Vero Beach Podcast - Meet Your Neighbors. Support Local. ™
Welcome to the Vero Beach Podcast—where we share the stories behind the businesses, makers, and dreamers shaping our community.
Each week, we’ll sit down with local business owners and community leaders to hear their journeys—the highs, the lows, and everything in between. From family-owned shops to bold startups, you’ll get to “meet your neighbors” and discover what makes Vero Beach such a vibrant place to live, work, and visit.
Because when we know the stories, it changes how we shop, connect and care for our community,
Meet Your Neighbors. Support Local. ™
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Vero Beach Podcast - Meet Your Neighbors. Support Local. ™
Coconut Casita - Part 2: From Fluffing Pillows to Melting Teapots
Ever wondered what it really takes to run a successful Airbnb? Linda from the Coconut Casita in Vero Beach, Florida takes us behind the scenes of vacation rental hosting, revealing both the magic and the madness of this increasingly popular business venture.
The labor of love that is Airbnb hosting extends far beyond changing sheets and handing over keys. "Running an Airbnb can be 24/7 almost, although you learn to create your boundaries," Linda shares as she describes days filled with preparing for back-to-back guests, maintaining lush gardens, creating personalized experiences, and managing social media marketing. Her passion for hospitality shines through in every thoughtful touch—from researching guests' interests to leaving vintage birding books for nature enthusiasts or pregnancy resources for expectant parents.
But hosting isn't without its challenges. Linda candidly discusses financial pressures, especially as the rental income has become more essential following her husband's retirement. She also shares entertaining mishaps, including the notorious "electric teapot incident" when a guest accidentally melted an electric kettle on the stovetop. Rather than creating tension, these moments have become cherished stories that showcase the grace and humor essential to successful hosting.
For those considering entering the vacation rental market, Linda offers valuable wisdom: "Don't put all your eggs in one basket." She recommends diversifying beyond the Airbnb platform, understanding your target demographic, and being transparent about your property's unique character. Most importantly, she advises approaching hosting with genuine love—a philosophy that has clearly served the charming Coconut Casita well, earning not just positive reviews but meaningful connections with guests who've become friends over the years.
Curious about Linda's journey in Vero Beach? Tune in to our next episode where we'll explore why she chose this special Florida community and what she loves most about it.
The Vero Beach Podcast & MyVeroBeach.com is presented by Killer Bee Marketing, helping local businesses in Vero Beach reach more customers. Learn more at killerbeemarketing.com
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Well, hey, welcome back to the Vero Beach Podcast. This is part two of our interview with Linda from the Coconut Casita. So during this episode we're going to dive into the day-to-day what does it look like running an Airbnb, and some of the lessons you've learned, some of the challenges you've come across. So we'll get to the challenges a little bit later, because my name might drop in there at some point. I don't know, but what does a typical day look like for you running an Airbnb?
Speaker 2:Linda Well, running an Airbnb can be a 24 seven almost, although you learn to you learn to create your boundaries.
Speaker 2:But so typically we will have. We are often very booked and so sometimes we'll have back to back guests and so then it is a massive run for the whole household because we are fluffing pillows, we are washing everything, we are doing what we need to do and we have to continually work on the garden, keeping the garden going. At times I'll have somebody, a fabulous cleaner, that will come help me and she just knows, she knows my whole aesthetic and she knows how to move a pillow here. But my favorite part is really the fluffing. I love just putting another flower out and looking how this looks, and then I'll always sit and just relax for a little bit. But there's a lot of marketing involved and there's a lot of social media, which is fabulous marketing, I find. But you are constantly trying to do that to keep the place booked. There are. You know, there can be mishaps, there can be air conditioner issues.
Speaker 2:I've learned to try and work with grace, do it with grace and sometimes a bottle of wine to get through it.
Speaker 1:We weren't going to share that with everybody, linda, that we're sitting here? Okay, we're having wine, we're enjoying this nice relaxed area, but we're dripping sweat. No, it's not that hot. The air conditioning, you know it's important.
