We came to The Resort at Longboat Key as a mother/...

We came to The Resort at Longboat Key as a mother/daughter trip. My mom had a stroke and can no longer travel alone. I wanted to make this an extra special trip as I knew it would probably be her last. We chose the Resort at Longboat Key because of the phenomenal reviews. First, the positives: excellent location, great beach. *Some* staff, particularly Jane whom everyone mentions in other reviews are friendly. The negatives: they are delusional with the prices they charge. Our room was on par with Holiday Inn, at 5 star resort prices (and I've stayed at plenty 5 star hotels worthy of charging $500+ for a room--this is NOT one of them). The bathroom was so dated, it was dirty, the wallpaper was from the 80's, old tiles, the cheap veneer was peeling off the bathroom vanity. The beds were old and lumpy (I know because I removed the fitted sheet--at least 20 year old mattresses). Next, they charge a 20% service fee on EVERYTHING. Which, I wouldn't mind as I typically tip at least 20% when dining out, unless the service is truly terrible. I had multiple experiences with truly terrible service, which is completely unacceptable if you are charging 20% service fees. And you know what really gets me? The servers don't even get all of the 20%!! I got to talking to the ONLY server who actually provided good service during our entire 4 day stay. I felt compelled to reward her with an extra tip (as is asked on every check you receive) and I asked her about the service fee--to which I learned all of it does not go directly to the server. Our negative dining experiences included our first night at the main restaurant, which really set a bad tone being that we had just arrived. The next morning, I sat outside to read and ordered a coffee, and a yogurt parfait. I ordered it at 9:30. It arrived at 10:20!! The family sitting at the table next to me sat down at the same time I did, but ordered AND finished their food before my parfait even got delivered. And you guessed it, 20% service fee for terrible service!! It was only a few dollars, but it was the principal of it. And the guy only had a few tables, so there is just no excuse. These two experiences were back to back, and left me very uninterested in eating any other food here. The final kicker came on my last morning. The morning was completely overcast, very windy, and 62 degrees. Our room included breakfast, but we "have to" sit outside. I asked the front desk staff if I could possibly sit inside (which was totally empty at 7am) because I was just too cold to sit outside. She was rude, and said it's only a little chilly and I must sit outside. Just terrible and very clear they have no interest in helping their guests to be comfortable and enjoy their stay. With that, I went off to find breakfast in St. Armand's--and ended up at a delightful place, where three people greeted me upon entering, my server brought me hot coffee within 30 seconds of sitting down, and my excellent breakfast arrived within 5 minutes of placing my order. I was in and out in 30 minutes.

In conclusion, this entire hotel is outdated, the lobby area, rooms, pool area, all of it, need a major renovation. The website is also misleading in that their 5 "on site" restaurants aren't on site at all. One is over 3 miles down the road and depending on traffic can take 10-20+ minutes to reach. I chose this hotel partially for convenience, as pushing and loading a wheelchair in and out of the car is a major pain. Don't be fooled by the website photos. You can expect poor service (unless it's Jane!), expensive, bad food, and rooms on par with the Holiday inn. I took a beach yoga class I enjoyed, but that, Jane's friendliness, and the resort location are not enough for me to ever come back or recommended it. I come to FL once or twice a year with my husband and kids, but this resort will be crossed off our list. Very disappointing experience.