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Dolphin Key Resort

3.1 (69 reviews)
Closed 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Updated 1 month ago

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What a great, fun and clean resort. I will have have recommended the resort to our friends.
Scott S.

I've been coming to this bar two to three times a week for many years to meet up with friends after work. We've put up with subpar service because we enjoy the company --but today was on a whole new level. The bartender working today was, without a doubt, the worst I've encountered in all my years here and that says a lot. I honestly couldn't believe how bad the service was. If management doesn't make some serious changes, I'm done supporting this place. And I know I'm not the only one--my friends have had enough also... as locals who keep business thriving in the low season times, there should be some kind of consideration.

Daren R.

Old fashion hotel in a good older area within Cape Coral. Heard that this location has a cool tiki bar. No elevator but only two stories. Priced around $275 during season but same as other similar hotels in the area. Try to purchase online for much lower price 24 hours in advance if possible.

The Tiki Hut moto.
David O.

The Dolphin Key Resort is an older resort, but they have made efforts to modernize the facility. The rooms are large and clean although they do not have some of the amenities that we have come to expect in hotel rooms today like telephones, USB charging ports and microwaves. The staff and management are very nice to work with. The pool and associated courtyard area is very well maintained; we enjoyed our time relaxing there. The center of the resort is the huge tiki bar; it is a popular location for not just the guest of the resort but the locals as well. It is well stocked, and the bartenders are friendly. While the kitchen was not open for much of our stay due to an equipment failure that occurred just prior to our arrival, we did get to experience one dinner meal and one breakfast before we left. The dinner meal was delicious! The ribs were done to perfection and had a great flavor, not spicy but traditional BBQ. My wife had the crab cakes and she said they were delicious as well, to the point that Gordon Ramsey would approve. They don't have a huge breakfast menu, but we enjoyed our traditional Tiki Takeoff breakfasts. We will definitely return in the future for a quick getaway.

Interior king room w 'pool view'
Allyson B.

Ok here's the deal. It's a tiki bar hotel. The resort moniker may be a little misleading... usually that has to do with amenities and this place does offer a pool and bar area. ... my family has lived in the area for years so there were no surprises but, if you aren't familiar I'd suggest you take a moment to soak in this information: it's a hotel and Tiki Bar. The bar has loud music. The music is usually pretty awesome but you can hear it. It's not subtle. Don't go looking for peace and quiet or complain about the noise. That's pretty much what you are signing up for. The people who work there that I encountered are lovely. The bottom of the hotel is being renovated after the hurricane... the top rooms are clean and spacious. There was a refrigerator. The bed was comfortable. There is no phone or microwave. I did nott expect those items so it was no shock to me... some people apparently do. The bar was hopping- the bar patrons were an older crowd (not 21 year olds... I'd say late 30"s+) singing along to the live band and having a sincerely good time. The nachos we ordered were... ok.. I've really never had nachos with lettuce on them. If you order them I'd ask to have without lettuce. The jalapeños came on the side and had the seeds In them and were super hot- not a complaint.. just an observation. I had a dirty banana specialty drink which was pretty good. I ordered another one and it was totally different than the first . The glass was even different. I'm an olde school restaurant girl.. consistency is important... and lacking. You can bring your dog to the bar (not the hotel but..) and apparently you can smoke at the bar as well. the bar service was good. It was a holiday weekend so one never knows but it was solid. Our 'pool view' room was absolutely a view of a wall with a fire extinguisher on it. Technically if I left the room and walked by the wall and looked around it I could see the pool.. Not a big deal if they had not said it was a pool view room I wouldn't have cared. Maybe 'a room facing the pool instead of the road/parking lot' comment would have kept our expectations in check. The door to our room... didn't go down to the floor. We could put our toes under it from the inside and you could see them outside. It was random and quirky.. I worry about all of the air conditioning that was able to escape though.. . I'd go back again. The bar was fun and the people were nice and the room was clean and the people accommodating. Just have to know what you are in for.

