We absolutely loved the quaintness of the Colony Inn on Sanibel. We were fortunate to stay in Unit C-13, a corner unit that is warm and welcoming: it offered lots of privacy, plenty of sunshine, and a great view of the pool (just what "us" New Yorkers needed!) The staff was friendly and accommodating and we can't wait to return!!! Thank you Colony Inn for such a wonderful stay. read more

Amazing great place homey and would be there more often if we could! The whole island is laid back! Perfect!

We planned our trip to Florida long before the 2020 pandemic. Up until the last minute we weren't sure if the restrictions were going to be lifted for private properties like this one. A week before our trip our reservations were confirmed. We wanted to stay at least a week on Sanibel Island and the Colony Inn matched our budget. Thank you Colony Inn for offering something affordable! I was frustrated that I couldn't find details about the Colony Inn. I wanted to know more about the property, the parking, and the pool area. Was the beach close by? Was the beach private? or crowded? What kind of bikes did they rent, etc, etc. So, I definitely decided to write this review with you in mind and answer those questions. First and foremost, we are in the middle of a worldwide pandemic. The whole island is functioning on a new normal until this is over. Be prepared to be patient with everyone, every place, everywhere. Our check- in caught us off guard. I suggest you call before you arrive and ask about their current check-in process. For example, when we arrived, we were lucky to have someone peak around the corner and tell us our room was open, keys were on the desk & to sit a hamper outside if we needed new towels, sheets or toilet paper. It's a little complicated, but you'll figure it out by the second day, lol. The property is well maintained! The buildings are in excellent condition considering their age, nicely painted, and the entire area is kept clean. You will never see trash in the parking lot or outside people's doors. The vibe here is peaceful, quiet, and relaxing! The pool was recently remodeled, just beautiful! There is room for approximately 3 families before it starts feeling crowded, lol. There are 2 clean bathrooms, a shower, water fountain, all in the same area. There is an upper sun deck that's a little more private (but you cannot see the beach from that deck). It's a cute cozy space. The property is only 2 stories high. It must be a restriction for this area because there are no buildings or condominiums that flood the skyline. The palm trees and tropical plants definitely give this place a comfortable beachy vibe. This beach area is called the "East Gulf" side. It's less than a mile from the famous Lighthouse. We walked there almost every day. From the Colony Inn to the beach is approximately 500 steps. Depending on your pace and how much your carrying its a 5 to 10 minute walk. It's a comfortable walk, flat ground, some of it is shells, part board walk and then sand. We noticed during the week days the beach was quiet, calm, private and peaceful. By Saturday & Sunday there were numerous boats lined up along the shore, music playing, people everywhere, camping, shelling, walking, running with dogs, etc. I'm sure you've discovered that each condo here at Colony Inn is privately owned. We spent a lot of time shopping for a space that matched our expectations and budget. Ask questions, I did. With excitment we picked C-9. Online it appeared beautifully decorated, king bed, updated kitchen and bathroom. When we arrived the photos definitely matched what was online and more!! The refrigerator had an ice maker, there was a small coffee pot, a hair dryer and several chairs we could use at the beach. It was clean and cozy. Just perfect for us! *However, what was unexpected and unfortunate was the horrible moldy musty smell!! It was in everything ... the furniture, the bedding, and towels. I spent our first day changing the sheets, replacing the towels, and airing it all out. No matter what I tried I could not get rid of that smell. My daughter and I woke up every morning congested or headaches. The smell forced us to spend as much time away as possible but when we returned it was undeniably there. I honestly dont know anything about why it was like this. My guess is that the condo was shut down for a long time with no ventilation? We left feedback regarding this matter and hope the owners can fix it. We stayed there a week and by the time we left it was 50% better, maybe. We may never request that specific space again, but the overall *Colony Inn experience is worth returning too!!! We were excited about the bicycles but due to COVID19 they are not renting them. However, all bicycle shops on the island are currently renting out bicycles. Like I said, come prepared to be patient. The variety of how restrictions are being handled is different everywhere. Overall the Colony Inn is perfect if you enjoy easy access to the beach, clean pool and a peaceful environment. They have laundry rooms with washer/ dryer, $2.00 for each machine, quarters only. The staff here was friendly & helpful. The Lighthouse Cafe is less than a 5 minute walk up the street. Please post more pictures of the property & share information about the condo you stayed in so we can all make good choices. read more

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Best service ever!!! I got heat stroke while shopping! Hotel valet drive over brought me Gatorade and water on a tray! Waited until I felt better drive me back to hotel where they called doctor to come to my room. The hotel it first class! Food was fabulous Pool side is beautful Location!!!!!! Location read more

