We just returned last week from our stay at Tortuga Beach Club, and we had the most amazing time. We had a total of 13 people including 6 children. The resort is very kid friendly and the children had a blast. For the adults it is a very relaxing experience. The grounds are so well maintained and very tropical. The pool is beautiful and so clean and well maintained. Our Condo was clean and well maintained also. The beach was just a short distance from our condo. The staff is excellent and very nice. We are now planning our next trip back to Tortuga for next year the same time. We all loved it!!!

This was my first trip back to Tortuga in 19 years. The place is just as clean and well managed as it was so long ago. We stayed in what I think is the best unit there 136. It is 2nd floor with a large screened in balcony facing the pool and Gulf, dead center of the complex. A great place to listen to the waves hitting the beach at night. September is an awesome time to go because it's the off season and not so crowded. The owners that own there are very nice and most have owed for over 20 years! The Island is tropical and not comercialized. You can literally walk the beach for miles. Shelling was our favorite past time. The unit is modern and they are constantly updating it. The pool is large and relaxing. They have some shaded gazebos if you need to get out of the sun. Large hot tub to forget all your cares. Everything on Sanibel is enviromentally friendly. The area restaurants are great, our always favorite is the Bubble Room up in Captiva. Our trip would be incomplete without our visit there. There are some beautiful tropical shopping areas where on a rainy day you can walk store to store under a covered roof. Periwinkle Place is where we went.. Even though it costs $6 to cross the new cosway you probably won't want to leave the whole week. We didn't. There's so much to do and enjoy on this lush tropical island. Only 20 minutes from the new Ft. Myers Airport. You'll want to go to bed early so you can get up early to enjoy the wonderful Sanibel Experience!

I highly recommend this resort.

Good things:

Units: spacious, beautiful, and laid out in such a way that noise from other units is minimal. Further, they are stocked with most things (other than food) a family needs to enjoy a week away from home. China, flatware, pots, pans, casserole dishes, etc, along with paper towels, dishwasher detergent, and a small box of laundry soap are among the conveniences provided. BTW, hand and bath soap are also stocked, but NOT shampoo.

Housekeeping: Aside from the minor issues noted below, the unit was also immaculate upon our arrival. You won't see housekeeping again during your weeklong stay, but they do a wonderful job in anticipation of your arrival.

Views: both grounds and gulf are lovely and easily seen from both the large patio and, if you have a top-floor unit, from the balcony off the master suite.

Outdoor common areas: functional, attractive, and well-maintained. Awesome grilling areas, including a HUGE (think Argentine steakhouse) grill by the pool, separate areas for volleyball, tennis, horseshoes, and shuffleboard, as well as outdoor shower, footwashes, and sink stations for shell-cleaning. Very functional beach umbrellas can be rented for $1/day, and two sand chairs are included with the unit.

Beach access: three well-maintained boardwalks lead to the private beach area from all sides of the complex. The beach itself is clean, and the water remains shallow for many yards off the shore due to sandbars--great for little ones to safely enjoy the surf.

Staff hospitality: Everyone we met in the front office and around the resort was friendly and professional, and seemed genuinely eager to make our stay a great one. A pre-arrival mailing, welcome materials waiting at our unit, and a newsletter detailing daily events and activities added value to our vacation.

Two minor gripes:

For the most part the units are well-maintained, and the furnishings in particular (mattresses, drapes, chairs, etc.) are in excellent condition. However, our unit in building C was in need of repainting on some of the interior walls, especially in the bathrooms (scratches, dings, gouges, etc.--some painted over, some not.). The dishwasher racks also need replacing, as the rubber has worn off the tines leaving rusty points. Finally, while clean, the master bath had a bit of black mold growing out from beneath a fresh-looking coat of tub sealer, and the decor in the master bath, generally, looked to date to the early 80's.

The outdoor pool was too hot to get into, even at night, on all but one of the days of our stay. It was so much warmer than even the ambient air that I was convinced it must be heated, but the management said it's just the effect of the sun and the humidity. Being from the mountains, I was expecting to use the pool to cool off--ha! This isn't the resort's fault, obviously, but it's something to be aware of if you're planning a vacation in the summer.

I haven't stayed anywhere else on Sanibel, so I can't compare. Overall, though, I think even picky travelers will find that Tortuga meets their expectations. Happy travels!

We have been travelling to Tortuga Beach Club year after year and absolutely love it. The Pool is one of the largest on the island. The grounds are well kept and beautiful. The private Beach is fantastic.

Tortuga features well-appointed 2 bedroom villas with huge porches. Our unit had a private staircase which led directly to the grounds, which was extremely conveinent. We had a master bedroom with private balcony on the first floor, and a second bedroom up the stairs that leads from the living room. Both were very nice.

The resort has an overall uncrowded feel, which I attribute to all of the units being quite large condos, so the actual number of people staying at the resort at one time is much lower than hotel-style resorts.

The staff, as always, were friendly and helpful. If you have kids, the activities are a delight, and adults can join in a few of them as well. The recreation centre features a ping-pong table and daily drink service at certain hours.

The grounds are huge and feature a pool, big hot tub, shuffleboard, and lots of room to toss around the frisbee or football. We really like the secluded feel of the whole area, which has the buildings arranged in a semi-cirlce enclosing the grounds and the beach.

The management has done a good job restoring the place to its previous beauty after the hurricane. Everything now looks just as good as it did before the storm.

Overall, I have no hesitation in recommending this resort to any traveller. We have stayed at a few other places on Sanibel but nothing comes close to Tortuga.