Experience an authentic, family-oriented Florida escape. Located directly on the Gulf of Mexico, Sanibel Inn offers a variety of guestrooms, suites and two-bedroom condos with island inspired decor. Perfect for families seeking a relaxing beach hideaway, the Inn is nestled upon a pristinely natural setting. The whole family will enjoy the many complimentary activities available including historic bike tours, educational nature walks, nighttime stargazing, sunset kayaking, paddle boarding, shelling, Bocce ball and much more. Dining at Sanibel Inn features Dante’s Coal Fired Kitchen serving a tempting assortment of breakfast dishes and an expansive dinner menu with a full bar. For lunch, Island Time offers a fabulous menu of island-themed culinary creations and libations. Sports-enthusiasts can hit the links or the courts at The Dunes Golf & Tennis Club and enjoy resort-guest access throughout your stay. For those seeking a more laid back visit, simply relax on the 600 feet of private beach with access to the rest of the coastline, or stroll to the isle’s unique boutique shops and restaurants. Live like an islander at Sanibel Inn and discover why Sanibel Island is ranked #1 Favorite Worldwide Destination by Arthur Frommer and #5 Top US Beach by Trip Advisor.
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
Family Resort
Great View
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish
Location
937 E. Gulf Dr., Sanibel Island, FL 33957-6994
Sanibel Inn
1,857 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 have stayed at the Sanibel Inn several times and it is our go to destination when we need to relax and enjoy all that Sanibel offers. The rooms are always very clean and the staff that checks you in are friendly and professional. The grounds are gorgeous and well cared for. The pool is sparkling clean and there are bikes, boards and kayaks to check out as well as fluffy striped towels. The thing that draws us to Sanibel is that it is very natural, the trees all over the island and all the homes with lovely landscaping are fun to look. Light house beach is not to be missed or the Bailey Shell Museum! What really draws us to Sanibel is the beaches! Behind the Sanibel Inn you find a nice wide beach with chairs and umbrellas furnished by the Inn. The water is warm and there are sand bars. Google low tide tables and you will find a treasure trove of shells! Shells line the beach always so be sure to wear something on your feet. The beaches are not cleaned, everything that washes up is there and then back out with the tide which I personally love. If you are looking for pristine beaches with nothing on them but sand you may not enjoy Sanible as much as I do but you will not be disappointed in the Sanibel Inn. They are keeping them extra clean and employees are wearing face masks. We dined at Dante's right there in the parking lot and had delicious food with no crowds. The upper floors facing the water give the best views but the whole property is handy to the beach and pool. Thanks for another great stay!! PS We found sand dollars and conch shells which was a bonus (not live of course, gotta put the live critters back!!)
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Date of stay: September 2020
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:Ask for upper floor in Dune Daisy or Periwinkle facing the water for the best views!
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 Sanibel Inn
Responded Sep 11, 2020
Dear sandolr, Thank you for being our guest once again - your loyalty is sincerely appreciated and we're always so so glad to welcome you back. I appreciate your taking the time to share such a great review with other travelers - your descriptions of your experience at the Inn and the Island itself will I'm sure inspire other travelers to join us here in paradise! We look forward to seeing you again when your travels bring you back our way. Sincerely, Bill Wellman General Manager The Inns of Sanibel
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The Sanibel Inn is an older place but my wife and I found it to be clean with a very capable staff. Our room was in the front was we had great view of the sun rising over the Gulf every morning. The beds were comfortable, the linens and towels very good. The tiki bar and restaurant attached is a great addition. Speaking of the bar, I read a review from a previous vacationer saying the "older woman" bartender was miserable and dirty. Well, my wife and I stayed for nine days and were at the bar for some time almost everyday and I will tell you that NOTHING could be further from the truth. We found every bartender (Kim, Serenity, and Heather(older woman) to be very professional,pleasant, attentive,and yes clean. No matter how busy they were, all of them said hello to every customer to let them feel welcome. You have a great staff in these three women. My wife and I just wanted you to know how we saw this bar operated. Heather, this is our version of a dozen roses.
