We stayed at Tortuga in Feb. 2009. It was chosen after reading multiple reviews on this website, which were very accurate in their praise of this resort.

The grounds were emaculate. The buildings were in great condition and undergo a continuing process of painting and updating. They were very clean with no odor. The entire complex, although on the beach, is set back far enough to accomodate a relatively large pool, hot tub, beach volleyball court and multiple grilling facilities with a clubhouse. There are 4 tennis courts which appear to have been recently resurfaced.

The staff are excellent and the reservations and check-in went without a hitch. Communication was very good.

In summary, we would highly recommend this to persons wanting to stay in Sanibel. It is a little pricy, but the quality is there. We hope to stay there again.

We stayed at Tortuga Beach Club the week of Oct.17-24, 2008. This was during the week of "Ding" Darling Days on Sanibel Island. I have included pictures of our room and some beautiful views from the top floor balcony. I just knew from all the great reviews I've read on this site, we'd probably have a really nice time. They have very well kept grounds and we had no trouble with extra parking when needed. The ladies in the front office were very nice and the maintenance people were friendly. The security guy was funny and helpful when we went to the pool area after 11pm. Our room was very clean and we received a call Saturday morning from housekeeping to see if we needed something or if anything needed cleaning. Free Wi-Fi was a bonus, since I couldn't get a strong signal for my MetroPCS phone on Sanibel Island. They have nice barbeque grills for guests to use, we loved the grilled food we made and enjoyed eating it on the lanai and joking around with the family below us. They have two days guests can recycle items while staying here, I wish other places I've stayed at offered this. We really had fun looking for unique shells on the beach and relaxing by the pool. We didn't use the golf or tennis courts, but that is a valuable feature to offer guests. During our stay they offered shell painting, glass beaded bracelet making, make tie dye t-shirts, and paint a treasure box, all for a small fee. You could also sign up for lunches or come down for ice cream treats for a small fee. They have a pretty good selection of DVD's to watch at night time, you can check out 2 movies at a time for just $15 per one week stay. I think this place is really ideal for a family with young kids or a vacation like I wanted with the girls, (my mom and sisters).

My parents joined my wife and me here for 4 days the week of August 16, 2008. We were "fortunate" enough to get to experience Tropical Storm Fay while we were there, but we didn't let that affect our good time.

The resort is conveniently located just a couple of minutes across the causeway from the Ft. Myers beach area. It was very easy to find. The resort staff made the check-in easy and they did a great job of keeping us informed of the storm's impact on us and the resort.

The units were well-kept and clean, but a bit dated. We had a 2-bedroom unit that came with a refrigerator, coffee maker, water kettle, microwave, sink, and dishwasher. It also had a stacked washer/dryer if you needed it. The screened-in lanai was roomy with a table, chairs and sink to wash off all the shells we brought back from the beach. There was also a ceiling fan in the lanai.

Other room amenities included DVD/VHS player (you can check out DVD's from the main office), free wi-fi for those that just can't leave their laptops behind, and a TV and jetted bathtub/shower in the master bedroom. The master bedroom also had a small, private balcony.

There is a well stocked grocery store called Jerry's that is just a few minutes away, which was great to use to stock on food, snacks, drinks, whatever we wanted, to keep in the room. While there, we ate out at Cheeburger Cheeburger (lunch), Island Cow (breakfast), and the Timbers Restaurant (dinner). These were all recommended by earlier TripAdvisor contributors and we enjoyed all of them.

There are a number of great places to stay on Sanibel and Captive Islands and I would include Tortuga Beach Club on that list.

Stayed at Tortuga in late August following a very soggy week in Orlando( courtesy of Tropical Storm Fay). We used our timeshare ownership as a means to book, although obviously guests are also able to simply pay cash for their stay.
As we arrived, the sun appeared and stayed with us for the whole week.
Despite the Resort policy stating that check-in is after 3p.m, the welcoming lady in reception let us have the keys two hours early.
We had been allocated room 156. This had a superb and panoramic view of Sanibel Beach and Gulf of Mexico.
We had a two bedroom apartment which was split level. Both bedrooms were absolutely massive. The master bedroom had a dressing area with `his and hers sinks` and an ensuite. It also featured a small patio area with two chairs and a small table. the second bedroom had a king sized bed and a small bed for a younger child located in the bay-window.
The kitchen was well appointed and of adequate size and the lounge/diner well set out and harbouring a sofa bed, Cable TV and a large screened Lanai from which we spent a good deal of time watching the shelling activity on the beach.
Our apartment also had a washer and drryer which were put to good use.
Tortuga has a child friendly pool which provides the focal point for on-site activities and a place to meet others. Whilst this did provide a respite from the very hot and humid conditions, it couldn't be described as refreshing as the water was warm. There were plenty of comfortable loungers provided around the pool deck.
A hot tub, volleyball court and small clubhouse were adjacent to the pool and two boarwalks led directly to the beach. There is also a resident, two foot long iguana, who appears from time-to-time in some odd places. He was definitely the star of the show when he was spotted.
The Resort did have an "activities programme" from Sunday-Friday inc. There was a limited range of activities for the kids (e.g tye-dying, shell painting, scavenger hunt, necklace making) and practically nothing in the way of adult entertainment. Most activities required a nominal payment. Perhaps the best activity was the "Kids Night out" (Tuesday evening between 5-8p.m)which featured a pizza and movie. This lasted for three hours and parents depositing their loved ones in this very safe environment were able to go off-site for dinner.
Other facilities provided by the Resort include four pristine and seldom-used tennis courts, a dvd club ($15 for the duration of a stay and featuring a decent selection of kids and adult films) and shuffleboard.
We thoroughly enjoyed our week at Tortuga. Whilst it is ideal for those with younger children, there were plenty of "more mature guests" and even a few teenagers around, all of whom were seemingly having a good and relaxing time.
If I have a couple of whinges, they are small and include:
- no maid service
- Whilst there is wireless internet access, the Resort does not have terminals for guests to use
- no fitness suite (although the municipal one was very good and only cost $10/day for a family membership)
These were nothing to get upsat about by any means and were more than offset by all the good points previously mentioned and the very obliging, helpful and friendly staff.
I would definetely recommend Tortuga as a place to stay and would stay here again given the chance.