I've stayed in many Airbnb's all over the world. I'm a very big fan of Airbnb as a traveler and as a host for my own place I host in Italy. This was undoubtedly the worst stay of my life, including the time that my Airbnb in Croatia was evacuated in the middle of the night due to forest fires. I booked a one night stay for October in c-9 all the way back in July. A month before my stay, we realized that we could actually stay for two nights. So we adjusted our stay to be two nights. A very normal occurrence on Airbnb. Very easily done. They messaged me and said that the room I wanted, c-9, was not available for both nights, but I was welcome to choose from their other available rooms. I happily suggested. C-44 or C-45 and they promptly booked me in C-45 for October 9-11. I received a confirmation through Airbnb, text, and email. Three days prior to my trip, I was sent check in information, pretty standard stuff. Parking info, what time check in is, the code to open the box with keys and so on. I let them know we would probably be arriving after 5 and was told that was fine and my key would be waiting in the box. We make the drive from Tampa, entered the code for the key box and I see a bunch of keys with names, but none of them mine. So I grabbed the key that said c-45 because my reservation was for room c-45, even though it had someone else's name on it. As I walk into the room, the person who's name was on the key shows up, obviously wanting her room. She shows me her reservation and we both reserved the same room for the same night. We both received all the emails and confirmation. They had double booked us. Annoying, but seems fixable if they have more available rooms. We call the emergency line, since nobody is on property after 5pm and found quite possibly the least helpful, most incompetent human to ever live. She would not give me her name, but insisted she was the office manager, even though she kept hanging up on me to "call her manager". Her manager, the general manager refused to speak with me and made me go through this woman the whole time. She must have hung up on me 5-7 times. She flat out refused to look up our confirmation number or look at our communications through Airbnb. Nobody was willing to come to the property and help us, it was storming and my husband and I were stranded outside of this place in the rain. She insisted that I did not have a reservation and she couldn't help me. All the while I had a confirmation number, I had paid in full, and I had been talking to them on Airbnb for months. She kept telling me "I don't know how YOU use Airbnb but we don't have your information". Every time I tried to give her my confirmation number, she'd hang up and call her manager. After 30-40 minutes of this (in the rain), she finally calls back and says I'm supposed to arrive the following day for c-9. Even though I have a whole email conversation with someone confirming the change. She is completely unwilling to help and insists that Airbnb made the change without them approving it. This is simply impossible, as a host myself, I know that changes must be approved by the host, besides that they personally wrote to me multiple times confirming the change and my check in. I contacted Airbnb and they promptly found my reservation, heard me out, and said they would try to contact my host on my behalf. They suggested I go get some food, and they would reimburse me the expense of my meal. So my husband and I went to get some pizza, while Airbnb dealt with Colony Inn for me. After about 40 min, Airbnb calls me back and says that they are unable to contact colony inn, nobody is answering the phones, and I was finally refunded the entire stay. They offered to help me book another place, and even gave me a credit for a future Airbnb booking. Moral of the story: there are many beach condos available on Airbnb in Sanibel, don't stay in this one. Unless you want to be stranded in a storm, eaten alive by mosquitos. read more

10/10 recommend this place to stay! Beautiful rooms, screened patio, and full-sized fridge. They had our room ready when we arrived at 10am (we weren't set to check-in until 3). Speedy check in process, and a parking spot per unit. The room includes beach chairs and beach toys for kids. Everything was very clean, perfectly working air conditioning, and towel services as needed. If you stay here, walk one block over to Buttonwood lane for a stunning but quiet beach. The inn is a short walk from a small plaza that has a cafe, ice cream, and souvenir shop! Beautiful location and friendly staff. Will be back! read more

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Colony Inn - Sanibel. Great place for a family vacation. As soon as we got there the receptionist welcome us with a big smile, check is in right away. We stayed in room c53, cozy clean and well beach decorated room. My wife loved it. We had only one complain and it was that the water in the toilet took for ever to refill for the next flush. The pool is not that big, however it was very well maintain. The beach was 5 min walk true some bushes. Not a big deal unless you have kids and have to carry 20million things for them! Lol. I wish the could make a better path to the water. Kids love collecting seashells in these beaches. The beach and the water is full of friendly critters (starfish, crabs, shells, etc) read more

Colony Inn - We stepped on these little friends. Make sure to put them back if alive. - Vacation Rentals Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

