We reserved the Pelican House at Manasota Beach Club months in advance for our 20th wedding…read moreanniversary. Leading up to the trip, we made repeated efforts to communicate with the property about details and amenities. At one point, we were told their system had been hacked and that we should not accept emails from them for a period of time. Then, shortly before our trip, we received what they described as an "app," which appeared incomplete and contained little to no useful information. Taken together, the communication issues raised concerns early on. The day before our cross-country flight, we received a call from Charles, who identified himself as the head sales manager and said he was "the boss" when asked about a supervisor. He informed us that the Pelican House was no longer available due to a reported bedbug issue. Regardless of the reason, the timing left us with virtually no ability to make alternative plans. The replacement options offered were, in our view, not comparable. We specifically chose this property for a quiet, intimate beachfront experience with access to amenities like kayaks, canoes, and bikes. The suggested alternatives were larger, more traditional resort-style properties without the same privacy, beach access, or features we had planned around. While these were described as "nicer," the focus was on things like interior finishes rather than the experience we had intentionally booked. What made this especially difficult is that just the day before, we had conversations with staff where we shared that this trip was for our 20th anniversary during a period of repeated family tragedies. At that time, the tone was empathetic and understanding. However, once the cancellation was communicated, that empathy disappeared. The interaction shifted to a rigid, take-it-or-leave-it approach with no meaningful acknowledgment of the impact. We were given two options: accept a replacement that did not meet our needs or take a refund at the last minute--leaving us with non-refundable flights, a car rental, and no place to stay. There was no effort to provide a comparable solution or to help mitigate the disruption. After the call, I attempted to reach Charles again, but did not receive a return call. My wife later received an automated refund email. When I contacted Susan, the house manager, to confirm what had happened, the response was brief and, in our view, lacked empathy--stating only that they "couldn't risk it" because of bedbugs. From our perspective, this experience was deeply disruptive and disappointing. It left us with significant unexpected costs, no accommodations, and a milestone anniversary trip that had been planned for months effectively undone at the last minute.

My mother worked here for 20 years, so I grew up in this special place when I was a child. Returned…read morewith my mom last night for dinner for the first time in a very long time and it is exactly how I remembered. A slice of "old Florida" that remains timeless and committed to quality and service. Recently, this special place was added to the National Historic Registry. I am so grateful to the Buffum family for staying the course! Likely one of the best meals I have ever had and a memory that will last a lifetime. Thank you MBC!

WannaB Inn is located at the southern tip of Manasota Key Beach just before you enter into Stump…read morePass Beach State Park. The area that stretches from WannaB Inn to Stump Pass is known for its shells, sharks teeth and breathtaking sunsets. The beach front to this hotel is private. Nice! This vacation was a Christmas present for my daughter & myself -- we literally booked this trip in December of 2020 and by April of 2021 the hotel was 95% sold out. June 2021 was a terrible time to travel. The people traveling for vacation (demand) was more than what the airlines/ car rental companies (supply) could keep up with, and we got caught in that drama. We planned to arrive in Ft. Myers by mid day but numerous cancelations plus problems with Enterprise put us at WannaB at 2am. We stayed connected with Meggie about our trip. The communication was great. She made arrangements to put a lock box on our door, and text us the code so we could have keys to our room after hours. We really appreciated the customer service!!! Our ten day trip was pretty cool. We got five star service at this two star hotel. There were a few issues along the way, but when we expressed our concerns, WannaB Inn fixed them to our satisfaction. We stayed in the Sea Star, by the pool, king sized bed, spacious living space and a kitchenette. I have a few tips to share that made our experience spectacular: TIP: Native Charter Company, family owned, native to the area, sunset cruise, leaves from Lemon Bay, $25.pp for one hour. Best deal on the island and I promise you it's a wonderful experience! Read my Yelp review for more details. TIP: Stumpys Free Shuttle Service. Super sized golf carts will pick you up a designated spots -- one is at WannaB Inn. Parking is a beast on the island. Read my Yelp review. TIP: Rob's Pizzeria. Don't let a 10 minute drive keep you from getting great pizza. Family owned, aimed to please, made from scratch menu, much cheaper than pizza on Manasota Key. They are not open for lunch. Read my Yelp review. TIP: Nokomis Drum Circle, local tribe, music for all ages. Wonderful experience, free event and free parking. Read my Yelp review for details. TIP: Off The Wagon Brewery & Kitchen in Venice, FL -- worth the 15 minute drive!!! Best of Venice 2020 Winner of "Best Craft Beer" and "Live Entertainment". The food is fresh (never brought in frozen). We ordered hamburgers, fresh catch of the day, Nashville chicken bowl and everything was delicious every time. I hope my information helps you make a decision about your trip here.

