Just returned from a 5-night visit to the Tortuga Beach Club Resort, and have to say that the property is beautiful. Beautifully landscaped and impeccably kept. Quite lush and tropical. Nice pool, loved the hammocks. I especially liked the fact that it is more of a quaint resort - not too large, never seemed crowded, and during this very popular week in Sanibel, I didn't see anybody using the tennis courts.

I only have 2 complaints. One, there is no restaurant onsite. Second, the decor in the rooms is like a cheap/cheezy 1980s Miami Vice style. It's too bad, considering the rooms themselves are GREAT - 2-stories, 2 large bedrooms and 2 full baths. Great kitchen, living room, and wonderful lanai which overlooks the ocean. Truly a great set-up, but the decor was so bad and it smelled like smoke in the room.

I was considering buying a timeshare here, but the decor was such a turnoff that I decided to wait. I also visited Casa Ybel, Tortuga's sister resort (both managed by Hilton). Casa Ybel has the onsite restaurant and they have similar floor plans, but they have been newly renovated and the rooms are gorgeous. I asked them why Tortuga hadn't renovated, and I was told that they HAD recently renovated - but kept all of the old furniture. They also went on the cheap for the kitchen cabinets, appliances, and bathroom cabinets/tile/etc. Too bad, because if the rooms looked as good as those at Casa Ybel, it would have been a near perfect resort.

If you can get past the interior decor, then you will truly love this resort. It is quiet and quaint, so keep that in mind.

Having decided that we would take our 2 young daughters to Florida to go to Disneyworld my wife and I decided that we would go for 2 weeks taking in 7 days in Orlando and then somewhere on the Gulf coast. Some friends recommended Sanibel Island and as the Tortuga Beach hada a good rating on Trip Advisor we chose it. No wonder it has a good rating. It over achieved our expectations on all fronts.

Cleanliness A1
Staff A1
Size of accomodation A1
Views A1
Facilities - Pool etc A1

Its not crowded, a good balance of guests (no tattooed chavs from the UK), the beach is great (unfortunately a storm in the ocean had washed some detritus up so it wasn't too clean for a couple of days but then nature cleaned it up).

Sanibel is great and not built up. We ate out every night and did not have a bad meal once - favorites included Bubble Room and Island Cow.

By the end of the week I enquired about holiday ownership and for the first time we are proud owners of 2 weeks in August!!!!

Can't wait till next year!!

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!