Speaker 2:I turn the air conditioning off by mistake, so I did that myself. But that would be a classic whoopsie and a bottle of wine fixes all mistakes.
Speaker 1:And you know we've talked about having episodes later in the future interviewing some legends from here, and it sounds like your air conditioning unit might fall in that category too, so which is pretty present 50 years old, you said it is 50.
Speaker 2:It is the mascot of our fabulous air conditioning business. They do not want me to change it until it's absolutely dead yeah and they, literally they say that it's our mascot. We don't. We've never had one this old and it's working beautifully. But we always do worry a little bit about it, because sometimes you'll get guests that you and they, literally they say that it's our mascot.
Speaker 1:We've never had one this old and it's working beautifully.
Speaker 2:That is hilarious, but we always do worry a little bit about it, because sometimes you'll get guests that you know they're in Florida and they're in the tropics and they turn it all the way down and then they open all the windows. Oh, yeah. So that is part of being host in Florida and it works well if you leave it turned on.
Speaker 1:So that was the whole mistake air conditioning is working great here.
Speaker 2:She just turned it off, so that happens, I did I love kind of doing a little bit of homework on the guests that's coming. Why are they coming? Uh, you know what? What do they know? You know if maybe they're going to be birding and so I'll bring out some old vintage books on birding in florida, or maybe they're pregnant and I'll have some books out.
Speaker 1:So I really, truly love to create an experience for them and I can say you do an amazing job on your social media. I mean, my business is marketing, so when I see what you do on social media, you do an amazing job and you're great at supporting other people.
Speaker 3:So that's a big deal. You do your own Instagram. Yes, yes, linda it's amazing, really it is amazing.
Speaker 2:I know no difference, but I really appreciate you saying that.
Speaker 3:I can't believe you're so good at so many things.
Speaker 2:I think it's the creative part and I think Instagram can be a creative outlet.
Speaker 3:Oh yes.
Speaker 2:As can just decorating this Absolutely. I can change it at whim. It is an outlet for me and as is hosting.
Speaker 3:I love that. That's amazing.
Speaker 1:You said that you do research as your guest. Again, it was four years ago, but did you do research on us Now? I'm curious.
Speaker 2:Well, by research I don't mean, no, I'm not looking, but often I'll ask them some questions. Like why are you coming? Have I'll ask them some questions. Why are you coming? Have you been to Vero Beach before? And often they'll tell us a lot of good information.
Speaker 3:I remember her asking that, do you?
Speaker 1:remember. This is interesting because I came here, we came here as a family for that first vacation to take a break from the business, and Shauna remembers what it was like when we got here we had the charcuterie board so we indulged on that and then you want to share, kind of like, what happened.
Speaker 3:So Brian had not taken any real sort of break from the business since he started it and, of course, when you're starting a business, you know it takes a lot of your time, a lot of energy.
Speaker 3:And he was just exhausted, and so we had decided when we came here that we weren't going to use our phones or watch TV. Good, and so he brought a book, nice, and he laid right on that couch right there and started reading his book and just fell into such a deep sleep and I was so moved by it, because, you know, it's not everywhere that can give you so much peace, and especially like stepping away from your business for the first time, you know. So I was very skeptical about how much he would actually be able to relax, and so I like snapped pictures of him while he was sleeping and I sent them to the team members that were, you know, handling everything while we were gone. And I just said this is possible because of you, and I also want just said this is possible because of you, and I also want to say this is possible because of you, linda.
Speaker 1:What would you say has been your biggest challenge so far running Airbnb.
Speaker 2:The biggest challenge has been well, interestingly, my husband retired, although he still does some gig work on the side, and so now it is a financial. It's important for us financially. So the biggest challenge seemingly this year is to make sure that we are getting a steady income and that we're bringing in people and that I'm working three jobs and the Airbnb.
Speaker 2:Sometimes it feels like it's it's a lot, but it does always get done in the end and and it is it is the guests that often make the difference, because so many of them have become friends um through the years and I've got to stay at their Airbnbs or help them out. So the biggest challenge is probably just the financial aspect of it. It's a big property, it's a big two houses to maintain and as prices go up and everything goes up and money is not coming in as much.