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Condo #56 This is a corner unit on the first floor. Though it is a first floor unit, elevations require several steps up to the open air hallway, leading to the door. It has a screened lanai that sits on the pedestrian path to the beach, very close to the line of trees that shields a contiguous, recently built beach neighborhood. You will not get sun on this lanai, but there are beach chairs stored here for you to carry to the beach. Parking is immediately in front of the building. I love the community fathers' decision to disallow paving in favor of crushed shell for all driveways on the island. That and the lack of streetlights help to provide the desirable Beach Island experience. Check-in was smooth. A kitschy check-in lady mans a kitchy, small office stuffed with tourist brochures. Many dog-eared paperback books are available to borrow. There are two TVs in the condo, though it seems shameless to even think of turning them on. Decor is very pastel and beachy, from the quilts with seashell designs, to a lamp and coffee table filled with scavenged Sanibel shells. There's a small kitchen in a t-shape that accesses a small bath. The bath is so tiny, you may be dressing in the kitchen. Expect towels to be clean & bright but scratchy and worthy of taking care of any sand that your feet will drag in. Slivers of 1950s style soap cakes also are wrapped in beach design, showing a sea star and a wave. Be aware that about one half shower will dissolve a single bar. The house supplies a handful for your stay, however., but no shampoo/conditioner. No hair dryer, either. But there's complimentary wi-fi. You will pay a pretty penny for the convenience of the funky Colony. But The Colony proves to be a traveler's romantic reverie of what Sanibel is all about. read more

Colony Inn - Coffee table with Sanibel shells - Vacation Rentals Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

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This location turned out to be a perfect selection for my bride and I to celebrate our 51st wedding anniversary. It is just a short walk to the beach where we spent a significant amount of time in quiet reflection and picking up a few sea shells. Another short walk in the other direction got us to several shopping and dining options. A short drive away got us to the lighthouse and we then did a significant amount of touring of the remainder of the island via automobile. The C-10 room was perfect for our needs - actually, it was more than we needed. The kitchen and the kitchen utensils were not used by us but it was nice that they were available. The screened in area was nice as was the separate living room area. The bed was extremely comfortable and the entire purchase was well maintained, neat, and clean. What more could a guest desire? It was well worth the cost and we would definitely do it again. read more

This was our first first to Sanibel and the Colony Inn. We were celebrating our wedding anniversary. The front office staff was very helpful and pleasant. The location was perfect and it was a short walk to the beach. We stayed in C-48. The rooms were updated, clean, you had a full kitchen with anything that you would need to cook, a separate living room area, and a screened in porch. They have a system for delivering clean towels without entering your room during your stay. We would definitely stay here again in the future. read more

This was our 3rd time staying at the Colony Inn in Sanibel. Front office staff is very pleasant; as always. First time staying in Cottage 16. Really enjoyed the authentic "old style" cottage layout. Didn't realize the cottage connects with Cottage 17. (Could hear the other family at times, but not a problem for us.) Highly recommend families/friends to rent both cottages since there is a door that connects the two units. Also highly recommend shopping off the island and bringing your food and spices for cooking since it has a full kitchen. Restaurants on the island can be very pricy and also "hits or misses". Only setbacks: previous guests don't care for cooking/baking pans like they should and left them with caked on food/oils/grease and the mattress on pull out sofa has springs that dig into your back (but there are extra blankets to help w padding.) Overall, pleasant stay. Clean. Peaceful. Charming. Quick walk to the beach. Quiet side of the island and beach. We will be back! read more

Have stayed here 4 times over the last year. Great resort!! Close to the beach, great little swimming pool. Propane grills for use by guests. We have stayed in C-42 and C-44 and the rooms were updated, clean and everything you need is in the room from pots, pans, utensils large fridge and dishwasher. The rooms also had beach gear and cart for use by guest at no charge. For the price this place cannot be beat anywhere on the island. Front office staff is attentive and super friendly!! They also have summer specials for multiple nights if you book directly with them instead of through booking.com read more

Great location and spacious room. The screened in lanai was wonderful for having meals and relaxing. Definitely shady with all the trees growing right next to the building. Stayed in C-49 and the decor was fun and beachy. Just a short walk to the beach down a beautiful shaded walkway. Very quiet during our stay. The A-C kept the room nice and cool and the room was clean. The Inn provides towel service but no other cleaning, if that is something that's important to you. The negatives were that the place is pretty dated, the pool and deck are tiny and there were ants in our room, mostly in the bathroom and kitchen. Talked to the front office and was told they were ghost ants and that I should be sure to cap my toothpaste. Ew! We couldn't leave any food on counters, as the ants would swarm. If the ants were taken care of, I would definitely stay again. read more

This place gets no stars from me because they need to get their operations in order. They canceled our reservations 2 days before we were heading there. 2 DAYS!!!!! We had payed in full in February and they tell us 2 days before we had to cancel us when I know everything down theres is open? Never recommending to anyone and do yourself a favor and go somewhere else so your not treated the same. read more