Very disappointed! Paid $400 a night for a Gulf waterfront room and management has a CREW of…read morecarpenters outside our room everyday building "PLANTERS" out of lumber. They start at 7:30am and quit at 6:00pm. Hammers Pounding, playing LOUD music, Workers yelling, saws running, nail guns all day long. With all the buildings this resort has lost to hurricane Milton (massive damage to this Resort) they could easily build these planters somewhere else and not next to their remaining guests rooms. Very inconsiderate! Rude! They offer No housekeeping service, and you must empty all garbage cans and remove from your unit or they will charge you a fee! They text you this message the night before you checkout. They treat you like it's a VRBO, when it is a resort!! Manasota Key Resort. No fiber optics on the island since hurricane Milton, even local TV and internet is sketchy. They are barely open here. I recommend staying at the Pink Shell Resort or Margaritaville at Fort Myers Beach, about the same price with housekeeping service, dining on site, internet and you are treated as a valued guest.

If you want modern and a swimming pool this is not your place. If you want quiet and a not crowded…read morebeach just steps from your door. This is your place. It is clean, quiet and the staff are very nice.

The Pearl Beach Inn is an amazing old Florida beach resort. The Inn is just steps away from a…read moreprivate beach and the sunsets each night are spectacular. The staff is extremely friendly and made my fiancée and I feel welcomed during our stay. We stayed in room 1 which had been recently renovated. We were glad to see The Pearl Beach Inn was not taken by those hurricanes like many other hotels or building on Manasota Key.

First of all this is mislabeled, this is NOT a night club. It is a hotel/timeshare. We really enjoy…read morecoming here. It has a beautiful pool area, tiki hut to watch the sunset, a hot tub and direct access to the beach. The accommodations are clean and comfortable, though admittedly they are quite outdated. It is also within walking distance to several good places to eat and hang out. It is also close to a beautiful state park. We love it!

Dear Pelican Shores, For decades my parents - The Brandts -…read morerented the big cottage on the left at the entrance to your safe haven by the sea. Months, weeks and especially Memorial Day Weekend every year. From the time we were obstinate brats just out of our teens and on forward to the days that saw my own parents become grandparents. Thirteen cottages, apartments and homes clustered together in a tiny conclave. Each residence is decorated differently (and updated regularly) and we have stayed in most of them as we eventually outgrew sharing the big cottage with our parents. But it remained the focus of our visits as we rented our own spaces within The Shores. All of the rentals are fully stocked with linens, cookware, flatware, dishes, pillows, beach towels, you name it. One of my favorite cottages is causally seated close to the stairs that lead directly down to the beach. It is clean and comfortable and reminiscent of the seaside cottages that still dot Cape Cod - wood paneling, small, compact appliances, screened porch and groovy mismatched patio and lawn furniture. (That's the ultimate beach compliment). All you need is an old transistor radio that can reach back in time and holler out some 1970s gold to complete a lazy afternoon of sunning. Cast a line into the sea from your own private beachfront, the local pier or rent a little skiff. Fishing is a big pastime as is grilling what you grab. Most cottages have grills you can use. The public beach is a walk up the street where you can also find great little places to eat and shop and even booze it up. After all, you're on vacation. The grocery stores (Publix, Winn Dixie and a local favorite - Sweet Bay), fancier eateries and fast food are a very quick drive. Pelican Shores is a place to go to and then go back to, in order to make some of your own family memories. Every Memorial Day for decades, my family squatted in the shared party pavilion (with huge community grills - just pick up your own trash!) and cooked for anybody and everybody who was around. My brother and I grilled lobster, shrimp, chicken, steaks, corn. My sisters served amazing salad creations and my Mom manned the camera as well as barked orders to keep it all moving. I have hundreds of photos from those holidays. One of the kids in the family, now a mother herself, caught her first fish at The Shores with Grandpa. She was so proud until it was time to filet him and she insisted he was thrown back. Every new baby that arrived in the family ended up playing in that sand. My nieces recall telling the grandparents they couldn't make it one year and surprising the family by arriving late at night and camping on the porch, sprawled across blown-up beach floats and scaring my Dad as he left early to go fishing. ("Who ARE you guys? The Manson Family? Get in the house before the neighbors think we're a cult!"). My grown son says some of his earliest memories are of the beach at Engelwood and being dragged across the sand on a board by his older cousins. My parents have gone on to their next vacation and even the words Pelican Shores make me a bit teary now. I miss those vacations that ended not so long ago. The last photo I took of my Mom in Engelwood was the one she would want YOU to see and NOT BE TEARY-EYED, but joyous as you pack up and head to over to The Shores. She's lazily floating in the water and calling toward the shore, "Come on in, the water's just right!" And of course it is. That's Pelican Shores. Now it's your turn!

