My husband and I stayed here this past May and we had a great time. The beach was spectacular and we were able to get some serious relaxation! Most of all I loved the island cats and it restores my faith in humanity that the people who own this place are compassionate people and recognize that TNR is the most humane way to deal with feral cats. I met a couple of the cat colony caretakers and they were so wonderful. We will definitely be back!!!!
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The rooms were fantastic, the hotel food was amazing; which was contributed by the kind faculty and staff. Near the resort were Italian cuisine which lived up to my expectations, and St. Armand's circle was a minute away. Plus, as an bonus; the beach and pool takes at the most 14 seconds to get to. If you ever plan to take vacation in Sarasota, stay at Longboat key resort.
We booked a king room gulf view with their special add on ($75 of food/drink and beach chairs/ umbrella daily). This was a good deal for us!! When we checked in, our room was small, with view of the pool mostly... glimest of the gulf. We went down to the desk and asked for another room. They did accommodate us and gave us a junior suit in another building. The buildings Are like condos...your door walks out to the outside...The buildings are ot connected...So, when it rains ( which it did) your walking outside to the lobby. Now for the disappointing part... The room decor is dated, Dirty tile floor grout, old tier look s, not resort quality, beds were not resort quality nor were the pillows... They were very "used"!!!! The weekend we were there, the love bugs were horrible ( not the reSorts fault) however, they didn t keep up with cleaning up all th dead ones that were smashed around pool, and walk ways. I called 2x and asked for a broom so I could sweep the love bugs out of our room and balacony....waited over 2 hours!!! On Friday, we got back to the room at 4 and they hadn't cleaned...I called and waited an hour...Called again and they finally came hour later to clean... The staff...Rachel, Meghan & Cheryl were our beach servers...They were awesome!! Richard our shuttle driver 5 stars!!! The spa service was 5 star...Sarah was my massage therapist...Top 5 message I've ever had!!!
We have stayed at several Opal Collection resorts, and this one is not the f their finest. Not worth the more than $400 a night....
A wonderful place to enjoy the Shark Coast of Florida. I'm here refinishing the bathtubs with our exclusive Kott Koatings Porcelain Glaze for Total Koatings so that you can enjoy soaking in a like new tub. Enjoy!
Although the room was great the service we experienced was awful. First the maid was annoyed when we were not ready for her to make up the room. Bartenders at the pool bar did not even acknowledge us for 10 minutes. When someone else sat down they were quickly waited on and then I had to say something. I was given a very rude response. The hostess at the lobby restaurant was not pleasant either. She never smiles and showed us to our table, threw down the menus and walked away. Not so much as enjoy your meal! They include the tip on every bill. Maybe the staff would give better service if they were not guaranteed a gratuity. They need to be trained like the staff at the Ritz Carlton. It makes such a difference if the culture in a business is set so the customer is treated better with the respect they deserve.
I was so disappointed!!! Wanted a special New Year's Eve surprise and booked a room. Went to check in at the check in time of 4:00 p.m. and they said "check in STARTS at 4:00 p.m. " Seriously!!! Waited till 5:00 p.m. and still no room at $700 per night. I was only staying one night so I'm loosing time sitting with nothing. I decided it wasn't worth it since they still couldn't give me a check in time, saying they were extremely busy. Thanks but no thanks! I cancelled and extremely disappointed for a very special night. Hopefully 2020 will be better! Not they way it should be for an very upscale resort!
Follow up: The manager did contact me and explain I was getting a refund, since they did go and charge my account. She also said if I considered booking again, to contact her directly and she would "assist me" in making the reservation. Said she would send me her contact information, but never received it.
Great place. Largest two bedroom suites in area with sweeping ocean views. They indicated you can request a specific room if you reserve a certain type, so pick higher floors if you want direct ocean view.
My husband and I were visiting friends in the area and took quite some time to choose where to stay. As it is snowbird season, the effort to find a great place took some time. We checked in on March 4th, check in was super easy and quick. A bellman escorted us to our room and assisted us wonderfully. The room had been beautifully renovated. We had a minor issue with our room location (by the pool) and had to contact Rick, the general manager. He was so wonderful! Not only did he make it right, he took the time to show us another room option, a significant upgrade from our original room, before having us moved to it. The room we originally booked was a Junior One Bedroom Suite Renovated. The upgraded room was a Two Bedroom Renovated Suite with a superb view and very close access to the beach. This meant so much to my husband and I. My husband has mobility issues and before the move could not walk to the beach directly due to the distance. After the move, he was able to walk to the water's edge twice!! It is rare these days to have someone care enough to provide such excellent customer service. Room and maid services were fantastic! Thank you to Rick and all your employees!
