I would highly recommend the Seaside Inn. The location is super, the beach is great. We sincerely hope to go back next year. We went the week after Labor Day. This proved to be an excellent time to visit Sanibel Island - it was pretty quiet. We chose the Seaside Inn based on reviews here on TripAdvisor and we were not disappointed. This is not a fancy place, but it is perfect in every way. Check-in and check-out could not have been easier or faster. The staff are all friendly and helpful. We stayed in a beach view room on the second floor including a private screened balcony which was a real plus. The bedding was very, very nice. The bathroom is equipped with soap, lotion, shampoo and conditioner and hair dryer. The kitchenette is small but a real advantage. We ended up purchasing some coffee, filters, creamer and sweetener at Jerry’s because we like to linger over our coffee in the morning and you get only a 4-cup package of coffee in your breakfast basket. As for restaurant recommendations, we especially enjoyed The Timbers. The shrimp bisque was incredible and our waiter was excellent. Breakfast (ocean frittata) at the little Lighthouse Café was scrumptious. We also enjoyed the Island Cow (breakfast) and Doc Ford’s (very good mojitos, had a yummy penne and rock shrimp dish). Ate at McT’s - the food was good, but barstools were uncomfortable. We tried the Ding Darling Reserve and it was just OK. Really didn’t see any wildlife. Rented kayak but was unable to go into the observation area due to strong tide coming out. Drove through and didn’t see anything, although the Shell Mound trail was interesting to walk through for fauna. Bottom line: Sanibel is great and the Seaside Inn is a wonderful place to stay.

The Seaside Inn was perfect. I stayed in a beachfront room and it was great. The room was clean and the staff went out of their way to assist you. The hotel delivers a breakfast basket everyday which is a wonderful treat. I asked many questions about the island and suggestions for dinner and the information was interesting and the suggestions were good. I am already looking to book for next year.

My mother, brother and I stayed here the latter part of August for 4 days and 3 nights. The room was roomy enough even with two queen size beds. They have cable TV and a VCR player. The bathroom is ample and the inn provides the usual toiletries and a hair dryer. There is also a safe in the closet, and an iron and ironing board. Oh yeh, the closet is like a small, small room. Ours had no light or means to hold the door open so it kept closing on me, leaving me in the dark as I tried to hang clothes. I just propped open the door with a chair when I had to use it. There was a small kitchen area which accomodated a microwave oven, a mini fridge, a small sink, a single upper cabinet. The inn provided dishwashing detergent, fresh dish towel and dishwashing cloth every day, paper towels, cutlery, dishes, cups and glasses. There was a coffee maker as well. I don't usually like to stay a motels that have kitchen areas but this was immaculate and compact. About 4:00 pm they deliver a basket containing the continental breakfast for the next morning, which consists of packaged bagels or danish, fresh fruit, such as bananas, oranges or apples, orange juice, bottled water, and yogurt. They also give you everything you need to make coffee in the coffeemaker and coffee creamers, sugar, etc., We always asked for more creamers and they were happy to provide them. They also have a fridge in the lobby stocked with bottled water for the taking. We were on the 1st floor in a "pool view" room, where we also enjoyed an ocean view , altough not ocean front. We enjoyed relaxing on the covered porch which ran the length of the section we were in. The grounds are nicely landscaped and very well maintained. There are two paths from the inn to the beach, a short walk. Lounge chairs are put out by staff for the guests and taken back in during the evening. The beaches are not crowded and even though we were there during the time Fay was clinging to FL, the water was great and the beach combing was different every day.
The inn provides free use of bikes, video tapes, and books. I noticed two PCs at a desk type counter so I'm guessing they provide internet use for guests too but not sure. The pool was always clean and guests using it were never loud or noisy. This is a great place for couples, families, seniors, but not party animals. Staff are freindly and accomodating but not intrusive. For those with mobility issues, this place doesn't seem present problms. The only thing I noticed is that even 1st floor rooms are up 4 or 5 steps. I will definitely go back here again.

This is our 2nd time stay ing at the Seaside Inn and it didn't disappoint. We rented one of the cottages, and my only minor complaint is that it was a bit tight for 2 adults and 3 children. But that is not the Seaside Inn's fault, just that 3 very high energy children needed more space and so did the adults. It had a small kitchen that was more than adequate for us to make breakfast and lunch, and mac'n'cheese for the kids for dinner; a small eating area; a living room with pull out couch; and a bedroom with a king size bed. Our cottage's back door faced the pool, so we had quick and easy access to the pool and the beach. The Inn supplies an endless supply of beach towels, they bring out beach chairs and umbrellas as needed to the beach. The beach itself is just great for shelling and exploring. We saw a school of dolphins swim by less than 10 feet away and a nest of hatching sea turtles. The kids pulled out sand dollars like crazy and we even found a couple of starfish. The staff is just so friendly and genuine and helpful. Case in point: we just happened to be there as Hurricane Fay was getting ready to come ashore in southwest Florida. The staff kept us informed and when there was a mandatory evacuation, they efficiently dealt with a difficult situation including having LaQuinta hotel on the mainland agree to hold many rooms for their guests. We can't wait to go back!!