Now the problem that we had with the resort itself is the locals. I know that anybody has access to the beach and I applaud that action, but that should not include use of the resort's amenities. Locals park on the property, use the pool and the beach chairs. Is this your policy? We are paying for all these amenities yet they use them for nothing. Perhaps wrist bands and parking stickers might help this problem if you consider this a problem. There are limited loungers on the beach because by law you are limited so if outsiders use them that is not good for paying customers.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
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 stated in a 2 bedroom condo during Feb school vacation. It was very clean and updated. They put chairs and umbrellas on the beach each day around 7 AM. Most days the chairs were full by 9. We went for long walks on the beach and this was the only location I could see that put out both chairs and umbrellas for their guest. I only want 2.5 miles in each direction however. The area is beautiful. Quite a bit of traffic from about 5-6 every day, especially headed towards the bridge so leave plenty of time to get places.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Value
Rooms
Service
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 Sanibel Inn
Responded Apr 21, 2020
Dear Kassad, We're so glad to have had you as our guest in February. It's great to see that you were pleased with your experience overall. You certainly covered some ground on the beach - we are indeed one of the only hotels that goes the extra mile in placing chairs and umbrellas for our guests each day. Thank you for noticing - I will pass your very nice thoughts on to our staff to thank them for their efforts. We look forward to seeing you again soon! Sincerely, Bill Wellman General Manager
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I am perplexed by those who enjoyed a clean, comfortable room. Maybe some rooms are nicer than others. We stayed in a golf view room in the Periwinkle building (room 3714), the view was gorgeous and the proximity to the beach was fabulous. However, the room needed a total overhaul. Torn carpeting, uncomfortable beds, old dirty furniture, stained curtains, loud a/c, dirty tile and grout in the bathroom and rust stains on the tub, and just an overall musty smell. But to top it all off we had ants all over the arm chair in the room and also on the countertop and wall by the mini fridge, which was just gross. I asked for a new room but there was none. I had them remove the chair, which they promptly did. I was offered a $50 resort credit (though the food was not very good on site). They offered to spray in our room and put down bait traps (to attract more). I declined as I didn't want to breathe in spray (which they claim is "safe" and natural and used in all rooms anyway) nor did I want to attract more ants. I was told that ants just can be a problem here "when it gets cold they come inside" and if I wasn't going to let them into the room, they couldn't help anymore. So we made the best of it and each day I Clorox wiped the countertop and wall area. I again spoke to staff and they dropped our resort fee which was some consolation, but we still paid well over $400 for a room that was not very nice which was so disappointing. :(
Pros: warm pool, clean pool area, fresh pool and beach towels, beach chairs and umbrellas, ocean view
Cons: expensive, undesirable room accommodations, ants, busier end of the island
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Date of stay: February 2022Trip 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 Sanibel Inn
Responded Feb 24, 2022
Dear 411kristine, Thank you for sharing your thoughts on your recent visit with us. I am so sorry that we let you down in a few areas - please know that I am looking into the situation with the issues you noticed in the room. We pride ourselves on presenting the best experience on the island to our guests, and have a very loyal following as I'm sure you're aware - we seemed to have fallen short on some items in your room, but please know that is certainly not our standard. Ants can be an occasional challenge but I'm sorry we weren't given the opportunity to address that situation - we do use very safe products in our rooms but I also understand your concerns there. Thank you for the very nice comments regarding our staff and their efforts to make things right, along with your appreciation of our recreation offerings amenities. Most importantly, thank you for being our guest - if there's anything I can do to make your next stay a better one, I truly hope you will let me know; I would be honored for the opportunity to earn the loyalty that we've earned with so many others. Sincerely, Bill Wellman General Manager The Inns of Sanibel bwellman@theinnsofsanibel.com 239-472-3181
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Our family of 5 had a great time at Sanibel Inn. There were a lot of fun activities included with your stay. Some of us did a great nature bike tour with Maggie and saw a bald eagle and an alligator. She knows so much about nature and the island, and is sweet as can be. We also did the beach nature walk with her and learned a lot about shells and the beach. Maggie also painted sand dollars with us and was really great with the kids. We unfortunately have to do the kayaking tour next time because it was cancelled due to rough seas. Our two bedroom condo was fine. Each unit seems to be different, ours had an uncomfortable couch and chairs, the beds were okay, also some fixtures seemed dated, but were fine. The beach view was beautiful and the big screened balcony was really nice. None of the problems would keep us away and we will definitely be back. The staff is very nice and helpful. Due to covid, the maid service is only every 3 days and limited. There is a fire pit, so bring your marshmallows. The pool was warm and people were swimming despite the extreme cold (for a Floridian). We did not care for Dante’s, warning, if you think you are ordering a regular cheese pizza for your kids, ours wouldn’t touch the one from Dante’s, it was a bad version of a gourmet pizza. The tiki hut had tasty food, good drinks, nice bartenders. Overall, we had a lovely experience and can’t wait to come back!