Had our wedding stay here and the service was terrible. We received pushback on every request. The rudest front desk I ve ever experienced. I would rather stay at an real resort, even a motel would be better. Avoid this place.
I get it, this place is going through a renovation right now. What s is not acceptable is construction work starting right before 7 am, no way to buy any food or water after 4 pm unless you go to have dinner. No vending machine, no internet service. The front desk kept the same BS for more than a day that the engineers were working on it laughable! Also, front desk women are RUDE, NO CUSTOMER SERVICE SKILLS, COLD AND ARROGANT. They act like they are doing you a favor. I heard a girl named Elizabeth making fun of a guest who called with a question. after you called them they hang up the phone before you even finish talking to them. Who hires these people? I assume the manager must be the same that s why he or she brings those people. I get treated better at a holiday Inn. Insane!
Ocean view balcony advertised, however our view was obstructed by large palm trees. We weren't told about the amount of beach erosion. The remaining beach was very short and so it felt very crowded. Early check in requested several days before we arrived. Upon attival at 245 pm, room was not ready. At standard check in time of 4 p.m. our room still was not ready. However, once we got into our room we found it clean and adequately decorated. Service on the beach was as expected.
Buyer beware, I have been a member of the Longboat Key Club for over ten years. Ownership has changed during that time resulting in some good things and some bad. Improvements to the facility have been generally good but the policy changes are having a negative impact in the experience. Because the LBK allows rental guests to use the facilities, in season it is almost impossible to get a dinner reservation and than at the end of the year they charge you for any unused yearly minimums!
Their is no real benefit to LBK Membership. For the very best experience, use the Club as a guest and pay as you go. Less money and way less frustration.
We had a great time! This place is perfect for whatever you re seeking whether it s relaxation, activities, just to let loose, or all of the above. Stayed in the renovated 1 Bedroom Suite which had everything you could want at a home a way from home - including a washer and dryer. Saw other reviews mentioning noise of construction but I didn t hear anything from my room (#3501). Staff was friendly and food was superb (recommend the lobster roll, Roman Salad, and quesadillas as some of my favs)!
Beach and location are incredible! The convience of this hotel for a beach visit is like no other and that is what you are paying for. The hotel however has gotten complacent. Bed was the worst bed I have ever stayed in, needs to be replaced-pillows were horrible too. Rooms were old, bathrooms were old. Service was great when you could catch them- they do not have enough staff.
This resort has a lot of silly rules that make a paying guest feel like an imposition. For example, a guest can have breakfast on the poolside terrace, which has 6 tables that fill up fast, yet is not allowed to eat on the adjacent wrap around sofas when those tables are filled. And the resort food credit in my package can only be used for breakfast on this terrace. No flexibility. When bought a to go breakfast and ate it on a sofa I was questioned by an outdoor server as to how she could be sure I paid for it if I didn t have my receipt. I didn t pay $500 a night to be treated like a thief and to have lousy service. Another example: I booked a tennis package that includes chairs on the beach. Ask for an umbrella? An extra $25. Makes absolutely no sense that was not a given under the tropical Florida sun. No one had the power to work this out until I went inside to the hotel manager who changed my room package to one that gave the hotel $100 less per night, an additional $75/day food and bev credit to me (and virtually NO change to my other benefits) and included the umbrella. If someone had the power to work this out before I went to the manager the hotel would have kept $100 per night and the $75 food credit, in exchange for setting up an umbrella. Long Beach is a beautiful expanse if white sand and clear water. Great looking staff members but this resort is not functioning in a service oriented capacity.
80 s kind of property. The property needs a refresh. The rooms are nice, clean and roomy. But the property overall is a little tired. The staff was friendly at times but overall service was so-so. Room cleaning service was very good. The food and drinks are overpriced and not anything special. The service on the beach was inconsistent. They don t want you to bring food or drink to the beach, but good luck getting service. One day, we saw our server one time all day. Usually about twice daily. Also, the staff handling towels and beach service were mostly friendly. However, if you go later in the afternoon (after 3) they ll actually tell you they re too busy to help you because they re putting up chairs and umbrellas. And, the young man was rude about it on this day. Not what you expect from a resort. Overall, we were pleased with our accommodations, except the one night AC broke and they had to call an HVAC company to fix. Took about 4 hours. This was about 11pm. No apology from anyone on staff except the poor service guy who had to come out and fix it. I called the front desk, spoke with Rick who was rude, and acted like he could care less that our AC was broken. I asked for GM/Jeff to call the next day, but never heard back from him or anyone else. No surprise there. The tennis facility was nice and the pro (Sammy) for our clinic was friendly and made it fun.
