My wife and i spent the second half of our vacation here, we love the gulf!
spent the first part at cocoa, and loved it,if we ever go to the atlantic we will go to where we went there before.
But we love the gulf since last year and this year we thought we would go to somewhere new on the gulf, we didnt think we would ever find somewhere on the gulf that would be better than last years treasure island, but i checked the web and found sanibell before we left and read about the shelling and all the plant life and wildlife, and thought we would check it out, and if we liked it we would stay.
It was night when we arrived and had been traveling a while, and my wife was a little aprehensive and tired and well you guys know how i mean, so we got the first place we could see at night..the anchor, not bad, but far from the beach, so i told debbie, lets wait till daylight, look at the beach and see if you like it, we did , she loved it, and began the next day looking for a place near the beach.
we found beachveiw cottages,and it was the most perfect place, right on the beach, kitchens in all units and grills in the frount of all units, was barefoot the whole time except when i went to the grocery store, they also have bikes free of charge if you want to bike the island(deb and i just loved the beach and the cottage and never did bike any)
The pool is heated,and the whole place is so family and cool it becomes a little teporary vacacion neighborhood, its the best place to get away, forget work,and relax, and enjoy a different relaxing home away from the hustle bustle workaday all the time home.
The lady that checked us in was the nicest sweetest person i ever met, i mustve asked her a billion questions about the island, what to do etc.,and she was more than happy to help me without being even flustrated at all, she even walked me thru the property, and explaining the beach and the places, even when she was busy, and she even did the same to new guests when they came after we were there a few days (each cottage has a frount screened in porch). It really is a vacation neighborhood.
This place is the perfect place for people who want to enjoy the beach with all the comforts of home, and go out to eat or shop.

First let me start of by saying that I am THE classic hotel/resort snob. I like hotels with indoor corridors, hot tubs, huge swimming pools, daily maid service, big lobbys, resort dining/bars/night life, concierge...etc..etc..etc. We enjoy staying in the best of the best when we travel. Having said that....Beachview Cottages are a slice of heaven....seriously. My Mother in Law had done all the research and found Beachview. I read the reviews before leaving for Sanibel. I was worried to say the least. There are not many pictures of this cottage community; not even on the Beachview website. So coupled with that and some of the poor reviews I was expecting the worst. Well, let me tell you this place is great. Yes, the cottages are old, yes the cottages need work, yes the units have in wall a/c units that run all the time. None of that mattered while we were there.

We shopped at the Publix in Fort Myers after checking in to buy the supplies we were going to need for the week. You need to buy all the stuff to stock a kitchen inlcuding paper towels, napkins, dishwashing soap, hand soap...they supply utensils and bbq spatulas and such, glass plates, pots, pans, toaster, stove, micro. and kitchen towels. They do supply you with a coffee pot, but, you need to supply your own coffee. We bought a plastic table cloth for the kitchen table and some clorox clean up wipes for easy clean up. We used paper plates and cups all week. You need to supply your own charcol and lighter fluid for the bbq.

There is no maid service. Which was just fine really. If you leave your dirty towels on the front step, they replace them with brand new fresh ones every morning. They'll give you all the towels, pillows, and blankets that you want. The office is VERY accomodating. For example, one morning my husband and six year old wanted to go for a bike ride. Beachview has bikes to ride for free. They didnt' have one small enough for my six year old. One of the maintenance people heard the conversation and went to Billy Bike Rental on the Island and brought back a bike sutiable for a 6 year old to ride. How nice is THAT?

Our cottage was #5 two bedroom two full bath. It was perfect for 6 people. The sunrise on the beach is really special. Very quiet. The sunset on the beach is fabulous, too. My three young sons loved taking sunset dips in the gulf. The pool is pleasant. VERY DEEP. Even the shallow end is deep...almost 5 feet. The shelling is awesome. Beachview is situated right on the gulf. Just steps away from the beach. There is no road to cross. In fact, we were not aware of any traffic. We honestly felt like our community was the only one on Sanibel. It's very family oriented at Beachview. All the guests were pleasant. Everyone was there to have a wholesome good time. All of our worries melted away while we were there. Our biggest decisions were what time to go to the beach...if we were going to collect shells or not and who was going to carry the sun screen. OH...they do supply beach chairs but I believe you need to supply your own beach umbrella...I think you can rent them...or they MAY have them there for guests to use for free...I'm not sure. Beach chairs are definitely available.

