Seaside Inn invites you to rediscover the charm of a quaint beachfront inn on beautiful Sanibel Island where life’s pace is slower. Unwind by the pool or enjoy a day at the beach looking for shells or soaking up the sun. Seaside Inn offers personalized service along with 32 newly renovated guestrooms, suites and cottages with interiors inspired by the sun bleached sand beyond the dune. Each guestroom and suite is furnished with a comfortable king or queen beds with views of the pool or beach. The cottages offer a separate living area with a new sleeper sofa, full kitchen and one bedroom with a king bed. Each cottage has a deck just off the living area to enjoy the Florida sun with family while overlooking the pool. Each day a complimentary continental breakfast basket is delivered to the rooms for the next morning’s enjoyment. While on Sanibel, enjoy the wide variety of outdoor adventures. Spend time exploring the 23 miles of paved nature trails that wind through the wetlands with one of the bikes provided by Seaside Inn. Visit the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge to view a wide variety of migratory birds and explore an unspoiled mangrove ecosystem. For more active play, Sanibel Island offers 18 holes of golf on 75 acres of natural lake view fairways and Audubon Cooperative Society wetlands at the Dunes Golf & Tennis Club. For play and relaxation, let Seaside Inn welcome you to the pace of island living.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Charming
Quaint
Languages Spoken
English
Location
541 E. Gulf Drive, Sanibel Island, FL 33957-5005
Seaside Inn
1,006 reviews
Getting there
Car recommended
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
We’ve stayed at 5 or 6 places on Sanibel, and due to the smaller size and location of Seaside Inn, it has the shortest walks from room to pool or beach of any place we’ve seen. This makes it a super low-key place, as you can hop back to your room very easily. The cottages have outdoor showers to get rid of sand, which is great. For families with little ones, just note that there is no fence around the pool, so keep a close eye on that.
The front desk staff is very helpful, and the breakfast basket (especially the fresh squeezed bottled OJ) more than makes up for the lack of onsite restaurant, as we usually prefer to go off-property for lunch and dinner anyway. Would definitely stay here again.
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Date of stay: March 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Bill Wellman, General Manager at Seaside Inn
Responded Mar 25, 2020
Dear Bill, We're so glad you found us and can't wait to have you back. You're glowing review of your recent stay with us is great to see and I appreciate your taking the time to share your impressions with other travelers. I'll be sure to pass your nice comments on to our front desk staff and let them know how much you appreciated their service. Thanks for being our guest! Sincerely, Bill Wellman General Manager
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My friend and I had an absolutely wonderful visit at the Seaside Inn. Sadly Cristobal impeded much of our shelling efforts (along with our lack of tide knowledge) but we still had a very relaxing stay at the Inn. The sand on the private beach was some of the softest we encountered on the island. A few steps away you could find though. When I first arrived the beach chair I chose was covered in scary looking ants (hey, it's nature, not knocking them for that) I told the front desk and someone was down there in minutes and sprayed all the chairs. Never saw another one. The breakfast baskets more than made up for the cancelled continental breakfast (Covid-19 safety measure) and the staff went out of their way to ensure the guest's comfort. We had lovely conversations with all the front desk staff and resort manager. The rooms were comfortable, just a touch humid, but I'm sure that has to do with the proximity to the beach and/or tropical storm. There's a foot washing station and she'll washing station. We saw lots of wildlife, including baby birds who had hatched from their protected nests only 48 hours earlier. Overall, it was a great stay, we will be returning with our families, hopefully in a few weeks ☺️
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Date of stay: June 2020Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We spent 3 days in one of the first floor gulf-facing rooms and couldn’t have been happier. Room had a small screened porch where we could eat breakfast each morning and then just stumble out to the beach. Beach chairs, umbrella, bikes, paddle boards and kayaks were all included with the room fee. The beach was not at all crowded (perfect for COVID reasons as well as novice paddle boarders). Staff was wonderful and had great recommendations for nearby restaurants. Based on our requests, staff packed a small breakfast box each morning which we picked up at the office. Hotel is a bit dated, so not the place for those expecting a stay at a sleek modern hotel. Think more like staying with an aunt/uncle who has a little place on an idyllic beach location who will do whatever they can to make your visit perfect.
