Luxury on the west coast of Florida?
Any recommendations for hotels on the Florida west coast from Clearwater south, on the beach or one of the costal islands?
I was looking at the Gasperilla Inn and Club, but then I looked at some reviews of the villas and it doesn't look so great. I would like to get a villa or suite big enough for 4 adults. I'm considering the Ritz Carlton Sarasota now but it's not directly on the beach. Anyone stayed there? Anything I missed? |
What about Ritz-Carlton Naples?
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Originally Posted by DavidO
(Post 28605222)
What about Ritz-Carlton Naples?
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Originally Posted by myeurocrush
(Post 28605022)
Any recommendations for hotels on the Florida west coast from Clearwater south, on the beach or one of the costal islands?
I was looking at the Gasperilla Inn and Club, but then I looked at some reviews of the villas and it doesn't look so great. I would like to get a villa or suite big enough for 4 adults. I'm considering the Ritz Carlton Sarasota now but it's not directly on the beach. Anyone stayed there? Anything I missed? |
While the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota is on a marina, it has a good beach club (10 minute drive) and they offer complimentary shuttle service. If you have a car, there's free parking at the club so you don't have to wait and you can then drive to other gorgeous beaches on Lido Key. The pool at the hotel itself is very nice and large enough for laps. Lunch at the beach club is reasonably priced, and the sand is powder soft and white all along that area of the Gulf.
The little town of Sarasota is full of great restaurants and shops, and near the hotel is the John Ringling Museum and park. Absolutely worth a visit. If you go there, be sure to tour the Ringling home, too. The art museum is exceptional and the circus museum is interesting. I like the hotel and beach club, but love Sarasota. If you're a golfer, the hotel has a golf club about 10 minutes inland. A shuttle is available there too. There are two Ritz-Carlton hotels in Naples, one directly on the beach, the other a golf resort. The beach resort was recently renovated and is gorgeous. The beach is beautiful and the town of Naples is charming with lots of excellent restaurants and art galleries. The resort has a family and an adult pool, as well as a children's program. Both hotels are excellent and in super towns. Your wallet may help you decide which is right for you. Both are Virtuoso-member hotels. |
Naples>Sarasota ;)
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Thanks for the suggestions. I ended up booking the Ritz Sarasota over the one in Naples because the rates were significantly lower for my dates around Xmas, and Sarasota is closer to where my family lives that I would like to visit. I was about to book through Virtuoso until I found a much better deal on Hotels.com that included breakfast and parking. Also the Virtuoso Agent assigned to me was going to charge me a 50 Eur fee for the hotel booking. I had no idea Virtuoso agents charged a fee. Is that normal?
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You don't have to accept the Virtuoso agent assigned to you ... and you shouldn't have to pay any fee for a straight hotel booking. You can find many Virtuoso agents on this forum who will NOT charge fees for hotel bookings!
You |
Originally Posted by myeurocrush
(Post 28643540)
Thanks for the suggestions. I ended up booking the Ritz Sarasota over the one in Naples because the rates were significantly lower for my dates around Xmas, and Sarasota is closer to where my family lives that I would like to visit. I was about to book through Virtuoso until I found a much better deal on Hotels.com that included breakfast and parking. Also the Virtuoso Agent assigned to me was going to charge me a 50 Eur fee for the hotel booking. I had no idea Virtuoso agents charged a fee. Is that normal?
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What about Longboat Key Club. Have never been but stay with family in LBK a lot and it's really beautiful and serene.
https://www.longboatkeyclub.com/ |
Originally Posted by myeurocrush
(Post 28643540)
Thanks for the suggestions. I ended up booking the Ritz Sarasota over the one in Naples because the rates were significantly lower for my dates around Xmas, and Sarasota is closer to where my family lives that I would like to visit. I was about to book through Virtuoso until I found a much better deal on Hotels.com that included breakfast and parking. Also the Virtuoso Agent assigned to me was going to charge me a 50 Eur fee for the hotel booking. I had no idea Virtuoso agents charged a fee. Is that normal?
Blue Marlin in Anna Maria Island has great food! Also Gold Star Donut, if you're into that kind of thing :p:D^ |
Originally Posted by myeurocrush
(Post 28643540)
Thanks for the suggestions. I ended up booking the Ritz Sarasota over the one in Naples because the rates were significantly lower for my dates around Xmas, and Sarasota is closer to where my family lives that I would like to visit. I was about to book through Virtuoso until I found a much better deal on Hotels.com that included breakfast and parking. Also the Virtuoso Agent assigned to me was going to charge me a 50 Eur fee for the hotel booking. I had no idea Virtuoso agents charged a fee. Is that normal?
I was looking at this area recently myself to visit family. More specifically, I needed Anna Maria Island for later this year and the RC Sarasota is too far at about 45 minutes away. I did find out there is a new hotel in the Marriott Autograph Collection due to open this month, called the Waterline Marina. Depending on where you need to be, this could be an option. |
I've stayed at the RC Naples in the past and was very pleasantly surprised. I often find these types of RCs to be dated with a 4-star-at-best staff. This was definitely not the case here.
The staff was superb, anticipating all of our needs in a warm, friendly way. For example, while working out, they have many attendants on duty to help in any way they could, passing out fresh towels and cold water. As for the setting, their beach is about as good as you'll get in South Florida and the casual restaurant overlooking the beach was quite nice. Their pool was great for our small child as well as all the other kids facilities. If you like golf, Tiburon is my favorite public course in the region and love that they now have a caddie program. My only complaint is that the rooms are on the small side and suite can get outrageously priced during peak periods. If you can swing it or get a good deal, a suite at the RC Naples is probably the best option for the area. |
Originally Posted by playbbg
(Post 28664338)
I've stayed at the RC Naples in the past and was very pleasantly surprised. I often find these types of RCs to be dated with a 4-star-at-best staff. This was definitely not the case here.
The staff was superb, anticipating all of our needs in a warm, friendly way. For example, while working out, they have many attendants on duty to help in any way they could, passing out fresh towels and cold water. As for the setting, their beach is about as good as you'll get in South Florida and the casual restaurant overlooking the beach was quite nice. Their pool was great for our small child as well as all the other kids facilities. If you like golf, Tiburon is my favorite public course in the region and love that they now have a caddie program. My only complaint is that the rooms are on the small side and suite can get outrageously priced during peak periods. If you can swing it or get a good deal, a suite at the RC Naples is probably the best option for the area. |
Originally Posted by LondonElite
(Post 28664372)
This is because the Naples demographic profile is very different from that in the Sarasota area.
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