Great place to vacation. Perfect views of the ocean. Beds are comfortable. AC inside the cottages…read moreworks good. Pelican Shores brand ambassador Margaret Fuson is a great hostess. Chief operations manager Danny was fantastic. Call "Ernie" for a good time. Highly recommend staying at the Pelican Shores cottages.

We stayed here in room 5 for memorial weekend. The first 2 nights were fine no problems. Just a few…read morepretty deep dents in the memory foam bed. We just slept on a pillow. The cleaning crew had came in the change the bed sheets the 3rd day. That night I did not sleep from being bit. I dont know if it was bed bugs or sand fleas, but it did not start until i laid down. It was so uncomfortable and frustrating, I had to try to sleep on the tiny couch, We tried to contact someone before we checked out to let them know this room needed some extra sanitizing. But noone was available on site. Only contact was text.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here!!!!!! No complaints. Ana took great care of us from the…read morebeginning with recommendations and texted us with our needs. Everything was clean! Local to everything. Would definitely recommend, we will be back! Thanks Ana!

My husband and I needed a last minute weekend getaway. So we chose Island House which is only an…read morehour from us. I chose this hotel for the price and the proximity to the ocean. I read some negative reviews but decided to give it a chance. We were quite surprised of how quaint and clean this property was. It isn't anything fancy which is perfect for a beach getaway in a charming fishing town. We're definitely going back. Marilyn, the manager was a sweetheart too!!!

This was a great secluded location. We watched dolphins swimming in the ocean from the patio. The…read morerooms are updated and very nice. We were ready to jump right in to the relaxation immediately after brought in our bags. I would highly recommend this place. We are already planning our next trip to stay in this house.

Our room was clean, the staff was awesome & the location is excellent. Unfortunately the resort…read moreitself needs major renovations. Our unit was dated, water damage visible on ceilings, silverware drawer hits oven door so doesn't open all the way, bath tile had been painted & paint is chipped & peeling, repairs made appear to be cheaply done & poorly constructed (marble sills atop ripped boards instead of trim???) We stayed 1 week and the staff & location made it a great stay but when we decided to extend our vacation we chose another resort on Manasota Key. This would be a great place but needs a complete gut & redo of interior.

This place really tries to please- but it's age is starting to show! What is exceptional about this…read moreplace is the spectacular location- one section faces the gulf cross the street and the other section faces the bay where you can dock your boat. Great restaurants within walking distance. Provides grills, bicycles, board games- even a life size checkerboard under the trees! Pool is a little small- but there is a hot tub! Rooms nice and comfortable but a little difficult to keep cool. It's the location and friendly staff that keep me coming back year after year!