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Date of stay: December 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We had a fantastic week on Sanibel at the Seaside Inn for our baby moon. The highlight of the trip was the tours with Chris the naturalist! We did the kayak tour with him, the beach walk and the bike tour, he is a great resource for all things nature on the island and we thought his tours really increased the value of our stay.
The Seaside Inn had lots of great amenities, like free breakfast, towels/chairs/umbrellas for the beach, a short walk to the beach, and a nice pool. The breakfast isn't continental but is plenty to get your day started at the beach. There were always enough chairs and umbrellas at the beach and if there weren't, the staff would set more up. Our room only had a mini-fridge and a microwave but we used the grills to make grilled chicken and quesadillas one night for dinner and could store leftovers. I would agree that the walls are a little thin, we were on the first floor and could hear the people above us, but just bring earplugs like you would anywhere. The staff were all friendly and helpful with local recommendations. We took the bikes out almost daily to ride to the other hotels, the farmers' market, or the restaurants in the area.
We enjoyed using the amenities at the other affiliated hotels too. The Sunset Beach was a great spot to watch sunset on their beach, without having to pay for a drink at the Mucky Duck and wait for a table. While the pool at the Seaside Inn is nice, we had fun taking the bikes to the Sanibel Inn and using their pool (slightly bigger) and having a snack at their tiki bar.
Overall, we're typically AirBnb people because we don't generally use hotel amenities, but the Seaside Inn was a good value for us, even though it was more expensive compared to the motels on Periwinkle Drive.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Location
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Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Bill Wellman, General Manager at Seaside Inn
Responded Apr 21, 2020
Dear smhecht14, What a wonderful review - thank you for taking the time to share this detailed account of your very memorable visit with other travelers. I'm so glad you found so much to love at Seaside and found it to be a great value for you - and I'm always delighted to see that our staff did such a great job making sure you had all you needed for a great stay. I will pass along your very nice compliments to everyone with a special nod to Chris! Thank you for being our guest. We can't wait to welcome you back! Sincerely, Bill Wellman General Manager
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I reserved 3 nights here when Covid cancelled our previous vacation plans. I had wanted to go back for several years. The property was right on the beach. The inn was quaint and well kept. The room was a good size and it overlooked the pool. The room did not have a closet so it was slightly inconvenient, but not a deal breaker. The amenities were great....they had paddle boards, kayaks, bikes, beach umbrellas and lounge chairs for our use at no extra charge. The continental breakfast was nice. Due to Covid they did not have their usual continental buffet. Instead at check in you were given a menu and you selected your items and the amounts. They had a pretty good selection of items from bagels to muffins and fresh fruit to oatmeal. All of it was individually packaged and placed in a handled box for you to take back to your room.
The property was about a 15 minute beach walk from the lighthouse. It was about a 5 minute drive to Periwinkle Place (the main road with a lot of restaurants and shops). There were a lot of bike paths you could take if you didn’t want to drive. If we had stayed longer we would have definitely explored the island more via bike.
Overall we had a great stay and will definitely be back.