I had a problem with this resort on a few accounts.
One, the facilities are not always open past 8PM. I am especially meaning the pool side bar. In years past, they have had an outdoor pool side movie where kids could enjoy the pool while the parents were able to relax with a drink. Even if you did away with the movie and the kids, why shouldn't this be staffed? Guests should have these things available to them on a vacation. I was told by one rude staff member to go to the lobby bar if I need something.
Two, the staff on several other occurrences were curt and borderline rude. The spa seems to have little patience for someone inquiring on the different services. A chef who was running an outdoor buffet said 'none of your business' when we inquired what they did with all the left over seafood.
Last, I brought up these points and a few more to the management via a letter AFTER my stay had concluded and I had returned home. I did this so as not to look like I was trying to negotiate an adjustment to my bill and genuinely interested in passing along a concern as a guest who has been there 3 years in a row. I did not get a reply, which seems to indicate they are not interested in what they are doing wrong.
We stayed in remodeled building #2. The room is gorgeous, the right size with a full kitchenette and laundry. The outdoor pool is wonderful, the water is heated very warm.
While the room and immentites were nice, the view was not described accurately at all. The "gulf view" as falsely described for suite 2302 is more a pool view and palm tree fronds view. We chose the more expensive option and wanted to splurge a little to celebrate my 40th birthday and the view was VERY disappointing. When I expressed my disappointmnet to the concierge upon my check out, she essentially dismissed me and said (as if it was common knowledge) that we booked a "junior" suite and none of the junior suites have a gulf view to which I replied, then perhaps it should be advertised as such. Still, same dismissive attitude. But, that is ok there are plenty of other resorts who would appreciate my money and would want me to come back. Not only would I not go back, I would not recommend it and attempt to desuade anyone thinking about booking there.
As a SRQ local who's moved away and often come back for visits...let me warn you, go ahead and book elsewhere. The customer service at this establishment is HORRENDOUS. I'm not one to review places as "1 star" unless they truly deserve it, and this resort deserves it, plus some. I had scheduled a quick 1 night stay before heading back to our home in NC to enjoy the gulf views, the beach and the service (from what I remember of it) After the storms blew through, we had a family emergency arise so I called the reservations department in hopes to avoid a $280 cancellation charge, as my room had been booked for less than 12 hours. I understand policy and protocol but wanted to see if there was any possibility of avoiding an unnecessary charge. I was forwarded to Andrea the "reservations supervisor" who quickly became snappy and spoke to me like I was a 16 year old or someone incapable of having an educated conversation. After a couple of minutes, she HUNG UP ON ME. I could go on for hours about my background in customer service, hospitality, real estate, etc but I'll sum this resort up for you in one sentence.......Save your money, save your time & avoid the troubles, book at the Ritz Carlton in Sarasota-where they know what customer service is all about.
I love the gulf! We spent the night in a 3 star hotel in Fort Walton and boy was that a waste of time, the beach had dead fish all along the beach. The water was merky with green weeds all in it. Not the experience I wanted. So we decided to go further south, a out 7 hours down south! Boy was it worth it! We fell in love with Long Boat Key on first sight! When we got to the resort it was already dark so we didn't know how beautiful the beach was until next day, but the resort is truly lugsury! We got the premium room with beach view and the room was like an apartment, full kitchen, king size bed, sleeper sofa and washer and drier combo. Even though the room was great, we where here for the beach. If you wanna great vacation on the Gulf of Mexico drive on down to Long Boat Key.
Love the resort and location, most of the staff were friendly, private beach and proximity to shops and restaurants. Was not pleased with: food and drink selection as well as price, renting beach equipment seemed silly and should be included in room or resort fees. Suggestions: offer an all inclusive package like Mexico and various Carribean resorts.
Great resort well kept a lot of places to go they have 2 gold courses seems well keep, they have shopping, work out room, spa and lots of restaurants on site. It was also located a mile from St Aramands Circle a really neat shopping and restaurant area. The beach was well keep. Rooms were all top notch with turn down service. Pool and beach area well done and well kept. We would definitely go back.