Speaker 1:That changes things. Actually, that was the thing that I didn't notice, I think, when we came here in 2021, you only had one Airbnb. Is there a second one now?
Speaker 2:No, okay, we have a barn. Okay, we call it, the barn bar.
Speaker 1:Oh, the barn bar Was that good. I don't think the barn bar was open yet was it Well, I mean, it's always been there.
Speaker 2:It literally housed horses. They used to have horses on the property. We haven't fixed the inside yet, but just the outside has some chairs and there's literally a little barn and there's some music out there.
Speaker 3:Oh, that's cool, so people will hang out out there. I remember seeing you post about the barn before the barn bar and yeah, for some reason we thought you were opening another Airbnb.
Speaker 2:Always was a dream. You know, you're always, I'm always kind of looking and there was this one magical piece of property that was on Blue Cypress Lake and it was on stilts. It was this little 600 foot and I go kayaking every weekend and love to see what's around. And I was kayaking and all of a sudden they had a for sale. So there was three properties on stilts. It was amazing and I just I talked to the owners and I was an inch away from doing it, but the land was held by the state, so you actually don't own it and they can take it at any time, but I already had the name.
Speaker 2:I had floating coconut, but then I realized, like man, I got to go out in a kayak and bring the sheets and the towels. I didn't feel like, okay, that dream can end Go with that one. But we have loved doing this so much that I have thought of doing, you know, another boutique type of a place. So that's always kind of on the back of my mind.
Speaker 1:You said you like to go kayaking. Where do you like to go kayaking? Out here?
Speaker 2:Oh, the Indian River Lagoon is just amazing. It is magical. It is probably one of the most biodiverse estuaries it is in the entire United States.
Speaker 1:It's where fresh and saltwater meet.
Speaker 2:We have manatees, dolphins, 4,000 different plants and animals, and there's so many places that are a little hidden. I call them alligator alleys and spoil islands, and there's a few of us that just love to go out, usually at sunrise, okay, where it's like color and light therapy, and um and there's. You know that we have lakes around, so indian river is a community full of lots of hidden little places to to really explore nature that's really cool.
Speaker 1:I know we were talking about getting some. You know, again, this is part of us being new to the area, you know, but the uh we we were talking about getting some. You know, again, this is part of us being new to the area, you know, but the uh, we've been talking about getting a couple of kayaks.
Speaker 2:Oh, I'll show you all my secret places. Yeah, that would be cool, awesome yeah.
Speaker 1:We're not far from. We're right down the street from Indian river right.
Speaker 3:You're right there. So we were wondering if there are any good stories about, like weird or surprising things that people have left behind.
Speaker 2:We do a lot of sending things back. Yes, I think I have an entire drawer full of phone chargers oh my goodness. Yeah, so we got everything you could need, but you know, if they ask us. So the special things. We've had teddy bears that we've had to send back. We've had those clear retainers oh my goodness, that we had to send back.
Speaker 3:We've had those clear retainers. Oh, my goodness that we had to send back those are so expensive, I know.
Speaker 2:Glasses, lots of glasses, Kids leaving their. I didn't even know what it was. What is it called?
Speaker 1:Not a stitch, oh a switch, A switch, oh a switch. I was like etch a stitch. You know my age.
Speaker 2:I was right there with you. No, somebody said my daughter left her switch and I'm thinking like a little switch I can see on the wall and I'm looking all over for this switch and why is the switch so important? And then I find this huge little electronic thing. I'm like oh, and I had to ask a friend like is this a switch?
Speaker 1:That's great. Well, they didn't put a label on it, so the people that don't know that hasn't been here. Linda's got labels on everything and I love it. Like we came here, I'm like what light switch works what? And there's labels on every light switch.
Speaker 3:It makes it so much easier to figure out a new house.
Speaker 1:It makes it so much easier to figure out a new house. It makes it so easy, except for the one thing you didn't put the label on which we're going to get to here in a minute. I bet there's a label now. I bet there is. There's a lock on it. There's a lock on it. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 3:You have to put your credit card in to use it.
