More about Sandpiper Gulf Resort
Great Value, Clean Hotel
by TripAdvisor Member kiethc
We stayed at the Sandpiper Gulf Resort in August. The resort is very clean and the rate was very reasonable. We stayed in a king suite which had a nice kitchen with a full fridge.
The adults only pool was great and the resort is directly on the beach. We visited Ft. Myers during the slow season so crowds were not a problem. The resort is located in the middle of estero island so you are close to all the restaurants and a grocery store is one block away.
Would highly recommend the Sandpiper Guf Resort. The resort is a great place and extremely economical.
Great Beach Getaway
by TripAdvisor Member Lauri318
We stayed her over Memorial Day weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it! Two couples and a three year old. Rooms are very close to the beach. The three year old loved the calm, shallow water. Low tide was great for seeing sand dollars, starfish, hermit crabs, etc. Room was very nice and clean. Full house this weekend but did not seem overly croweded. Only one minor problem when we went to use the grills for dinner on Sun. evening we couldn't get either one to work. If it's a holiday weekend have a backup plan for dinner! Very nice spot. Will definitly return!
Nice family hotel--Great for the price!
by TripAdvisor Member bjessi
Just got back from a 3 night weekend visit to the Sandpiper from July 14-17. Overall, we had a great experience, and here are some notes that might be helpful:
1. This is a hotel on the south part of the island away from the bars and touristy area downtown. We enjoyed visiting the pier, restaurants, bars, etc., but preferred to stay in a more quiet area. If you want to be able to walk to everything, this isn't the place for you.
2. While the Sandpiper is a great deal for the price, it is more of a hotel/motel than a "resort." If you want a place where people deliver little umbrella drinks to you while you sit in your chair, this is not the place for you. We fixed our own drinks in our kitchen and then sat by the pool or beach all day. I enjoyed being left alone.
3. All rooms are suites, with a full-size fridge, 2-burner stove, sink, dishes, a toaster, etc. You may need your own dish soap and paper towels if you plan to stay for long, since these are not provided. Our room was a pool-view room and had two double beds and a fold out sofa bed. While 6 people may be able to fit in the beds, I think 6 is a stretch as far as not being cramped in the room. I think 4 adults would be comfortable.
4. Sandpiper's amazing two pool concept (1 for adults only and 1 for everyone) makes this place perfect for families with kids OR for adults who want to relax away from screaming children. The adult pool also has a sandy area between it and the beach, which is where we spent the majority of our time relaxing in beach chairs in the sun, or in the shade of the tree. It was amazingly quiet on this side of the hotel, despite all of the playing and yelling that occurred in the kid pool.
5. There are a number of stainless steel grills available for use in the courtyard. You can get whatever supplies you need from the Publix just up the street and have a nice little cook-out.
6. The hotel lounge chairs cannot be taken out of the pool area. You can rent chairs from the stand nearby for $20/day (you can also rent jet skis and go parasailing here too). So, if you really want to sit on the beach, take your own chair. Also, the hotel towels are small and kind of scratchy, so I would suggest bringing your own beach towel.
7. You can check in early, provided that your room is ready. We were allowed to check in at 11-something AM, which was nice since we had nowhere else to go from the airport. Don't count on this though, since you will be out of luck if they haven't cleaned the room yet. We also requested a late check-out, since our flight wasn't until 6 PM. We were told that we could stay until 12PM instead of 11AM since nobody was checking into the room after us. We just hung out at the pool after that and changed at the airport.
8. You should definitely visit Sanibel Island on your trip. There is a $6 toll to get across the bridge, but the beach and water are beautiful. It is a very quiet island, but families not wanting nightlife or any other entertainment should consider staying here. We ate lunch at the Bubble Room, which is 2.8 miles after Blind Pass Bridge on Captiva Island. It had a really fun atmosphere, and I would definitely suggest it, but just make sure you save room for dessert!!!
9. For my final comment, I hate to say it, but the Red Tide that you might have heard about by now was really taking its toll on the beach by the last day we were there. Red Tide is a type of phytoplankton (algae) that contains a toxin that kills fish. As far as I could tell, it doesn't really affect humans, other than by causing a little coughing here and there when the toxins get airborne. This obviously depends on the concentration in the air. And of course you shouldn't eat affected fish or shellfish. However, it does make for a very stinky beach due to the dead fish. You can check out the local news and websites to find out what the red tide rating is and what fish kills are like for different areas. It was high while we were there and wasn't really a big deal, so any lower rating shouldn't be a problem. I’m sure this is probably a seasonal occurrence, so you can probably ignore this comment outside of the summer months.
