BLUF: Boutique hotel with an eloquent circus theme offering great views of the gulf and fabulous staff.
After careful consideration, my husband and I decided to try the new Cirque hotel by Opal on Lidos Key. We stayed there for a handful of nights during our visit to watch Orioles spring training in Sarasota and we loved it!
Staff: A huge shout out to the front desk staff who were always so nice and conversational. We appreciated being welcomed with a fun Prosecco and popsicle cocktail and all interactions at the front desk were top notch.
Room: We also loved our room. We booked late so our only option was a King Suite and we were sure to enjoy the space which consisted of one bathroom, a bedroom with a king sized bed, a combined seating area and kitchenette and a long balcony. The seating area might have had a sleeper sofa but I'm not entirely sure. The room, much like rest of the hotel, was thoughtfully decorated in the circus theme but in a classy, not gaudy, way. I love history and Americana so I enjoyed the historic circus photos on the wall. Another great thing about the room was the lighting - it was thoughtful placed and some of it was on dimmers to set the mood. Our favorite feature of the room was the huge sliding doors that opened to views of the Gulf.
Gym and Pool: We didn't try out the workout room or the pool but we checked out both. The workout room is relatively small but with the mixed use (walking, biking, etc.) just across the street outdoor exercise feels much more tempting than being inside the small gym. The pool sits between the hotel and parking lot and is very cute. The pool umbrellas and towel have a nice glamorous, retro circus theme to it.
Beach Access: Although a bit deceiving by some of the pictures of the property on their website, this hotel does not sit right on the beach therefore the pool is not on the beach but between the parking lot and hotel. If you are going to Lidos Beach for beach time and pool time, this might not be the best hotel for you but you can access the amenities at their sister resort that is oceanfront and just up the street. If you just want to walk on the beach, then it's a quick trip across the street and then onto the beach but if you want to be able to rent chairs, you'll have to either go up the street to the public beach or the sister Opal resort. Since we went for spring training and not the beach, we were perfectly content with this setup. We did the beach one day and I enjoyed finding lots of shells and taking a refreshing dip in the 63 degree gulf.
Parking & Location: Parking was easy. They have their own private lot and I was glad that they didn't attempt to require us to pay for parking on top of our pricey room and resort fees. Since the hotel is close to St. Armands Circle, we were easily able to walk to restaurants and shops. St. Armands Circle is lovely but has not made a full recovery from Hurricanes Helene and Milton so parts of it were abandoned and sad. Getting to downtown Sarasota and other parts require navigating lots of traffic in the circle but we were also there during the busiest time of the year. We found Cirque a great launching off point for Ed Smith Stadium, Longboat Key (Dry Dock Grille), the new Mote Aquarium, Owen's Fish Camp and plenty of our other favorite places in the region.
Overall, a great experience and most certainly a contender for our 2027 trip for more Grapefruit League Spring Training. read more