Tiki Torch Wrap

Fun Place Under A Tiki Roof, Disappointing Food Located at the Dolphin Key resort, this bar/grill is huge. A prominent full service bar, lots of seating and live entertainment on a Tuesday night when we visited. Now that season is over, the live music is Thursday through Sunday. We started with some drinks. I had the Rum Punch, 16 oz for $9.00, my wife had soda $3.00. We ordered the Calamari appetizer ($12.00). Our server did recommend it. We did not care for this at all. Way too much breading and deep fried way too long. Oh, they were really crunchy and about all you tasted was fried breading. Very disappointing. Sorry lost the picture. As for our meals, my wife ordered the Tiki Torch Wrap ($14.00) with mild buffalo sauced chicken. A flour tortilla wrapped around lettuce, fried chicken pieces tossed in sauce, tomato, onion and shredded cheddar cheese. There is a choice of sides and she had fries. The wrap was tasty, the fries were just ok when warm, not good as they cooled off. I had the Loaded Nachos ($19.00) off of the appetizer menu. I am a nacho fan so I try them often when out. $19 for tortilla chips and some toppings seemed high, but I gave it a try. If you look at my picture, it looks like an impressive load of nachos, but looks are deceiving. Sure, there are a lot of chips underneath, but not that much of the toppings. It looks like each topper was piled in the center and left to spill down from there. First the meat, taco seasoned, lettuce, red onions, some infamous liquid nacho cheese, tomatoes, black olives and a few pinches of shredded mozzarella cheese. It came with three add-ons in those little plastic cups - sliced pickled jalapenos (maybe 15 pieces), about 1/2 plastic cup each of salsa and sour cream. The top layers of chips tasted good with all the toppings, but as you get further down in the pile, you're at plain chips. Sorry Tiki Hut, it's an impressive plate, but at this price point either be more generous with the toppings or lower the price and trim back the amount of chips. We may go back for the entertainment, not sure for the food.

Julie F.

This is a 3 1/2 to 4 star hotel. It's only two stories with no elevator and reminds me of an old large Florida motel. We are fairly spoiled having been active business travelers. We usually stay a bit more upscale. When we've travelled in Florida, we've usually used points from our business travel. So here we were, having to book something last minute when my bff from high school decided to come to Florida (Michigan weather has been awful) at the last minute -- during a March spring break week, yet. We found this place online -- not far from the holiday inn we've stayed at before -- and it had rooms and the price was much less than the holiday inn. Voila! Executive decision. The lobby is pretty basic, but clean. It does have a computer should you need to use one. A few tourist publications and a cold water machine. Check in was smooth. We checked in, but our room wasn't ready til the afternoon, so we went off to meet my friend for lunch. We'd requested an upstairs room and that's what we got. We knew we'd have to climb the stairs with our stuff, but be forewarned if this is a problem. The ice machine was located on the ground floor conveniently by the stairs. The room itself was newly renovated. Everything was fresh and clean. The king size bed was comfortable. Only wish they had an extra sheet instead of that one piece comforter style bedding. Each night stand had its own lamp. There was a refrigerator in the room, a desk, and two comfortable chairs in a sitting area. The A/C worked perfectly. Open to the room is a small rack for hanging clothes with half a dozen hangers and a wooden cubicle serving in place of a dresser -- that was a bit odd, but ok. The bathroom vanity area had new separate sinks, plenty of towels. And some basic amenities plus a small coffee maker and ice bucket. Inside the shower/tub combo was a great shower that had both a top shower head and a hand held head on a hose. The toilet (also new) is the water saving kind with two different push options on the top of the tank. Our room overlooked the pool which had lush plants around it. It was too cold to use - at least for us. There were no smoking signs everywhere on all the tables around the pool and on each floor. The entire hotel is non smoking and also pet free. If you're looking for entertainment, there's (loud) music nightly from the attached tiki bar. It does a big local business too. This may be appealing or a turn off to some. You can also eat at the tiki bar. With our room, we received free breakfast coupons for each of us for each night. It is served in the tiki bar room starting at 7 am. It includes coffee, and orange juice, along with scrambled eggs, 2 sausage links, and a hash brown patty. It's basic, but edible. The first day, the server hadn't shown up on time, so the cook/chef was doing everything himself, The second day, he had help and it was much smoother and more organized. They had a coffee station where you could help yourself, too. The hotel (motor hotel?) is centrally located. There are even a number of restaurants and shops you could easily walk to should you wish to do so. It's not fancy. But understanding that -- and since most people don't spend much time in their rooms -- this is a lower cost option with all the basics.

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I can't rate the food or drinks because we couldn't get any service. No wonder they weren't all that busy.

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Blackened grouper was great. Enjoyed the cucumber salad. Did not enjoy the salty canned green beans.

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Awesome place. Food was delicious and live music was entertaining. Def would stop by here again!!!!

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Review Highlights - Dolphin Key Resort

The Tiki Bar and pool were great, and in fact I ended up spending way more of our trip there than I ever would've expected.