Have been there 4 years in a row. Clean and nice facilities. Perfect beach for relaxing, not crouded and good service. Looking forward for next summer.
Beautiful beach and supposedly private but they charge you For umbrellas every day despite charging a daily fee. Very bossy and unfriendly manager at the beach. Resorts with private beaches generally include umbrellas chairs and towels.
This is my favorite get away. We love the 2 bedroom suite 9th floor beach view or junior suite lagoon or beach view. Great white sand beach paddle board kayaking long walks swimming in blue warm water. Love the resort staff very good food excellent price we go a few times a year families go in summer great deals and kids will be at beach or pool until they drop
We were here in Early June. As there was renovations being carried out the pool was not available.....but there was an alternative...approx 20mins away by shuttle bus. The accommodation was good but was a bit on the pricy side, but what do you expect for the on the sea location. Staff were friendly and very helpful.
I want to tell you that it's a horrible place to stay, only because I want to keep it to myself. All of your worries will melt away here. So like I said STAY AWAY
We stayed at the hotel for a couple of days and at 3 in he morning we found out the there were bed bugs! They were everywhere on the pillows in the pillows and inside and out of the bed. We moved rooms and got a much smaller room for the price of a suite. Staff is good. I would not come back here ever agein though!
I can't say enough about these folks. It was second time here. Yes.... They are going thru a major renovation. ... As a Canadian to have some southern hospitality was refreshing. Love this place and will be back soon. Good for families with kids, or just couples. The service is OUTSTANDING
My hotel stay was fine, except the AC was inconsistently working, the shower head was very weak, and we stood in 4 of water while we showered because the water was not draining properly. Also, the customer service after my stay was terrible. Over the course of 3 phone call attempts I was transferred 10 times between different departments and waited about 45 minutes before someone actually helped me with the credit card issue I was trying to resolve. My family has been staying here for 30 years and we were overall disappointed with how our last stay was.
4 stars for a 4 star hotel! The best thing about this place is the location. It s at the end of the key and is surrounded by condos and homes so there isn t anyone else on the beach unless they re staying at the resort.
We got the 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom deluxe room. It was very clean and spacious(I think just under 2000 square feet). It was a little outdated but that didn t matter because the view absolutely made up for it! Emerald green and blue waters and beautiful white sand. We thought the beds weren t all that bad and quite comfortable.
Service was great overall. There was always someone asking us if anything we needed. The only thing I didn t like was we couldn t use cash or any cards to pay for anything while at the resort. I know this helps prevent people from just walking in and trying to get food and drinks, but I still think it only would take a minute to confirm I am staying there and allow me to use cash which i would prefer. So every charge you make is to the room.
Other than that, the resort is very private and has a gated entry with a guard out front. Everyone else who stays here is higher class and it helps with a more enjoyable time. I would highly recommend this place but I don t give it the full 5 stars since it s not a 5 star hotel and my other notes above. Still highly recommend!
We live in Florida and booked a junior suite for Mother's day weekend. The property is beautiful. The room was comfortable. My husband enjoyed the golf course. I'm giving a three star rating because the place is overpriced and haughty.
Do not go to this place, there is No pool and No restaurant, the place looks like construction zone , it doesn t look like a resort . There is nothing there . we Got our reservation through Priceline.com, what a mistake. The place looks like a ghost town . We were very disappointed. Wa What a waste a money. We just used our room to sleep there, we spend most our time boating and going around in Sarasota. No relaxing at all. I could go to a motel for less money.
They kick you off the beach at 6 pm. This is during turtle season, 5 months of the year. I live on LBK & 100% respect the turtles but they do not enter the beach until way after sunset. LBKC allows you to purchase food on the beach at 5:45 pm only to rip your chair from you at 6 pm forcing you to either leave with your food, stand while you eat or sit in the sand while eating your overpriced, untasty dinner. They give you zero warning when ordering that you cannot stay and eat. Additionally the manager on duty, Nick, on Mother s Day was severely rude and treated my party of 11 absolutely horrendous. It was embarrassing in front of my guests. Zero class from this beach club. Poor customer service, overpriced, extremely slow beach service & no sunsets. The beach club is not worthy of 1 star.
Very pleasant experience. Would stay again next time in town. The complimentary breakfast and dinner where nice. Beer and wine were available to those who drink. Tea, Lemonade and coffee to those who do not drink.
longboatkeyclub.com
