenities such as a microwave, refrigerator, ice machine, porch areas with furniture, ceiling fans, air conditioning with controls, coffee machines, and hand sanitizers, to name a few. Guests who hope to spend more time outdoors may utilize the seating areas on each of the porches, as well as the pool area which is open year-round. The main house has a lobby with an eating area where breakfast is served, additionally with chairs and TVs in the common areas. A full breakfast featuring a homemade style cuisine offers eggs, potatoes, and meat options, with some of the previous guest favorites being the Crème Brulee French toast and the bacon. The owner caters to visitors with dietary restrictions or preferences, and guests are able to write those dietary needs on the check-in form.
The property itself is bordered by a city park that includes multiple picnic tables. According to the owner, the oldest tree in the city is in the city park. It hangs over one of Beyond The Wall's cottages, specifically the cottage called Fireside. The owner also mentioned that the two most popular cottages are typically the Sunshine and Fireside, as they each include their own charm. Sunshine's exterior is decorated with bright yellow colors, and coastal touches with a king sized bed, while Fireside has a dark wood interior and has been described by some to be more masculine.
Within 400 yards of the property, there are about 25 restaurants, 30 shops and boutiques, and seven breweries or distilleries. A relatively prominent attraction near Dunedin is Honeymoon Island State Park. Other than that, breweries are some of the most popular places in the town and usually draw in a fair amount of guests. The owner mentioned that some locals call Dunedin the "beer-muda triangle." Additionally, the owner recommends the Dunedin House of Beer to guests who are interested in visiting the nearby breweries. As for restaurants, the owner recommends Hog Island Fish Camp Seafood Restaurant, Crown and Bull, and Q Southern BBQ.
For guests who hope to learn more about the history of the area during their stay, Dunedin History Museum, Andrews Memorial Chapel, and the Beatles Museum are all places guests could go to. According to Beyond The Wall's website, Dunedin was the first town in Florida to be designated a "Florida Trail Town." One of the nearby trails is the Pinellas Trail, which is about a five minute walk to the west from the B&B. The trail allows bikes, and although Beyond The Wall doesn't rent out bikes, there are several rental shops within walking distance of the property. For guests who hope to take a hike, walk or explore the area, Hammock Park, Pinella Trail, and Honeymoon Island provide trails and pathways for those purposes.
The overall atmosphere of the surrounding location of the property is relatively laidback and easy-going. The owner, Mark Rocco, hopes for guests to enjoy his unique personality and sense of humor during their stay, in addition to the cleanliness of the rooms. Mark, who typically goes by Rock, manifested a sense of his personality into the property's website, which he considers to be one of the most unique characteristics of the property. One of the owner's favorite things about running the B&B is interacting with visitors and meeting new people. He enjoys giving guests a small tour of the property upon arrival. One guest, in particular, commented on the owner's service, saying, "The room was large, impeccably clean, and provisioned with almost anything one might need. The breakfast part of the B&B was comparably thoughtful and well done, and there are typically cookies and other goodies available throughout the day."
The owner has put policies into effect with the intention that guests might be more respectful of other guests staying at Beyond The Wall. To keep the B&B cleaner, kids under the age of 13 can not stay at Beyond The Wall, smoking is prohibited, and dogs that weigh over forty pounds are not allowed.
Beyond The Wall's busiest season of operation is typically from the beginning of February to the end of April. Several guests stay at Beyond The Wall to be close to the beaches and shops. The nearest beach to Beyond The Wall is about 3 miles away. Dunedin is a harbor town with a fair amount of piers, shops, restaurants, and things to do. During baseball season, Dunedin receives many Canadian visitors due to the close proximity with the Toronto Blue Jay's training camp, which is approximately 0.8 miles from the property.
Michelle and Mark Rocco, the current owners of Beyond The Wall, both grew up in a rural area on a ranch and farm. Originally, Mark and Michelle did not plan on being in the hospitality industry, but they were drawn to downtown Dunedin's laidback bohemian atmosphere. They noticed the property was for sale, which at the time was a residential area filled with many trees and greenery, and they decided to purchase it to turn it into a B&B property. Before Beyond The Wall was built, the last time there was any structure on the property was in 1988, which was a house. One of the additions they've made since first acquiring the property has been the added BBQ area. The owners hope to eventually sell the B&B and retire sometime in the near future.
Michelle and Mark met at a mutual friend's wedding and they were both the only single ones of the bridesmaids and groomsmen. Shortly after their mutual friend's wedding, they became pen pals, which years later led to them eloping in 1993. Around 1994 they both joined the military. Michelle was in the airforce, while Mark was a marine. In 2015, Mark and Michelle first designed and built the property, and since 2017, Beyond The Wall has been open for guests to rent.
520 Skinner Blvd
Dunedin, Florida 34698
United States
Bed and Breakfast
Mark and Michelle Rocco