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Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina - Family fun -movie at the pool

Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina

4.1(252 reviews)
7.0 mi

Really a cut above. Everything here is done well and they provide a very refined experience…read more Whether you have kids or are empty nesters, this place is wonderful. Here's some highlights of what stood out to us (wife, two teenage girls, me): Second mile service from every employee Free chairs (beach + pool) Free umbrellas Free drinks every night at sunset Free valet Margaritas free on Tuesday/Thursday Great activities for kids, teenagers and adults Free onsite games like cornhole, ping pong and connect 4 Food from any of their venues is top notch A free breakfast each day that was way better than expected Would highly recommend and we will be back

Our week long vacation at the Pink Shell was an overwhelming success. It has been quite some time…read moresince I have stayed somewhere that truly values customer service and experience - Pink Shell exemplifies both. Every single employee we encountered acknowledged us, went out of their way to smile, and for those providing us service were kind, friendly and attentive (minus one - hostess at Rae's needs some guidance). I honestly was blown away by it - so refreshing in a world where this is no longer common. We did a kayaking tour with Ranger Rob and he is EXCELLENT! We saw dolphins and manatees in addition to a bunch of shore birds. It was tough paddling back against the current and across the channel but all in all it was a wonderful experience. Overall Pros: - Rooms all have an ocean view. We stayed in the Captiva building and had a huge screened in patio with two lounge chairs and a dining table with four chairs. - Rooms were spacious with a nicely appointed kitchenette, full fridge, living room and bedroom televisions, and large bathroom. - Rooms and resort were very clean, well maintained, and comfortable. - Pools and beach were very clean and spacious (there are three pools, one specific for adults 17+). - Daily breakfast was delicious! Omelette and eggs made to order, and an abundance of offerings in the hot stations (potatoes, eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, oatmeal, and fun waffles that my kids loved), as well as toast and pastries, cereal, fresh fruit, yogurt and more. - They give you a bag when you check in that was excellent to have for bringing things down to the pool / beach such as sunscreen, water, etc... - They also gave the kids a shell bag each and sunglasses. - We arrived on Valentine's Day and they handed me a beautiful pink rose that I put in a glass air water and it opened so beautifully and lasted the whole week in our room. - Bongos was good and convenient for lunch. Rae's food was delicious - so having two restaurants was a great perk. - Walk to downtown was about 0.75 miles and a nice way to walk off dinner. We used the free tram a few times too. Just a couple cons: - People save pool chairs regardless of the large signs that say not to. The signs also say that staff will remove towels that "don't have activity" but I never once saw that done. It was frustrating to come down to no chairs available for all three of us together or in any area near the pool / sun. You can reserve chairs at $50/pair online but that seemed like not a great use of money even with the frustration. I wish the resort would hold true to not allowing saved spots. - Breakfast can be loud. Not sure there is much to be done about it but the beeping of the omelet station didn't help with the already crowded room. - Coffee was just not great. I tried - the only way it was so so was to get it iced and add some chocolate milk. It seemed watery and just not a great taste. - The service at the pool was spotty - some days it seemed like there was a regular waitstaff walking around and others it was hard to find someone. The resort could make a lot more money in drinks and food by staffing the pools better. - The dryer in the shared laundry in Captiva (floor 7) was the worst dryer I've ever used. It took from 5pm to beyond 1am to wash and dry three loads of laundry. We hated to leave and look forward to going back.

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Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina - The evening view

The evening view

Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina - Pool at night

Pool at night

Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina - Relaxing in paradise

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Best Western Plus Beach Resort

Best Western Plus Beach Resort

4.2(55 reviews)
7.3 mi
$$

This hotel and staff were wonderful. The breakfast was delicious. Mike was great in recommending…read morerestaurants for dinner. My wife and I both loved our stay and wished we stayed longer. We will definitely stay at this hotel again. Thank you Mike , Denise and the entire staff. Hello Coco. I normally never write reviews or surveys but I felt it necessary due to the incredible hospitality of the entire staff. Thanks again sincerely, Glenn and Darlene Edstrom from New York

I would give it an excellent rating were it not for the rudeness we experienced from one employee…read more Our check in clerk was rude when we checked in as we asked about veteran discounts and tried to find the best combination of 'perks' that would reduce the price of our stay. Maybe that comes off as cheap, but don't blame the player blame the game. I didn't create the game. After check-in the room was very nice with a beautiful view. Breakfast was done very well and was tasty. Of course the gulf beach and easy access were the star of the show. When exchanging beach towels we were asked our room number even though we had just deposited our towels in the hamper and were wearing our resort bracelets. This was odd and appeared to be intentionally degrading, but ya know, some people. It was also the clerk who had checked us in the night we arrived. Poor girl has a gripe with someone for something I am unaware, I'm sure.

