west wind inn
by TripAdvisor Member Joanel
We stayed at the west wind inn Jan 11 & 12. There are many very positive things to say about this place and they have been pretty much covered in previous reviews. We were in the driftwood building which has slightly larger rooms and has been redone as a result of the hurricane. the rooms are very nice. They all have new beds and that was the problem for us. The new mattresses are VERY soft. and we felt that we were almost sleeping on a hammock. I have some occasional back problems which flaired up almost immediately on trying to go to sleep. We spent 2 nights out of the 4 that we had planned to stay there and then just felt we had to leave. There was no problem leaving early. They did offer to put a board under the mattress but it would not have helped. Mattress was 15" plus thick and basically on the newer type box springs which are really just boards or very rigid, not like the actually box springs that used to come with a mattress years ago.
Another point to mention is that if you want sit on the beach you need to rent chairs and an umbrella at a cost of $20/day. The place we moved to provided chairs for free.
Wedding at the West Wind Inn
by TripAdvisor Member kewi4u01
I had my wedding at the West Wind Inn on October 16th, 2004. I live in Indiana, so planning something this imporant that far away was kind of difficult. However, I found that "Jay" at the West Wind Inn, who helps all brides with the weddings, was WONDERFUL! She helped me so much, and for no cost! Such a sweet sweet lady and she even sent me tons of information on vendors I could contact that had done weddings there before.
Unfortunately, once we got there Jay was not there and had several days off. I then was forced to deal with the receptionist and the lady responsible for their resturant...this was rather disappointing.
*Let me say first that the hotel grounds are BEAUTIFUL! The rooms were nice, the screened in patio on everyroom was AWESOME, the pool and grounds were clean and gorgeous...I could not have asked for a better spot for my wedding!
My complaint comes from the staff I had to deal with open the first day arrival. Once I arrived (a day before guest) I decided to get a list of everyone's rooms to make sure that my 30 guests had what they asked and paid for. Everyones room was messed up, my grandmothers (who needed rooms on the first floor b/c of heart surgery and couldn't do stairs) had rooms on the 2nd floor; my mom was given a room without smoking, when it was asked, and so on and so forth. After me and my mom figured out all the problems with the rooms we went up front to see if someone could help us get the rooms switched around so that when guests arrived the next day it wouldn't be all messed up. The receptionist was extremelly rude and said that there was no one still there to help me (this was at 5:00pm), we requested that she call someone that could and she did because I didn't want my guest coming in and having the wrong rooms...it was an easy fix, we just needed to move people around. *Ended up that the guy she called told me that he wouldn't come back b/c he was 20 minutes away and it would have to wait until the morning. (I am not a mean person, but we had 30 guest and a wedding giving them tons of business and this kind of shove off was so UNPROFESSIONAL) Finally after me crying my eyes out in the front lobby and saying that we'd take our wedding elsewhere the receptionist called the OWNER of the place who drove in from 45 minutes away and took care of everything for me...but it was a nightmare!
*I wish Jay could have been there b/c she was wonderful to deal with, unfortunately she had something come up...if you have your wedding there I would suggest making sure she'll be there before depending on the other staff...or hiring a wedding planner. (this was my only regret)
If any brides have any questions you can email me direct at ---. I ended up having a most beautiful wedding, The West Wind Inn was priced well and allowed us to bring in an outside vendor...I really loved that! I have names of vendors, and personal experience to give you any info you need. It was really hard for me to trust it to be a nice place with not living there...but it was the best wedding ever, I wouldn't have traded it for anything! I just wish I would have been able to contact another bride to ask a few questions to, so feel free! :-) I have pictures from the wedding if anyone would like to see how we set everything up...we did a tent, with dj and dance floor, and caterer. They also have 4 perfect isle ways that you can get married down that lead right to the ocean and it's just perfect!
After all was said and done it was a wonderful wedding and place to stay and I look forward to going back, my only complaint is about the service I received after the rooms were messed up. Oh! And the linens that I rented to put on my tables were SO rinkled...these came from the resturant lady, I wish she could have been a little more professional and had them pressed...I have pictures of that too!