Speaker 1:Well, the next question. I was going to ask if there's been any funnier surprising moments. I think we're kind of at one and you might have another one, but what I was talking about during the first episode was when we came here again. We came here to enjoy, relax, rest. It was exactly that the first day was magical have some tea. Have some tea.
Speaker 3:Yeah, oh actually, the next morning we were going to do pour over coffee, which we've never had before. Oh, okay, that was the plan.
Speaker 1:So what's cool here is here at the Coconut Casita they have an actual is that like a vintage orange?
Speaker 2:Yes, our vintage orange juicer.
Speaker 1:Orange press.
Speaker 2:Orange press and we get oranges from our local groves, Shack Groves and Peterson's.
Speaker 1:So we get up in the morning and Shauna makes some fresh squeezed orange juice. It was delicious, Amazing. She's like I'll get in. She's like in the shower. Okay, I'll figure out this pour over coffee thing. I go to heat up some water in the tea maker and I put it like I've learned how to run that at the house. At the house, Sean had one yeah, Like the oven and the tea. Good job, but the tea was like you just stick it on top of the oven, you know.
Speaker 2:Uh-huh, put water in it.
Speaker 3:I'm over like looking at the other side, some people call it a stovetop?
Speaker 1:Yeah, some people call it a stovetop. Yeah, that's right. Yeah, you put it in the stovetop or on the stovet and I swear my eyes and my brain registered there's water steaming. That's what I thought I saw. That's not what I saw. So I'm like, ooh, that water must be done. So I grabbed it and when I grabbed it it looked like water was like shooting out from the bottom. So I'm like, oh my gosh, the water is like coming out of the bottom. So I push it down on the stove and I scoot it over.
Speaker 1:And I'm like the whole place is filled of smoke.
Speaker 3:now I realized it's not steam, it's smoke, oh dear. It's not water, it's melted plastic.
Speaker 1:It's melted plastic. Yes, let's start clarifying that. I guess I yell for Shauna. She comes out and it's like early in the morning, I think it was like seven or something, which is early for us.
Speaker 3:I'm like I don't know what's going on. I don't know what's going on?
Speaker 1:I don't know what's going on. And she came out and I lifted it up and the whole bottom just popped off and there's all these wires hanging. And I realized that shauna goes what did you do with it? Did you put that on the oven? I was like, yeah, that's how you heat up water. She goes that's an electric tea kettle, you don't need to put that on the oven. So I melted the whole bottom of it across your whole oven. Uh what?
Speaker 1:is the whole stove top whole glass stove top melted plastic smeared has now smeared and dried oh and you know, bonded itself yes to the beautiful stove top that is in the coconut casita so I'm like, oh my gosh, so we're trying to get it aired out. I'm like we are never gonna come back here, like they're never gonna have us back. I was like it smelled so bad. It doesn't smell like that now, everybody.
Speaker 2:It smells great in here.
Speaker 1:It was so scary because I'm like look up the teapot, we found the exact same one at Amazon.
Speaker 2:You did indeed. I was like we've got to find this.
Speaker 1:I found it, ordered it. I had to have it shipped to your address, which is your home address, which is your home address, not the Airbnb, so I couldn't sneak this past you. Oh, so I'm like. I told Sean I was like babe, you're going to have to go, let her know that she has a new teapot, cause she's just going to show up and she's going to be like why do I have a?
Speaker 3:teapot. We have one day to figure out how to explain this.
Speaker 1:But I did learn out later. I did learn later that it was really your fault, because, because you did not put a label on it.
Speaker 2:Darn, that was my fault.
Speaker 3:I'm not sure we can swing that as being Linda's fault.
Speaker 1:I do remember Shauna told me I was like, what did she say? Did she say get out of here? She said that was the one thing she didn't put a label on. She knew she should probably put a label on it because someone will probably think this.
Speaker 2:They won't realize it's electric right, except for the cord and everything yeah, the cord?
Speaker 1:yeah, I didn't really, so you must have taken it off the base, I take exactly, they stayed up there, yes oh, and there is now a sign that says electric teapot.