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Best Western Plus Beach Resort - Lobby

Lobby

Best Western Plus Beach Resort - Breakfast Area

Breakfast Area

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Tarpon Tale Inn - Captain's Bedroom

Tarpon Tale Inn

4.8(46 reviews)
9.0 mi
$$
Family-owned & operated
Boutique

Such a cute promising little place! The owners are so nice and have beach chairs and an umbrella…read moreand even a cart. The room was spacious and clean. They had great check in info. Unfortunately I did not sleep a wink here, I am a super light sleeper and unfortunately the room next to ours had a couple of baritone guys that woke up at 4:30 in the morning ughhh...the beds were not the most comfy unfortunately either adding to a bit of my suffering as well. Giving it 4 stars. I unfortunately should have gotten some earplugs after the first night. I felt like they were talking to me since their convo was so close to our headboard. Owners seemed to go above and beyond so probably unfortunately just the loud guests we were next to combined with my light sleeping tendencies!!!

This is a fantastic place hidden in plain sight on Sanibel. No, it is not on the beachfront but…read moreinstead is a hidden oasis next to and across the street from a deli, restaurant/bar and ice cream shop. This small. Independent establishment is well run and caters to all anticipated needs as part of your stay: beach chairs, beach umbrellas, a wagon to bring stuff to the beach, beach towels, some beach toys if you have kids, bikes, bike helmets and even sunscreen/bug spray if you need it! Rooms are neat and clean, ours wasn't spacious but we were outside most of the time. Each unit has an outdoor patio area with reasonable privacy, a table and two chairs. There are also other communal areas outside to relax, chat and read in the shade of the trees on the property. Would recommend this to anyone going to sanibel. Fantastic!

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Tarpon Tale Inn - Captain's Living room with Sleeper sofa

Captain's Living room with Sleeper sofa

Tarpon Tale Inn - Tarpon Suite Living room with Sleeper sofa

Tarpon Suite Living room with Sleeper sofa

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Margaritaville Beach Resort Fort Myers Beach - Bay bread 10/10 delicious!

Margaritaville Beach Resort Fort Myers Beach

3.3(135 reviews)
7.4 mi

MELISSA AND SCOTT (both at the pool) and MIKE (a porter) were the absolute BEST wait staff. Mike…read moretook all of our bags and showed us up to a smooth check-in process that included complimentary drinks. He got us and our friends off to our rooms quickly and as we saw him around the grounds the rest of the week was always cheerful and a joy to chat with. We got a Cabana for two days, and Melissa was our assigned waitress on day one. Simply stellar. She kept checking up on us, provided great advice on what to do, and our group of 14 couldn't have had a better time. Scott helped us out on day two when our assigned waiter for the cabana (who I won't name) was a little too much on the younger side to be able to be as attentive and simply had a hard time making the connection that Melissa and Scott did. Melissa and Scott had water shoes, and were not afraid of coming right up to us when we were on the edge of the pool, as it was no deal to get their shoes wet. We WILL be back; we WILL ask for Melissa and Scott. Otherwise, in the resort, it was extremely clean and the atmosphere was spot-on. The coffee shop next to the pedestrian bridge to the pool from the main hotel helped with the bender hangovers, and the staff there were very nice. The lobby on the second floor was nice, as the parking and utilities for the hotel are on the hurricane-flood-prone ground floor. There was night entertainment out on the promenade, and I was grateful that we had a room on the outside of the hotel not overlooking the promenade, but I noticed by 1030pm, the loud music was gone. Good balance between partying and letting us drunks sleep. Great party hotel. Great DJ earlier in the day. The couple who sang and played music in the DJ Cabana also were great. The later-in-the-day DJ was less impressive; he hesitated to play some of the songs we requested. The location was central to many dining and entertainment options. The shop in the lobby had some essentials we forgot as well. If there is any critique; continue to focus on making sure the younger wait staff have no problems with old-fashioned effective communication and making time to check back in plenty of times throughout the day, especially if the cost of the drinks is as high as it is. I have no problem paying for it if the wait staff are as attentive as Melissa and Scott.

Marketed as smoke-free but it's definitely not. Smoking cigarettes, marijuana and vaping was…read morehappening T the pool as well as on the balconies. Cigarette butts were on the property as well. It was gross. Valet took forever due to them being open to the public so hotel guests are not the priority unfortunately. Honestly the bad outweighed the good. Resort is overpriced and not as nearly as clean as other reviews said. Rooms are nice though. Unable to use balcony due to people smoking. The beach is nice. IMO it's not worth the money, especially if you want a smoke free vacation resort. Beware, there's a quiet section by the pool but no staff likes to work it because they think you're not spending money. We had to go to bar for service. Oh, the gym is nice too. So it's not all bad, just mostly. Food was meh. We left the property to eat better quality food. My expectations were not met, that's for sure.

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Margaritaville Beach Resort Fort Myers Beach - Sunset

Sunset

Margaritaville Beach Resort Fort Myers Beach - Spa

Spa

Margaritaville Beach Resort Fort Myers Beach

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Dolphin Key Resort - resorts - Updated May 2026

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