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Date of stay: October 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Bill Wellman, General Manager at Seaside Inn
Responded Oct 12, 2020
Dear Debbie, Thank you for sharing such a wonderful review! I'm so glad you enjoyed your stay with us. It was great to welcome you back. We appreciate your very nice comments on everything from the breakfast to our recreational amenities - it's great to see you were able to enjoy so much that the Inn and the island have to offer! Thank you for being our guest again - we look forward to seeing you again soon. Sincerely, Bill Wellman General Manager The Inns of Sanibel
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We wanted to change the routine during Covid and we found this gem in Sanibel. Originally we were supposed to go in August, but due to family issues we had to reschedule twice, the hotel staff was super understanding and accommodating, thank you!! The hotel is small, but cozy and ideally located, right on the sand!It was quite empty when we went, so we could take advantage of all amenities! The teenagers loved the paddle boards, we took a ride in the bikes to the lighthouse and restaurants. There were few chairs with umbrellas available on the beach, so we had to wait until people left to get one. We were disappointed with breakfast because everything was prepackaged, nothing was fresh, we ordered on the first morning, but declined on the second one. The room and bathroom were clean, except for the bed headboard which was made of wicker which unfortunately traps dust, we informed the front office and they promptly offered the cleaning staff to clean. Every staff member we encountered was super friendly and helpful!! We will go back!
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Date of stay: October 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Jason Trimble, Guest Services / Front Office at Seaside Inn
Responded Dec 29, 2020
Greetings Manymanytrips, Thanks so much for telling the world about our precious litle hotel. I love a small boutique, and many other guests choose out hotels for the quaintness. With the onset of Covid, we had to rethink how we provided our amenities. Beach and pool chairs, bar and restaurant seating, and other physical layouts have been modified to protect our guests and our staff, which may result in limited capacity and/or longer waits during busier times. I hope that you did not have to wait too terribly long to get a beach lounger. I appreciate reviews that point out areas where we can do better, and even more pleased to see that the team immediately offered to make it right for you. As for the breakfast, we have modified that to ensure maximum safety for guests and their food. As soon as we can, we will transition back to our normal basket. Thanks so much for being our guest, and we will look forward to you visiting again in the months and years ahead. Warmest regards, Jason Trimble Reservations Manager The Inns of Sanibel
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If you are looking for glitz and glamour, don’t come here. If you’re looking for a warm cozy feel, a step back in time, this is the place for you. We stayed in cottage 101 which I absolutely loved. Beautiful view of everything. Had everything we needed with a kitchen efficiency, small sitting room, bedroom and bathroom. I felt I was in 1950. Florida the way it used to be. Unhurried, laid-back, peaceful. We walked the beach, played shuffleboard, just sat and enjoyed the ocean. They have a wonderful continental breakfast which was perfect. Our kitchen was stocked enough with pots and pans that I could cook some eggs to supplement our breakfast and we could have lunch in our room. We even cooked dinner one night boiling some shrimp which was fantastic. The beach was full of shells and just delightful to walk along. This little hotel has everything you need. Washer and dryer, shell washing station, little Library game area where you could borrow books or games, Chairs on the beach, beach towels,outdoor shower at the cottages. Heated pool, good parking. Really enjoyed our stay and highly recommend if you aren’t looking for glitz. Very friendly staff also. Gale was wonderful.
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Date of stay: March 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Bill Wellman, General Manager at Seaside Inn
Responded Apr 8, 2020
Dear carenjamesc, Thank you for bring our guest! I'm so glad you had such a wonderful experience and greatly appreciate your taking the time to share your experience with other travelers. You certainly described the very essence of a stay at Seaside Inn and I know our staff will be pleased to hear about your stay and how much you appreciated their friendly service. Gale is indeed, wonderful - I'm glad you had a chance to meet her! We look forward to seeing you again soon! Be well. Sincerely, Bill Wellman General Manager
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It was only meant to be a 2-night stay, but we ended up extending for another night. The room was comfortable with awesome patio doors leading to an outdoor hallway with a view of the sea. Literally the softest sand we encountered on any beach on Sanibel, including that of neighboring hotels. We didn't take advantage of many of the offered amenities, but we plan to return with our families in a few weeks to do so. Breakfast basket was adorable, the staff was probably the friendliest and most helpful I've ever encountered at any hotel I've stayed at. Of all of the hotels on Sanibel and Captiva we could choose to stay at, we will always return to Seaside and recommend it to friends and family because of the lovely experience they provided for us.