Speaker 2:Thanks to brian thanks to brian yeah, you're welcome.
Speaker 3:You're welcome, guys, you're welcome the great thing about that story is number one. We got all the plastic off the stove top, which is what I was scared about.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I looked at the stove and I was like babe, we can't replace a stove, so you need to get that cleaned. I don't know how many hours you worked on that.
Speaker 3:But the beautiful thing about that story is you were so gracious with us and we were so thankful. I didn't see it though yeah, that's true, like you didn't see it till it's fixed, but it was just super scary staying in such a beautiful place and we're like what have we done? I should never have let brian loose in the kitchen. We we have rectified that since then. We brian is not allowed loose in the kitchen. No, pour over coffee for you.
Speaker 1:Still, to this day, we haven't had pour over coffee. We have not had it. I'm thinking that that might be one that's probably hit your funny or strange stories, but do you have any others?
Speaker 2:Well, I actually I love that story, because I do. You did mention something and all of a sudden, literally like within an hour, there's this beautiful electric teapot.
Speaker 1:The exact same one. Well, I do have to say I didn't notice. You didn't bring it out to us to use.
Speaker 3:Such a wise woman, I wasn't going to try anyways.
Speaker 1:Well, linda, what would you say? Uh, as we get ready to wrap up this, this episode, what would you say you have learned about yourself since starting at Airbnb?
Speaker 2:I have learned how much I love hosting and how much I love hospitality, I have learned boundaries and I've learned to say no. We often will get lots of influencers that want free stays for pictures and we've had some beautiful and I'm open to that. But I learned to really move through them to see what, who is their audience, and I've learned the demographics. I've learned who I want you know as my perfect guests and that's where the, the social media goes. I'm trying to, you know, move towards that and I've learned that, um, even what might not seem like perfect guests can turn into the most amazing guests. We had one group and they were out in the yard every night. I think they had a wedding they went to and, just laughing, apparently, they were dancing nude in the backyard.
Speaker 1:Now it is a jungle that no one else can ever see.
Speaker 2:We didn't know about it, but they literally made a totem out of all that. They were artists and they made this totem of this this like with a palm tree skirt and a face and a mask during the pandemic, and they left it there and rolled up in a banana leaf, was a thank you note. So I learned that I just I, yeah, I just I love, I love, I love the. I love the little magical moments.
Speaker 1:That is cool, you know. I am going to ask one more question on this episode because I think that it could be helpful to a lot of new, maybe entrepreneurs that might be thinking, hey, I want to get into the Airbnb business.
Speaker 2:What would you say to someone that might be considering what are some of the things they should be thinking about? I would say don't put all your eggs in one basket. There's a lot of short-term rentals. Think of it as not Airbnb, as a business, and you are running your own business. So having your own website, potentially doing direct bookings, potentially moving out to different booking platforms BRBO, bookingcom you know trying to. You know you put all your eggs in one basket and if that one business Airbnb decides, or for whatever, or you know you put all your eggs in one basket and if that one business Airbnb decides, or for whatever, or you know, for whatever reason, so important to really, yeah, move out into as many different platforms as you can. Not that I do that. I've tried and I thought it was too complicated. I have too many jobs, but we do do. Sometimes We'll do direct bookings and things like that. Know who you want, know your demographics, know what kind of people you want and kind of do what you do towards that.
Speaker 1:Always keep in mind you know the guests that you want.
Speaker 2:Know that if you are not a property where children you know work, know that you put that out front. Know that you let them know this is an old, quirky, charming, charming but quirky house and you know it's not a hotel and it's got its 50-year-old things and its 60-year-old things and I would say go full force, but do it with love.
Speaker 1:That's good, that's good, I love that.
Speaker 2:It's perfect.
Speaker 1:And just to let everybody know as we wrap up this episode, it has gotten a lot cooler in here, so that 50-year-old air conditioner is kicking it. I tell you what. All right, that's the end of this episode. Next episode we're going to talk about why Vero Beach, why Vero Beach, Linda, and what you love most about it. So with that, we will catch you guys in the next episode.