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Date of stay: December 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 Sanibel Inn
Responded Dec 29, 2020
Greetings NMoss, Thank you so much for choosing our hotel for yoru Sanibel vacation. I loved reading about the activities that you enjoyued while you were here. So many of our guests enjoy the inclusive nature tours we provide as part of our daily resort fee. Our Condominiums are all privately owned, giving each a unique feel. I am so sorry to hear that you did not fid your room to be as comfortable as it should. I will inform management so we can look into this. Thanks again for being our guest, and for letting other potential travelers know about our property. We will be anticipating your return! Warmest regards, Jason Trimble Reservations Manager The Inns of Sanibel
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I considered giving this place 2 stars versus 3. First, let me say that I would not stay here again. However, there were some good things that are worth mentioning: 1) The front desk staff was very responsive, professional, and friendly 2) the resort is beautifully landscaped 3) They resort offered amenities like kayaks, paddle boards, beach loungers with umbrellas, and beach towels at no additional expense AE 4) The resort had great food 5) Their beach area was really nice Having said all that, here is why I only gave them 3 stars and won't go back: 1) Our room smelled so musty and nasty that we immediately went shopping for fabric spray, clorox clean ups and air freshener. Despite all our efforts, the smell would linger 2) The room was not cleaned well. We had a nasty spot on our sheets. I made the regrettable error of running my finger across it and it had the feel of dried glaze. I nearly threw up. I noticed a blood spot on the toilet seat. The tub was dirty. 3) The refrigerator was a mini fridge and the microwave was tiny. 4) you have to climb up a bunch of stairs to get to your room, which is not great when you are carrying luggage in the heat of the day. 5) this was bad, the toilet clogged up twice without good cause. They don't provide you with a plunger so you have to call down and have them send up an engineer. This is embarrassing and inconvenient. This place has potential to be great if they cleaned those rooms and made some upgrades. They should have a bellhop carry the luggage up and they need to have better appliances and storage space. They may also have a mold issue, which would explain the constant musty odor.
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Date of stay: July 2021Trip 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 Sanibel Inn
Responded Aug 10, 2021
Dear Scenic, Thank you for taking the time to share your impressions of your stay, and more so, thank you for being our guest! While I'm glad you found so much to love - our front desk staff, amenities, landscaping, food, and beach, I'm so disappointed that a number of items distracted from an otherwise great stay! Please accept my sincere apologies for the issues related to the scent and housekeeping of your unit. As I'm sure you've seen, neither of these is a pervasive issue for us and certainly not indicative of our standards nor any serious issues beyond what any hotel on the water in a humid environment would expect, related to the scent. I appreciate your other suggestions and the spirit in which they are offered. We hope to have an opportunity to regain your trust for a future visit and if you'd like to contact me directly at your earliest convenience, I'd be happy to ensure that you have a much better visit, next time. Again, thank you for being our guest. Sincerely, Bill Wellman General Manager The Inns of Sanibel bwellman@theinnsofsanibel.com 239-472-3181 ext. 6308
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My BFF & I planned our 50th birthday trip & chose to stay at Sanibel Inn. It was better than we could have ever expected for the price. Everything we needed was on location - balcony overlooking the ocean, kayaks, beach bikes, beach chairs & umbrellas, towels, paddle boards- all included. Tiki Bar & Dante's restaurant on site (good pizza). 24 hour front desk service. Most everyone was extremely nice (Michael helping us with kayaks was AWESOME! Yvette the naturalist was very passionate about her work & gave an awesome nature walk talk & we got to meet GiGi the opossum from the CROW rehab center. The girls at the tiki bar talked TOO much to each other and were not very attentive (both of us used to work in customer service, these girls need a refresher!) Only one girl really made good drinks, but the food offered was good. The room itself was great, the only thing I would've liked would be a light above the counter/microwave area, an exhaust fan in the bathroom & a fan out on the balcony. We were sad we couldn't sit out at night with the light on but it's understandable the baby turtles need to be protected. We had a couple issues that were immediately tended to, like I said great staff. We are already planning another trip & will be staying at Sanibel Inn- it's in a perfect location, they will be working on some updating between now & then, we're already excited! Thank you Sanibel Inn for an absolutely wonderful, memorable, fun BFF trip of a lifetime! ❤️
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Date of stay: September 2021Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip:Tiny area with coffee maker, fridge, microwave- suggest you bring paper plates, plastic cutlery,...
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.
I would highly recommend the Sanibel Inn. The area is nice there is plenty to do. Our price included beach chairs, umbrellas, bicycles, paddle boards, kayaks. The staff was very personable and friendly. Micheal, who worked on setting up chairs and helping to get the free rental of bikes, kayaks, paddle boards etc was especially nice and helpful. We usually stay in Ft Myers, but this time we paid a little extra and stayed in Sanibel. It was definitely worth it. This is more of a family atmosphere and more relaxing. The staff at the registration and guest services were also nice and helpful. They were helpful and responded quickly when we needed anything. Thanks for making our stay enjoyable.
