Kim T.
Yelp
Check-in was friendly and quick. The ocean view in the lobby is stunning. Online pictures don't do it justice.
We had the Sanibel view 2-bed queen room with kitchenette and it was very nice, exactly as pictured. Bathroom was recently renovated, though one light went out over our sink during our stay. Behind the smoked glass door was a curved shower and toilet. The toilet was a 'green' kind that saves water, but there was no sign indicating how it worked. We didn't figure that out until day 2. Loved our 3rd floor view from screened in porch overlooking a pool and the Gulf/beach.
Beds were fairly comfy with nice sheets/bedding. I loved the plentiful hooks, especially the three on the porch where you could hang wet bathing suits. Would have liked a towel rack or two in the bathroom, but hooks worked fine. Liked the wooden bench at the end of the bed. You rarely see these in hotels, but they are a nice comfort item. Bath towels were thick and fluffy and replaced daily. Soaps/lotion were Tarocco in a nice light orange scent.
The room was humid feeling, even with the air and ceiling fan going. Possibly the large sliding glass door needed resealing. The sheer curtains needed cleaning on the sliding glass door. There was no base around the fire sprinkler on the ceiling. The sign near it said not to hang items on the fire sprinkler. Apparently folks do that?? Who knew?
The elevators were near our room, but didn't pose a big noise issue. The Sanibel elevator and the main building elevator were very hot and humid with no a/c. The only noise issue we had in our room was a wedding dance party going on until 10 p.m. the night we arrived. With the tv on, we could still hear the music up to the third floor. We were exhausted after the 4-hour drive from Orlando and we couldn't relax until 10 p.m. due to the noise.
There is a big breakfast buffet included with your room every morning and most of it is very good. There is an omelette station and waffle bar. The first server we had was slow and never checked on us. We had to ask for our check to give him a tip, which was annoying. The other mornings, the service was friendly and efficient.
The only foods I didn't like were the baked goods. The croissant and cinnamon roll/elephant ear were dry and flavorless. Everything else was fresh and tasty, especially the chorizo egg casserole and eggs benedict. Main dishes rotated daily, which was nice. There was packaged fresh fruit, which my son enjoyed. Lighter, healthier options like yogurt and bagels were available.
The beach was beautiful with sugary white sand, free umbrella/chair set-up and free activities like paddle boarding and kayaking. You get one free activity a day. My husband and son rented Sea Doo's and had a blast.
My big complaint: Beach towels are not available after 5 p.m. Why on earth? This really puzzled me. It's Florida in the summer. People swim after dinner after the sun goes down. The pool was even backlit. We drip dried our first evening there, which is ridiculous when you're at an expensive resort. When you did check out towels, they took note of your room number. Only one towel per person. I saw people bringing back beach towels from their room in the evening. They must have checked them out before the towel check-out closed.
At the towel check-out, a sternly worded sign said if you do not check your towels back in that night to the station or front desk, you would be charged $40 for the towel. At Disney resorts (hubby is a cast member), they just have unmanned pool towel stations at each pool. You bring back your used towel, take a new one, or take two towels if you want.
As much as I disliked their overly protective policy toward their pink/white striped beach towels, I was surprised they didn't sell them in their gift shop. If it had the little shell logo on it, I would have probably bought one as a souvenir.
I have to say the staff was consistently pretty friendly, even when they gave bad information. They gave hubby the run-around a couple of times when he was trying to break a $100 bill for tips. He finally ended up at the front desk where he had to insist they give him change. You wouldn't think this would be a problem since we were registered there and wanted to use the money for tips.
Bongo's was the only restaurant we ate at, and the food was just OK for hotel prices (high). Its convenience is the real draw so people don't have to change out of their swimsuits for lunch or dinner. We had one alcoholic drink each the first night there, and they were strong but pricey ($12) for a regular sized drink.
Overall, we had a good trip. It's a clean, decent place to stay but overpriced for what it is. They need a review of their towel policy as well as regularly review their staff on basic questions guests ask.
Their website is pretty accurate for photos of the resort so I didn't download mine.