We stayed in C10. The unit was rather outdated, kitchen was much smaller than it appeared in pictures. Beds were comfortable. Dishwasher broken. No cooking sheets. Air conditioner seemed to semi-work, not getting down to the temp it was set to. Walk to the beach is short and nice. Beach is fabulous. Beach chairs were provided, which was great. Pool area was average, no pool towels, though. They have bikes you can rent on site, ours were $25/bike for 3 days. Limited spots on the bike racks. We visit Sanibel several times a year, so our expectations were rather high as we have stayed at much more current resorts. OK for the price. read more

I have stayed in or near sanibel island many times in the last 4 years and this was the only place I've ever had a problem with. The unit I was going to stay in smelled terrible and it was dirty. There were other issues and were offered to be moved to another unit but never got moved. I ended up going to waterside inn on the beach where ive stayed before. Never again will I stay here. I'm only giving one star because we at least got our money back read more

Condo #49 Love the Colony!! We always stay in condo #49 - it is very well appointed with a new king bed, newly renovated kitchen and bathroom, comfy furniture both in the condo and on the quiet lanai, it is an end unit so there is an extra window that provides a lot of light, the kitchen has all the necessities, it has 2 flat screen tv's, beach chairs, close to the washer/dryer, and pool. It is a great location steps to the pristine beach, you can walk to Geppetto's Deli, The Lighthouse Restaurant, Pinocchio's Ice cream Parlor, boutiques, The East End Deli, Grandma Dot's at the Yacht Club, onsite rental bikes are so convenient to tour around the island on the safe bike paths. Location is great, very affordable, clean, friendly and helpful staff, pick the condo of your choice - pics are online, we are always very pleased with condo #49 the owners are always updating it and keeping it pretty and comfortable. read more

Condo #56 We stayed for 9 days. Having read the reviews, I think that it is important to pick a particular unit because some have better reviews than others - presume owner updates. The condo was clean and well provisioned. Check in and out was a snap. Penny was very pleasant. The property has a small pool that is ample for people, with a nice deck. We arrived during a red tide event so the beach was a mess with dead fish, etc. So, the pool was great. Good location in a quiet part of the island within a few minutes walk of the beach and Lighthouse Café. Plenty of places to bike with bike paths everywhere (used Billy's). Only issue is the sound proofing is not good between units and upstairs. We had good neighbors, but it could be an issue. I think that overall the property has been around for a long time but well maintained and a good value. read more

Condo C-13. Wow! We always stay in this unit. The room is so beautifully decorated, completely remodeled unit, all new furnishings and has all the amenities of home. The tasteful decor of the beach theme. The brightness of the room and the overview of the pool area due to being an end unit. Great screened patio for your morning coffee or just sitting and relaxing with friends. Definitely need to check out the photos and see for yourself how great this unit is.. The beach is a short 3 minute walk and the unit has provided chairs, cooler for ease of your day at the beach. The entire property has been beautifully updated and all the staff is so accommodating for all your needs. Property has onsite rental bikes for a great day of touring the area on the bike paths. Everything is so close to you. Shopping, resturants, and much much more. Check it out. We will always stay at the Colony Inn and C -13 will be our choice every time and enjoy every moment. Hope you have as much enjoyment as we do! Thanks Colony Inn for our great memories!! read more

Condo C-13 Love the Colony Inn!! We couldn't be more happy to have had this condo. It was perfect!! The location in the complex was spot on. We had a wonderful end it which gave us an extra window for an abundance of light. We overlooked the pool area and our wonderful screened in porch was a great place to unwind from a great day at the Beach. We were so pleased with the unit itself. It had been completely renovated and was furnished with beautiful furnishings and decor. Tastefully decorated in a beautiful beach theme. We had all the necessary items. Kitchen was fully stocked, beach chairs for our use and even a cooler for us to take to the beach., which is just steps from our door , just down the path. . Being an end unit allowed for no other guests walking by and made it much more private. The complex is also very quiet and quaint. Very close to everything we needed and more. We used the bikes which are available and enjoyed biking around the istand. We walked to the ice cream parlor which was close by, Gotta have it!!! The staff is wonderful!! Betsy, Penny were very accommodating to our needs. Linda, Mimi and Manni were also helpful in every way, They all do such a great job! Thank you. We will be back and until then we will enjoy our memories Sanibel and of the Colony Inn. We will always stay in C-13. read more

A great place to stay while on Sanibel. Plenty of parking, beach access, bike rentals, full kitchens, laundry facilities, a pool with fun shops and good restaurants... all within walking distance. Helpful and friendly staff. read more