We are in our 50's and 60's and are so tired of staying at these big resorts full of people with…read moreresort/parking fees. Some how looking on a digital map we found The Beach Retreat. Natalie, JJ and crew are so accomodating to get the room you need and even if you need to adjust your reservation. We originally were staying on the beach side, but with our arrival date changing they put us on the canal/bay side. Once arriving and getting in our room we were glad we were in this room. Just steps from our room was the pool. Ten steps from our sliding door was the water's edge and the boat docks where you can fish. Our favorite thing to do in the morning and evening is to drink coffee/cold beverage while we people watch on various water devices. Bonus is watching the kiddos jump from the bridge without the sherrif deputies cartching them, LOL! The beach front is just across the street where the office is. Every morning, your will find staff working to make sure the grounds are clean and ready for another day. From the outside, you can tell that resort was built back in the 60's, but is updated. This room has a queen bed which was fine, spacious shower and the kitchen/ living space was all in one place. Small, but perfect for the 2 of us. If you want a unit more updated and spacious, stay on the beach side. However, we love being able to step outside our door and be entertained by the view. The only negatives, our toilet was a very low old style toilet and the grill was in bad shape. Upon our departure, we ran into one of the owners and it sounded like they were going to be updating those. We stayed here in April 2026 and have reservations to stay again in October 2026. If our experience matches or succeedes our April visit, this will probably become our go to retreat to get away from Missouri's chilly temps. Note: If you are looking something big with an upbeat feeling with all the bells and whistles, then this is not for you. If looking for something right on the beach, low key, no hidden fees and great customer service? This may be your new hidden gem.

We stayed here for 3 days celebrating our 21st anniversary & I so wanted to give this location a 5…read morestar but I couldn't on the same hand go below 4 either. I travel for work and stay in hotels all across the country so I know a few things about customer service. First off it's a no frills type of place so don't expect greatness but it also isn't the slums. We stayed in unit 21 facing the courtyard. The queen room was extremely compact and I'm guessing 250 sf tops. It did have a small kitchen with one of the smallest sinks I ever washed dishes in but it worked. They do supply just about everything u need to cook a small dinner or breakfast if u choose to do while your staying. The fridge was nice and worked ( made strange noises both nights ) & the shower was decent ( not the greatest pressure but it was hot ) we found a local grocery store and picked up items for breakfast. Both morning we made bacon and eggs and chilled outside Parking seemed small but we always had a place to park when we made it back from being out. Here's the pros & cons imo Cons ----- tiny Ants in the kitchen were annoying, zero breakfast options , small rooms , no DVD players in the room, all types of odd noises throughout the day and night. We kept hearing noises coming from the drains ( gurgling ) shower pressure was very low but got the job done. Pro's ---- Walking distance to the beach ( less than 200 ft , room AC will freeze u out , the queen bed was decent , they have outdoor grills ( 2 ) 3 sets of tables to sit and chill for morning coffee or dinner. Very quiet atmosphere especially since there's a huge Public parking area right next door. The girls in the office were pretty friendly. Maintence guy was super nice and took care of a few issues we had very quickly. Overall it's a really good place to stay. It's an older place for sure but it has a certain charm that pulls u in. Would I stay here again ahh I don't know. I think foe the money u pay it's a good place but I'm pretty sure if u wanted greatness it's also here in Venice as well. I really wished there was an in room DVD player because we brought out wedding video from 21 years ago to sit and watch There's a place called Pop's sunset grill that we had dinner @ that was awesome. The Mahi and grilled salmon was outstanding. Don't forget the rum runners

