We have recently returned from a three week stay at Sand Dollar, Indian Shores and what a fantastic holiday we all had. We had a large 2 bedroom Gulf Front apartment (over 1400 square feet apparently) and the resort had everything you could wish for.
The staff at the reception were brilliant and whenever we asked for advice or recommendations they were really happy to help.
The pool is a good size and it has a large hot tub. The beach has beautiful white powdery sand and the resort has its own fishing pier for the sole use of its guests.
The gardens are well kept and there are four or five barbecues should you prefer to cook and eat around the pool.
Our two boys aged 13 and 10 spent a lot of time either in the pool or on the beach and quickly worked out that if they dug and played under the shade of the pier it was much more comfortable than being in the blaring heat.
The restaurants in the local area whilst being very affordable served lovely meals and if you enjoy great steaks or seafood you cant go wrong.
All of the condos are privately owned and differ in furnishings and equipment. We got lucky and stayed in Condo 311 which has just been refurbished and is beautiful inside. The balcony is nicely furnished and it even had a washing machine and separate dryer in the condo. The were flat screen televisions in both bedrooms and the theme of furnishings were very beachy. The owner has a guest book and web site where you can preview the Condo called [--]
We could not fault the condo and will definitely be returning. We headed up to the Orlando area for 5 days to visit Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure and Sea World and had a great time but couldn’t wait to get back to the beach and enjoy the sea breeze.
All in all we had a fantastic time the Condo was great and the staff were first class, we will return.

Unit 306 was wonderfully clean and well decorated beautiful view from the balcony. Staff was extremely polite and helpful. Grounds, BBQ area, pool, hot tub all well kept and well maintained, beach fantastic for swimming and long walks. Beach Trolley stops outside the Condo Building.(goes all the way from Clearwater Beach to Pas da Grille. Great way to travel, all day for $3.50, stop get off and then get back on whenever it suits you. Eat at Salt Rock Grill - The Pub - Conch Republic - Good Food. Only one complaint bottom sheet not fitted for the bed and made sleeping uncomfortable - otherwise you could not have asked for a better equipped unit.

We had booked to stay at the Sand Dollar from April 28th to May 6th. We checked in around 6:00PM on April 28th and proceded to our condo Unit 202. When we entered the unit we were immediately struck with a very strong smell of must and dirt and were appalled to find the following situation:
The carpets were old, stained and dirty.
The bathroom sinks were stained from years of use.
The bathtub looked like it hadn't been cleaned.
The bedsheet in the guest bedroom had a quarter sized blood stain on it and one of the pillow cases was completely stained and disgusting.
When we pulled down the bedsheet in the master bedroom we found hairs in the bed.
The patio door lock was broken and could not be closed.
You could rock the fridge in the kitchen back and forth. It looked to be missing one of the supports.
As it was too late to go the front desk and complain because the lady had left for the day, we tried to reach someone on the phone numbers that were listed in the unit directory but only got a voice mail stating that they would not be available unitl 9:00AM the next morning. That night I slept on the couch for a couple of hours and my wife slept on the loveseat. The next morning we went to the front desk and expressed our displeasure and asked if they had another unit available. They showed us another condo but that was not much better so we asked if they had any condo's in other buildings because we were not going to stay there. They eventually found us a unit in the Sea Oats about a mile down the beach that we found to be very good. I don't know if it was just our bad luck because most of the reviews I had read about the Sand Dollar were positive. However it appears to me that some units are rented continuously and not kept up while others are rented only when the owners are not there and consequently are probably very nice condo's. That being said with the very bad experience we had we would never return to this resort.
Upon our return home we contacted our travel agent who has lodged a complaint with the rental managament company. I only wish we had taken some photos of the unit to go along with the complaint letter but we were so upset at the time we didn't think of it.

We stayed in a 2 bedroom condo (Room #502) and loved every minute of it. The condo was very spacious (over 1800 sq ft) and bright with sliding doors to the balcony and windows on the side that you could view the beach from all. It was quiet and relaxing. The condo had all the amentities you need including lounge chairs, an umbrella and volleyball for the beach. Great pool and jacuzzi. We didn't use the outdoor BBQ grills, but many families did. The private pier was a nice touch for residents/guests of the condo too. Parking was easy and always accessible. Having 2 bathrooms was a real plus for our family as well.

The condo itself was a little worn and they could replace the sagging couch, but it was clean, neat and had everything we needed.

Only negatives was the miscommunication between condo owner and management company on delivery of new bed mattresses. Was a slight inconvenience with maintenance in and out for a few days, but not horrible. The front desk apologized and gave us a credit when we checked out.

Location in Indian Shores was great too. Nice restaurants nearby. Don't miss St. John's Pass - fun shops, restaurants and boating activities.

We would definately stay here again. Great value for the price. Staff was very pleasant and helpful. Thanks for a great time.