Holiday Inn Sanibel v's West Wind

I%26#39;m looking for some inside info and opinions on the Holiday Inn, Sanibel.

We normally stay at West WInd in early January, have been trying to book for Jan 2007 now since Jan 2006 when we visited last. No response to e-mails, and when I call the response is ';try calling next month, maybe we will be taking reservations then';.

To be honest I%26#39;m less than impressed at the attitude and despite 3 previous stays at West Wind I%26#39;m seriously looking elsewhere.

What we liked about West Wind was the location - on the beach, on West Gulf Drive and the hotel pool where there was plenty room and a nice bar by the pool. We liked the stretch of beach by the Inn for strolling each morning and late afternoon. The rooms were ok, at the Inn, I would like a nice room but the big thing is it has to be spotlessly clean.

The only other location we have stayed at is Waterside and we wouldn%26#39;t wish to stay there again.

We really want to stay on the gulf side of the Island and thought Holiday Inn may be an option. Reading the reviews on TA, the impression I get is that it may have been remodelled after the hurricane and the reviews seem to have improved greatly over the last 18 months.

I would appreciate any feedback, however negative from regular visitors to the Island or maybe local residents.

Thanks

Holiday Inn Sanibel v's West Wind

Gill68, Have you looked into the Best Western? It%26#39;s beach front on West Gulf Drive and from what I understand (and have seen) has been remodeled.

BTW, why didn%26#39;t you like the Waterside Inn?

Holiday Inn Sanibel v's West Wind

The Best Western on West Gulf is now just Sunset Beach Resort. A recent name change from the Blackstone group. All webpages have changed as well and it is listed under The Sanibel Collection. Only ate at the Holiday Inn and knew folks who stayed there, but that was pre-Charley, so I no idea what it%26#39;s like now.

hmm, didn%26#39;t think about Best Western - intertsting it has been bought over. I%26#39;ll have a look at that and see what the rates are like.

The Waterside was a huge disappointment.There was a error with the reservation which duplicated our deposit and rather than hold onto it they instead of refunding, resulting in us losing out on exchange rate shifts to around $20. All of which could have been easily avoided but to no avail. We were also really disappointed with the room, maybe we were just unlucky, one of the beds was broken, the room generally wasn%26#39;t particularly clean and there was a good deal of rust on some of the fittings like closet doors. I appreciate it%26#39;s by the sea, as are many other gulf coast properties we have stayed at over the years but it just had a generally tired, worn out feel to the room so we wouldn%26#39;t chose it again. The one positive was the location, I guess that%26#39;s our priority so maybe I need to dig out my little map of Sanibel and go throught the gulf front hotels, one by one!

The Holiday Inn has been remodeled recently and has a nice resort/tropical lobby area and type of decorations. The location is great on the gulf, but be careful of what view you want for what price....the pool tiki bar blocks a bit of the view for some gulf-front rooms. Try out that Sanibel Collection group, we did like the Sanibel Inn Gulfview rooms just a bit better :)

we%26#39;re not too bothered about the view from the room as we spend very little time actually in the room so probably wouldn%26#39;t pay extra for gulf view. Our only experience of Holiday Inn in the past has been the restaurant which we wouldn%26#39;t repeat but that doesn%26#39;t worry me either.

Will look at Sanibel Inn too.

Thanks

If the view isn%26#39;t important, why not consider a condo that sits in a beach front complex but is not located on the beach? I know the pproperties are a lot larger - for the most part - but you get more space and usually a nicer unit for the money. Just a thought.

There should be lots of availability for January of 07. Most agencies and hotels book 1 year in advance. I%26#39;m really sorry to hear that you had trouble booking at West Wind. It%26#39;s a really nice place with a great reputation, but for about the same price you can rent at some of the condo complexes such as Coquina Beach, Island Beach Club or Loggerhead Cay. Courtyard views but 2 bedrooms and 2 baths w/washers and dryers. Most units are newly renovated and beautiful.

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