Been coming to Longboat for years Stayed 4 other places. .Responding to a past reviewer: Rust on a…read morerefrigerator( and many metal surfaces) is normal anywhere at the beach and not limited to Cabana Beach club.I see the same thing at the South Jersey Shore. Its the proximity to the beach and the salt air. Also dim lights for the turtles protects the ecologic balance that makes this island so beautiful. CB was a good experience for me. I stayed bayside and the privacy in January was wonderful. Beautiful views of the well healed neighbors boats and trees/foliage.Direct canal front unit that is fed by the bay. My condo had all the necessities of fresh towels enough for a week, paper towels, dishwashing detergent, soap and coffee. In fact much better than any condo in which I've ever stayed where you bring everything including sometimes your own sheets( jersey shore). The beachside was wonderful. Free beach chairs, grills, showers. The RVA staff was helpful and accommodating even coming by AFTER HOURS within 15 minutes of me getting locked out. Would recommend this place.

We stayed in unit four. We arrived after hours so we had to go to the realty office and pick up…read morethe keys from the after hours box.. The property is very dimly lit. From reading, I expect this is due to not wanting to confuse any hatching sea turtles, but if sure made it tough to find the right door the first time. Oh, by the way, there is no elevator. It is only two flight of stairs, but it made me realize that where ever I retire to needs to be on the ground floor or have an elevator. We were surprised to find that there were no towels, no toilet paper, and dirty dishes in the dishwasher. This necessitated an urgent trip to the Publix which closed five mins before we got there. The CVS was open until 10 pm, and we bought the bare necessities. The next morning we waited until about 10 am and then called the answering service about the towels and a few other things. About an hour later, some people arrived and began to tidy up the place, left us some towels, bars of soap, and a dishwasher packet. As far as the condo goes, the only two rooms that were carpeted were the two bedrooms. The beds were comfortable. I did notice if I put on a pair of footies in the morning, they were blackened on the bottoms by mid day. I suspect the place had not had a thorough cleaning for some time. The refrigerator had a rusted door. The bathroom toilet filled very slowly. You could not be in the shower and use the water anyplace else, or you would have wide swings in shower temperature. The pool was small, but pristine. There was a free washer machine and two dryers for the entire complex, and while they were busy, it wasn't hard to get time to do your wash. The beach is incredible. Even during Spring Break weekend, you could look up and own the beach and see maybe a total of ten people in the mornings. There were always chairs available and they were free. TV's were flat screens, worked fine, and had DVD, VCR and stereo capability. Free high speed WIFI available in the condo and worked flawlessly.

This is a very old property. Needs the entire property updated and cleaned. There is rusted out…read morewiring and outlets that do not work. It could potentially be a beautiful beachfront resort.

This is one of the last true beach bum resorts and I recommend for anyone who doesn't care about…read moredoing anything but sitting on the beach. The rooms are shabby chic but clean, equipped with fridge, stove, microwave - everything you need really. The motel is a short walk from the beach and there are a few spots on location to hang out and watch the sunset. Some of the guests are residents who have been there for a month or more and others who are just shacking up for the night. Regardless you will meet some interesting folks. Lots of wildlife in the area. Saw dolphins, turtles, cranes. By the end of the trip I was already planning a trip back in the fall. Can't wait.

We checked in today and were shocked to discover we were given the worst unit on the property.In…read moreour 25yrs of exchanges this is the absolute worst. We are literally looking over a parking lot and main road.In addition the front desk person although elderly was lackadaisical and lacked the authority to make a deciscion.Very disappointed and would not reccomend. What a complete waste of an exchange and money.

Look at the stunning vistas and the magnificent beauty of the sea…read more Magnificent..utterly magnificent. Five stars easily.

The views to the Sarasota Bay were beautiful and having fishing piers right on the property allowed…read moreus to take back some really good memories. The landscaping and hot tubs were also great to have an enjoy. The place is a beautiful mini getaway. See pics. Nonetheless, when we settled in the room some of us started getting allergies. We understand it may have been due to the dirty vents. So if you go do bring the allergy meds. See pics.