I hope you find this review helpful and hope you like the Sandpiper as much as I did when you visit Ft. Myers!
Great quiet romantic getaway!
by TripAdvisor Member Irk
I was looking for a place on the beach in Ft Myers Beach and a friend mentioned Sandpiper...it was great! Right on the beach, two pools (one is for adults only). The rooms were large and clean and had everything - stove, full size fridge, everything. Our balcony looked over the pool and we could watch the sunsets. The beach was beautiful and nearly empty. This is definitely not one of the party spots, but a nice quiet place to get away for anyone else.
We saw dolphin, barracuda, starfish, horseshoe crabs, all sorts of beautiful shells and sand dollars by the dozens. We can't wait to go back.
Think Twice !!!
by TripAdvisor Member thatworld
Well - That was interesting... They promised a "full kitchen" but it turns out there in only a microwave oven and a 2 burner electric stove & small frig. Of which one burner was broken. Luckily after the 3 failed calls to the desk, the pool guy swithed out the bad coil for us. Also, they really boast about grilling - well only 1 worked and the other you had to light by hand (watch your eye-lashes / poof!) Also, the rooms are really small, maid service is every-other day (basically rationed to one roll od TP for a family of 4 so we got our own). The door was really sticky so every time you entered / left every one knew it. Next time it's Captiva for us.
WOrst holiday vacation ever
by TripAdvisor Member CSIKP
The penthouse accommodation (1 bedroom) was nice (newly renovated) except the room was in the middle of the courtyard/pool area above the office. The BBQ grills should have been put at the end (near beach) so that the grill smoke did not seep into the lovely room.
Also, a church group was in over the weekend and took over the entire property. Water balloons and children galore.. The adults were worse than the children. The adults were inconsiderate of a few of us who booked rooms on our own - not with the group. Families running around the courtyard until 11pm and kids in the pool during the evening hours during inclement weather provided a liability to the hotel/resort. Water balloon wars are not my idea of a relaxing vacation. The hotel staff except for one security person left the premises at 4pm on Sunday and did not return until 8am on Monday. No way of getting a hold of hotel personnel except to leave a message on the office answering machine. I had to go to the office Monday AM at 8:15 to discuss the matter.
The church group monopolized all of the grills, lounge chairs and pool the entire weekend.On Monday, AM when I went to complain, I spoke to Logan who said the church group would be back next year so don't come during that time. They are repeat customers. Nothing was done to accomodate me with my complaint or discounted rate/ compensation on room stay.
I will not return...........
Watch out for weddings!
by TripAdvisor Member JURSEYGURL
Our family HAD stayed at this resort for many years--no longer. We were there over 4th of July weekend--big mistake! There was a wedding party which just ran rampant, and the management did nothing about it. Please understand, this is a hotel with no banquet or wedding facilities--just the beach, which the wedding party was allowed to commandeer and pollute. The managament's response was basically "Too bad, they booked 30 rooms." Managament was indifferent and hostile at times. Front desk staff was competent. Housecleaning is every other day--they are up front about this. My advice: ask before you reserved a room if there are any large bookings for your stay (but they might not tell you). I tried to resolve the issue with the BBB, but the Sandpiper doesn't think their manager, Logan, did anything wrong. Even the regional manager, Perry, didn't think it was a big deal that the resort was rendered useless to the rest of the guests who couldn't use the facilities that day. Unless your're a part of the "big party", you're nobody.
Pay the money and go some place else.
Resonable price, nice peaceful location
by TripAdvisor Member chrisloff
This is a remodeled caribbean styled hotel resort. Rooms have full size refrig. It sure is better than a typical beach motel, at about the same cost. The counters were all granite and it was an great view of the beach and water. There were 2 pools, one was for adults. Courtyard with grills to use for free! Hot-tub.
If you want to be around all the shops and dining this one is not for you. You would have to drive to that. It is more settle upon a somewhat quite residential area, very nice setting. For the price, it is a good value.
Our favorite beach resort
by TripAdvisor Member DirtyRatDog
We have stayed at the sandpiper during our January vacations for the past two years. It was one of our most favorite vacation destinations. The staff is very friendly and accommodating. The rooms are very clean and well cared for. We enjoyed the adult pool; it gave us a break from some of the families swimming with their children. The only reason we can no longer stay at the Sandpiper is because they are now a condo resort. The prices just about doubled from when we first stayed there, pricing my wife and I out of this wonderful resort.
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