Recommendations for a hotel

Hi,

I%26#39;m starting to plan a trip to Orlando with my 6 year old son and I think we are going to end our vacation at Sanibel. Can someone give a good recommendation for hotel? Especially a hotel that is close to the shelling beaches and possibly has a pool? One thing is that I%26#39;m not real keen on condos. Thanks for the help in advance!

Recommendations for a hotel

West Wind Inn is a good choice for a nice beachfront place, pool, wading pool, breakfast, even a pool bar. West Gulf location is very quiet. Excellent repeat business. Motelish style.

For a budget friendly place, simple, no frills, try Blue Dolphin - cottages and efficiencies. Another great West Gulf location.

There%26#39;s a Holiday Inn, predictable if smallish rooms and baths recently updated with a restaurant on location. Nice grounds. Between East and Middle Gulf.

Shalimar is worth a look as well. Cottages and efficiencies. West Gulf.

Island Inn - Kimball Lodge rooms were just redone about 18 months ago.

More expensive, Sanibel Inn, Song of the Sea [kind of a B%26amp;B that might not be ideal for a young child]Seaside Inn and Sunset Beach - sister resort on the east end except Sunset Beach which is near West Wind on West Gulf.

All of Sanibel%26#39;s beaches are good shelling beaches and the best location varies daily.

I%26#39;m sure others will offer more options.

Recommendations for a hotel

Tourmaline has given a good selection to choose from however just alittle insight here from me may help. The pool at the Island inn is way too small for the size of the complex whereas the Shalimar%26#39;s is much larger. Both are in really nice locations on the beach. Sunset beach looks to be a good choice too and the have free bikes as well but haven%26#39;t stayed as it was closed for repairs last time we wanted to go.Nice location too.

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I%26#39;ve looked them over and the places that I was most impressed with are:

Sanibel Inn, Song of the Sea, Seaside Inn and Sunset Beach. However they all look pretty much the same to me. Can anyone tell me if there is much different or if one of these is more recommended than the other? Thanks again for the help, I appreciate it!

Sanibel Inn and SOng of the Sea are next door neighbors. Song of the Sea is quieter and more like a B%26amp;B, no restaurant, but you can use the one at Sanibel Inn. Sanibel Inn has live jazz at Ellington%26#39;s. It has a wider range of room/cottage choices, but there are persistent comments on the condos they rent. The condos are privately owned and they can%26#39;t control the quality of the units. SOng of the Sea is more personal but I think you%26#39;ll find the rooms smaller.

Seaside Inn is very quiet and further down East Gulf than the first two. It is a sister resort though. No restaurant. Nice east end location. Good area for walking as with Sanibel Inn and Song of the Sea. The east end is the most %26#39;town-like%26#39; with many private homes on the canals. The beach has many condos on it, including several larger complexes.

Sunset Beach is more like a motel than the others. It was remodeled since 2004 and is very near West Wind Inn. No full service restaurant. On a quieter stretch of beach than the others and with fewer and smaller condo complexes around it.

The 4 you mention are all part of the same group :- LXR resorts so should be ( in theory) of aresonably similar standard.

West wind inn rates very highly (#2) with trip advisor members and looks to me having everything you need. They tend to have all manner of package deals too though it would depend on when you go,which you don%26#39;t say when you plan for.

Good luck with you choice. It%26#39;s very hard to decide.

West Wind Inn is wonderful, and I think it would be great with a child. Excellent beach/shelling, big pool, restaurant right there. We are so looking forward to returning soon!

Hi,

We just returned from the Seaside Inn with our 7 year old son. Absolutely loved it!! Very small - almost motel like, but great. Small pool but perfect for the size of the resort. Everyone there was SOOO friendly.

Thanks for the help everyone! I went ahead and made reservations at the West Wind. Can%26#39;t wait to check it out!

Good choice for some R%26amp;R after all that Orlando has to offer.

Post a report if you have time to let us all know how you enjoyed you stay.

Have a great holiday.

Yeah, I agree after hitting the parks in Orlando - we will definitely be ready to have some down time in Sanibel. I%26#39;ll be sure to post a trip report when we return. We are going in the middle of March, so it might be a while til then.

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