Fabulous 4 Days at the West Wind Inn
by TripAdvisor Member bkrusen
I just got back from spending 4 fabulous days at the West Wind Inn and wanted to let everyone know that things seem back to normal there. This was my first trip to Sanibel so I can only imagine what it was like before the hurricane. The hotel looks wonderful! If you didn't know you wouldn't think there had been any damage. The grounds are all replanted and manicured and the hotel itself doesn't show any signs of damage. The rooms were clean and nicely decorated. The bathroom was a little old but very clean and restocked with fresh towels and toiletries daily. (If you use a hair dryer I suggest you take your own...the one in the bathroom is old and will take you hours to dry your hair with) I had a pool view room but had a nice view of the gulf too! The second floor rooms are nice because you can see the whole hotel from there and they have a nice screened porch to sit on. Just beware there is no elevator so you have to carry your luggage up. Also each room has a refrigerator and microwave plus a coffee maker that comes with coffee, tea and hot chocolate. I ate at the resturant for dinner (only open for dinner Friday and Saturday) and it was very good with friendly service. It's a nice place to eat your first night when you don't feel like driving anywhere. I also had breakfast there and lunch (served at the pool) both were also good. The pool is heated and very warm. You can rent beach chairs and umbrellas from the gift shop ($7.50 for a chair for a day and $20.00 for 2 chairs and an umbrella...cheaper rates for weekly rentals) which they take down to the beach for you. The island does show signs of hurricane damage but they appear to have done lots of work already and were working on the landscaping along the roads the whole time I was there. All the shops and resturants apppear to be open (Have dinner at Grandma Dot's if you can) and eager for business. All in all it was a great trip and I hope to return next year. If you have any questions feel free to email me!
West Wind Inn
by Muya
Our hotel was situated along the beach, with all the rooms set around the pool.
I was stunned by the giant ants that were walking on the edges of the pool at night...I had never seen such big ants ! Yuck ! I promised myself I wouldn’t near the pool anymore, but the heat made me break my oat :-)
Great Spot
by A TripAdvisor Member
We stayed at the West Wind Inn in mid-December, 2004. Although the weather did not cooperate (COLD), the hotel was very nice and I would definitely recommend it. Upon arriving around 9PM , the desk clerk could not find our reservation but did have an available room. Unfortunately, we asked for a gulf front room when we booked nearly 2 months earlier, and of course that was not available when we got there. The funny part was, I booked an internet reservation and the West Wind TELEPHONED ME to say I had requested a gulf front room but did not check the right price. So we agreed on the phone to upgrade the price as I wanted the gulf front so you can image I was a bit surprised to find no reservation when we got there (even though THEY called me to confirm it). I was disappointed but life goes on and therefore would recommend you recheck your reservation if you have a specific spot in mind. We ended up with a "pool view" which was fine. THey had a very nice raised bar area at the pool and also provided beach "set up" and bike rentals right at the hotel. Room was clean, small refrigerator, microwave oven in room that was nice. We went to many beaches on the island and found the shelling to be best right outside West Wind. Still lots of visible hurricane damage with many, many resorts and hotels still closed. It seemed that every restaurant we ate at was great (we did not eat at the West Wind choosing instead to explore some of the wonderful restaurants there. - recommend Island Cow for a great breakfast...Would also highly recommend a bike ride through the Ding reserve - but don't go on Fridays, the reserve is CLOSED ON FRIDAYS.
Really is #1!
by TripAdvisor Member rc2147
Just got back from a short winter break. Sanibel is lovely and quiet - still quite a bit of damage from Charley, but West Wind is freshly painted and still at the most quiet spot on the island. The stars are magnificient. The beach and trees are not what they were, but the people are friendly. And there are no crowds yet.
Great for families
by TripAdvisor Member trixietg
We just returned from a President's Weekend in Sanibel. The West Wind is really terrific. I think I'm correct that ALL the rooms have a screened porch or balcony with a view of the ocean, though you might also view the pool area, which was not a negative for us. The beach is just steps away and we found great shells there. (If you think you are going to be serious about finding nice shells: 1. Get up early to look 2. Get a shell net 3. Bring polarized sunglasses 4. Wear beach shoes)
We did not try the restaurant, because so many others on the island were recommended. Can't say enough about the Island Cow.
This is our first time to Sanibel, and the only place we've stayed, but it was nice. All the lodging is pretty pricey, but there was no disappointment at the West Wind. Not a 5-star resort or anything but great for what we were willing to pay.
The pool is medium-sized and was VERY warm! There is also shuffleboard and a nice bar area.
Enjoyed our stay
by A TripAdvisor Member
The rooms were a dated and a little bit dark. The enclosed patio was nice. The air/heating system was very loud and hard to adjust. We also felt while not bad, the rooms could have been cleaner. The grounds and pool were lovely and the beach was fantastic. We liked the fact that the inn was located away from the hustle and bustle of the island but close enough to bike downtown. We found the inn to be quiet and relaxing. The pool bar and resturant food was good and and at a fair price, but very limited as to when food was served. The people working at the inn were helpful, nice and organized. While not a 4 star enjoyable just the same.
Photos
Beach at the West Wind Inn
West Wind Inn
Forum Posts
Which Sanibel hotel at Xmas?
by DebbyDK
My husband and I (both 60) are trying to choose a single room among:
1) Sanibel Harbor Resort & Spa
2) Song of the Sea
3) West Wind Inn
They all look good, therefore the difficult choice. What would you advise?
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