I stayed quite a few years ago and the same owners still exist. I believe management has changed,…read morebut they (owners) never opted to compensate for the extremely poor accommodations. The unit that we were provided was dirty, had a cracked sliding glass door, and paper towels in the bathroom shower window to keep critters out. Additionally, the supposed individual hot tub was slimy and not working. The pillows still were stained with drool stains as they did not even comply with Florida regulations for bedding. Finally, as I complained further I realized that the resort was eligible to house transients. Please avoid this place.

What a wonderful stay! My husband and I stayed at Arbors by the Sea for 3 nights over the…read moreThanksgiving holiday. As we pulled up to the Iris cottage, the 1-bedroom we'd chosen, George greeted us in the parking lot. He gave us a nice walk-through of the cottage and welcomed us to Longboat Key. The cottage was sparkling clean and updated, and felt like home. Every room carried a beachy theme with beach signs and pictures. There was no mistaking that we were at the beach! The bed was comfy, the shower never ran out of hot water, the kitchen was fully stocked with all necessities and appliances including a dishwasher, and there were even games provided in the dining room cabinet. To top it off, the cottage also came equipped with free Wi-Fi and a flat screen TV in both the living room and bedroom. The layout of the cottages is such that even though Iris and Ivy are first, and nearest to the road, we honestly couldn't hear the traffic. There is shrubbery and a fair amount of distance to the road, so have no trepidation in booking either of these cabins. We will easily book Iris again with no concerns. Though we didn't take advantage of it, we had a nice patio area complete with table, chairs, umbrella and a nice-sized barbecue. Next time around, I'd like to enjoy breakfast on the patio at least one morning. There was also a beach umbrella for us if we wanted to take it to the sand. I'm accustomed to having beach towels when I book lodging anywhere near a beach, but the beach towels here are thick, nice quality beach towels, not the typical cheap blue/white striped towels every other place provides. They also provide 16 chaise lounges and 2 Adirondack chairs out at the beach, along with 2 hammocks, and some nice cushy chairs on a deck near the sand along with a community fire pit for sunset barbecuing near the water. I really can't say enough about how comfortable this stay was, and how much I looked forward to heading in to the cottage after watching the sunset in the evenings. This was truly our holiday home, and we are looking forward to a return trip next year.

Don't let the exterior fool you! We were genuinely surprised by how nice the room was. It was…read morebeautifully renovated, spotless, cozy, and surprisingly spacious. Our King Suite had everything we needed, and the bed was very comfortable. The staff was also incredibly friendly, and having a 24/7 front desk was a nice bonus. We've stayed at quite a few hotels, and this is easily one of our top two in this price range. The location is great too, just about 7 minutes from Siesta Key Beach. We really enjoyed our stay and would definitely come back!

Great boutique convenient hotel. Excellent front desk that is open 24/7 - Brian was especially…read morehelpful and professional. Renovated modern suite with plenty of space. Very clean, stylish rooms. King size bed was perfect - soft and supportive. Sheets were high quality. A/C worked perfect and had remote controls in each room. Room internet was fast, easy to access and reliable. Very convenient to beaches and shopping. Just over the bridge to Siesta Key. Recommended!

I'm in an upgraded corner marina view. More like upgraded highway and parking lot view. It's really…read moremusty in my upgraded room. The front desk staff have flat affects and obviously give no clucks. No easy food options either. Go somewhere else. And in a titanium Marriott member....

I took a recent doggie vacation to Four Points by Sheraton Punta Gorda, which was a comfortable and…read moreenjoyable stay for me and my dog, Biggie Smalls. The front desk staff was welcoming upon check in and gave me a $6 coupon for the restaurant that I forgot to use for breakfast and you can't use it on cocktails. The rooms were sparkling clean with more than enough room for my dog's crate and my luggage. The bathrooms were bright and I liked the rainfall shower with awesome water pressure. The location made it really easy to explore the area. There was a really cute dog park only 10 minutes drive away. The water views next to the hotel were also great and nice to stroll in the evening when I arrived and the next morning. I would happily stay here with my dog again.