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Date of stay: July 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 Sanibel Inn
Responded Jul 13, 2020
Dear D, I'm so glad you enjoyed your stay with us! It's great to hear how pleased you were with every aspect of your visit. Thank you for being our guest and for taking the time to share your very nice impressions. I will be sure to pass along your comments to our team with your gratitude for their services. We sincerely appreciate your high recommendation to other travelers and look froward to seeing you again soon. Sincerely, Bill Wellman General Manager
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I had the wonderful opportunity to escape the problems of 2020 for a bit and spend a few days at the Sanibel Inn. My room had a beautiful view of the pool and beach, and palm trees galore! It was my own little slice of paradise. I really enjoyed the free breakfast of hot waffles, fresh juice and fruit being delivered directly to my room. Hint, if you want to reheat the waffle later just put it in the toaster! Shelling and beachcombing and some dips in the pool filled my days, and the tours were wonderful. These tours are free to guests, and I had the pleasure of having a beach walk and a bike tour both guided by Maggie, a Florida Master Naturalist! She was happy, energetic, knowledgeable, funny and extremely personable. She taught me a lot, I was surprised on how much I didn’t know! Chris was a pleasure and helped us prepare our bikes and had a lot of knowledgeable advice on things to do and see. I highly recommend Sanibel Inn.
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Date of stay: November 2020
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
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.
I took my children (ages 25 and 20) here for a much needed vacation. At first everything was good. Check in was fast, our luggage was stored until our room was ready, and we were able to change and go to the beach.
First the positives. Sanibel Island is absolutely beautiful. The staff at the Tiki bar, Dante’s, and the beach hut are friendly, helpful, and exceptional at what they do. The guys at the beach hut ALWAYS had a smile! The activities are great too!
Now the negatives. The room was awful. Very dated and in need of an overhaul. The upholstered headboards smelled, the carpet was stained, and the chair had mold all over it. The kitchenette had no plates, bowls, or utensils. The single serve coffee pot was useless and the one coffee pod provided was tasteless. The gulf view room was a view of the lawn and shrubs. If you stood on the bed you could see part of the gulf. The resort has one restaurant, one poolside bar that closes early, and one pool. There is no separate adult area. They don’t have a cafe to get pastries and coffee in the morning. When I asked about this I was told to go to Jerry’s which is 2 miles from the resort. So when it finally stopped raining we rode our bikes to the store to stock up. Again- no utensils so we had to get those as well. A big inconvenience. They also frequently ran out of towels at the beach hut. I notified my AAA travel agent who booked my vacation here about these issues. She will no longer be recommending this resort and I won’t either. When I do return to Sanibel I will be staying somewhere else.
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Date of stay: August 2021Trip 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 Sanibel Inn
Responded Aug 13, 2021
Dear M, Thank you for taking the time to share your impressions of your recent stay. As I'm sure you've seen for our many very positive reviews about the resort, your experience was not what we want our guests to experience and certainly not typical! I appreciate the many very nice comment's about our staff, and the beauty of the resort and the island, in general. I'm glad you had an opportunity to enjoy some of our activities and will make sure our team there know how much you appreciate what they do. I'm so sorry that you experienced some challenges and I hope to connect with you directly to see what I can do to make this up to you. Please contact me at your convenience. It's clear we didn't live up to our own high standards and I would like to learn more so that we can address the issues, particularly regarding the unit you stayed in. As for the utensils, I trust that disposable utensils were provided, which we have done over the past year to minimize guest and staff contact; if not, we dropped the ball there and again, I sincerely apologize. I'm very disappointed that we didn't live up to our promise to provide a great, memorable vacation for you and your family. I look forward to speaking with you soon. Sincerely, Bill Wellman General Manager The Inns of Sanibel 239-472-3181 ext. 6308 bwellman@theinnsofsanibel.com
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Hi, it was just my wife and I that stayed at the Sanibel Inn. So I could not answer that question. The front desk was always quite helpful, so give them a call at 239-472-3181.
There are more places to choose from in the Sanibel Island area.
ALSO KNOWN AS
sanibel hotel sanibel island, sanibel island hotel, sanibel island resort, sanibel inn beach resort, sanibel bed breakfast
LOCATION
United StatesFloridaSouthwest Gulf CoastSanibel Island
NUMBER OF ROOMS
94
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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Which popular attractions are close to Sanibel Inn?
Nearby attractions include Sanibel Island Farmer's Market (3.5 km), Bailey's General Store (4.1 km), and Sanibel Historical Museum and Village (3.7 km).
