Silvia A.
Yelp
Stayed at this resort with my family for 4 days, after doing lots of research on options.
I'll start with the positives... the resort is literally one block away from the beach, and the beach is beautiful. Crystalline waters, white sand (that never gets hot) and an endless / uncrowded beach (during our stay). We were told that we were there during low-season, and the resort seemed relatively empty (or maybe everyone left after a one-nighter in "dilapidation inn").
The resort was definitely NOT what we were expecting. No way this is luxury accommodations, just luxury pricing. The rooms we had (102 and 129D) while remodeled (and cheaply), were EXTREMELY run down, and NOT worth the price. Beware: no closet space, (OK if you're planning to wear bathing suits only)... the showers were full of sand from a previous guest upon our arrival, (yuck), and if you want a cold shower, well, you're in the right place - or you may get scalded (we had both experiences).
We had to call repeatedly for towel service, pick up our own coffee packs and housekeeping was definitely sub-par or on vacation (probably at another resort). We found ourselves sweeping sand, swatting flies and reminding the office to PLEASE send towels, more times than I care to remember. PS - the flies are well-fed and resilient.
The staff was polite, somewhat robotic in their response, and for the most part, "yessed" us a lot, but didn't seem highly proactive, nor engaged in solving any issues.
Bike rentals - so red flag here, the bikes are not free for the entire stay; you get two hours per day and I didn't see that any where on their website / resort info, etc. Additionally, the bikes look like they have been through WWII, rusted, some wheels deflated and no up-keep at all. You'll need a tetanus shot after use. Drive at your own risk.
Check out - we were under the impression that check out was at 11am, this was posted on the refrigerator in one of the rooms, but it said 10am on our receipt - so was this subject to room??? I don't think so. At 10am on the departure date, we were locked out of our room, as we were trying to get in and out loading our car to go home - door stopper was my mom... well, that explains the giant flies... ugh!!!!
Hidden charges - insurance when booking. I noticed an insurance (for cancellation protection) on one of my bookings; I never requested this insurance, nor needed it, as cancellation was never an option for us. Net, net, an extra $70 was billed to my reservation, and I immediately contacted the resort (when I realized) this "hidden charge" to dispute it. The manager, Billy Prater said it could not be refunded... no real reason, just a matter of fact response, given by Tishwanna, not even directly. I decided to not fight it, as it was not worth it... and the fly-swatting had already exhausted me somewhat... but be vigilant of these scam insurance costs when booking... sneaky tactics, and we had two rooms... POOR way to run a business and a sure-fire way to avoid repeat customers. I don't appreciate being taken advantage of, and a $70 credit for an $1800+ stay would have been business-savvy, no??? I'm hoping there's a biz manager in their future.
SO... Siesta Key - YES!!!! Beautiful and the SK Village is fun, great places to eat, (Blasé Cafe (CHEEZE is great), and Alex at the Wine Bar was also "special")! But, Tropical Breeze Resort - NOOOOO!!!!!
Research the Midnight Cove, or Casa Blanca - we heard later that these are by far better, cheaper and CLEAN!
Next time we'll stay somewhere else... no doubt it will be cheaper, more relaxing and better managed!