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Date of stay: June 2020
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Jason Trimble, Guest Services / Front Office at Seaside Inn
Responded Aug 14, 2020
Hi withlovebritt, Thank you so much for the lovely review. I'm so glad to see that you and yoru family were taken care of so well by our team here at Seaside Inn. From the Owners down the the newest hire, everyone is here to ensure that you have the best vacation possible. As part of our daily inclusive resort fee, all guests have access to recreation amenities like bicycles, golf, tennis, kayaks, paddleboards, beach chairs and umbrellas, beach towels, parking and more! So glad to see that you will be coming back soon to take advantage of these. We have some great deals going on, so keep checking with our website to grab the perfect getaway! Thanks again and from everyone here, we appreciate you for being our guest. Warmest regards, Jason Trimble Reservations Manager The Inns of Sanibel
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I would highly recommend anyone looking for a fun, enjoyable getaway on Sanibel Island to stay at the Seaside Inn. The location is absolutely perfect, right on the beach, beautiful facilities, impeccably clean rooms and surroundings and the friendliest most accommodating staff. The rooms had all needed amenities, fully stocked and restocked each day, gorgeous and comfortable bedding, and lovely decorations. We loved receiving a stocked breakfast basket each day full of fresh squeezed orange juice, milk, coffee, baked goods, yogurt and apples. Perfect for a little in-room breakfast to start each day. The hotel has a shell cleaning station to sort and clean all of our treasures after each day on the beach, loved loved loved this feature! Use of free bikes was one of the main reasons I originally chose this property and it was just the best to be able to wake up and go right from the hotel! Lastly, all staff were incredibly accommodating, and truly made us feel at home for the weekend. Thank you for a great family getaway!
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Date of stay: December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Bill Wellman, General Manager at Seaside Inn
Responded Jul 21, 2020
Dear OEatsandtravels, Thank you for taking the time so share such a great review of your stay with us. We're glad to see that everyone and everything exceeded your expectations. I will be sure to pass all of you nice comments along. We sincerely look forward to seeing you again for your next exciting and memorable getaway to Sanibel Island! Thank you for being our guest and for recommending Seaside Inn to other travelers. Regards, Bill Wellman General Manager
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My wife and i were amazed as how Seaside inn handle the Sanitization of the property. Staff members were all wearing masks and gloves you would see Christina from the front desk sanitizing bikes and door nobs after each guest, Rosette could be seeing sanitizing the pool deck and chairs along with hand rails. We were very impressed as to the steps the staff take to ensue the safety of their guest in regards to COVID-19. Thanks for a great well sanitizing stay.
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Date of stay: July 2020
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Bill Wellman, General Manager at Seaside Inn
Responded Oct 30, 2020
Dear Jea, We're so glad you had such a great trip! Thank you for the very nice comments regarding our attention to your health and safety. We know it's an odd time to travel and we want our guests to feel confident in staying with us. We look forward to seeing you again soon, and thank you very sincerely for being our guest. Bill Wellman General Manager The Inns of Sanibel
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Great, quiet location but pretty car dependent. We walked to breakfast at lighthouse cafe (1/2 mile) but not much else is nearby. The closest market is definitely a drive, unless you are a serious biker. They have free bikes but you have to have them back by dark. We have our car and definitely feel it is needed. Most of the attractions and restaurants are north of here.
There are more places to choose from in the Sanibel Island area.
ALSO KNOWN AS
seaside hotel sanibel island, seaside inn sanibel island, seaside sanibel island
LOCATION
United StatesFloridaSouthwest Gulf CoastSanibel Island
NUMBER OF ROOMS
32
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Which popular attractions are close to Seaside Inn?
Nearby attractions include Sanibel Island Farmer's Market (4.6 km), Bailey's General Store (5.2 km), and Sanibel Historical Museum and Village (4.8 km).