One tip...the grocery prices on the Island are very high....stop at the Publix or Albertsons in Fort Myers before paying the toll to go over the bridge which takes you to Sanibel. You only have to pay to go to Sanibel...you don't have to pay to go back over the bridge to Fort Myers. So, if you plan on doing a lot of grocery/supply shopping....shop in Fort Myers. Quick items here and there shop at the local general store.

We loved it there. Very rustic. Reminded me of when parents would rent a house in Seaside NJ. Very beachy, very rustic..even down to the screened in porch with the slaming screen door. LOVED IT...LOVED IT...LOVED IT....can't wait to go back.

Just as a side note. The cottages have started renovations. Our cottage had not been renovated yet but is scheduled to be in August. Most of the other cottages have been renovated since the beginning of this year. Many of the older reviews here are based on the cottages before renovations. Just some food for thought before you read on.

I guess it depends on your attitude toward a beach vacation. Do you find charm in quirky little misses by an innkeeper, or do they bug you. Personally, I don't mind giving up a bit of modernity and comfort for a neat experience. With that said, I'm still undecided about Beachview. It had some nice features, but there were some really obvious things that bugged me. Here goes...

++ Two rows of little cabins that are a 30 second commute to the beach. Kinda charming to look at and was reminscent of what beach rentals were in the 50s
++ Nice screened front porches. Nice to sit outside and have dinner or wine.
+ Full kitchen
+ nice little covered beachview deck
+ Nicely maintained grounds
+ Nice front desk staff
+++ No bugs this time of the year. In a month or two it will be bad at night.

--- Not very clean. Maids only do daily towel service and only clean between guests. They do kindof a crummy job. Bathroom had mold, windows and sills really dirty, kitchen utensils not clean, (maybe from previous guests)
-- A bit rundown. Windows needed to be propped open, front porch floor needed some additional stringers to avoid a future nasty fall. Baseboard trim missing and nails sticking out. Maybe they are nearing retirement and don't want to spend a lot of $ before the condo developers come in with the the dozers?
-- fitted sheets didnt fit. Made for an uncomfortable night for my wife.
-- A ceiling fan in the bedroom would have been nice. Got a bit stuffy so you could understand the next point....
- Everybody runs their noisy A/C day and night so you hear compressors rather than the crashing surf
- The maids totally clean out all food and sundries from previous folks. No salt, pepper sugar. catsup, mustard, paper towels or charcoal.

Still, I'm on the fence. With a little money and love, this place would rate 5 stars for me. Great setting, charming low key place. Just needs some attention.

Being a native Floridian and having come back to the state after 25 years, finding places to stay with that old Florida feel is harder than it used to be. In planning a trip to Sanibel Island, we wanted inexpensive, a pool, close to the beach, not huge, charming and clean, and we found all of that and more at Beachview Cottages. When we first looked it up we were a bit concerned that there were no photos of thge rooms on the website, but our fears were unfounded. My husband and I stayed in unit #14 and some family members (a couple with baby) stayed in unit #20. You are RIGHT at a private beach. Unit #14 was small but had plenty of room for the two of us, knotty pine paneling, ceiling fan and new wall unit a.c. that worked GREAT - to ice cube level in no time. Also newer appliances in kitchenette. The bathroom looked a bit worn, faucets were a tad rusty but everything worked okay. Unit #20 had a brighter feel to it as paneling walls were painted white - it was also larger and had a sitting area with couch. Screened poirches were so nice in the evenings. If you want fancy, do not stay here, but if you want a great value and a quiet place that is how many smaller places in Florida used to be, this is it. We'll be going back in September.