Windward Passage Resort: Ardent Sunsets…read more Fifty-five years ago, as young educators, my wife and I selected Ft. Meyers beach as a holiday destination during the Christmas break. We enjoyed the Christmas holidays with our parents and relatives and drove south to Ft. Meyers Beach Holiday Inn for a week of sun, and the salty beaches and the Gulf of Mexico. I recall that we made this excursion in our new 1968 Camaro that did not have power steering, power anything, airbags, or a GPS system. And we endured/enjoyed the drive. What were we thinking? Holiday Inn and a road-trip to Florida? This was to be the last holiday taken in this fashion. We soon realized that our lifestyle provided plenty of holiday time, and we have the resources to fly to U.S. and world-wide destination. Holidays Inns are a vague and very distance memory. I tend to be a linear thinker concerning attendance at national conferences and in terms of planning holidays. We seem to have a queue of airline tickets and timeshare reservations. The vital holiday planning is for spring break. Within weeks of the last spring break, we are trading for next year's spring break, and we are finding airline tickets as soon as the airlines post the routes. There are too many reasons to purchase a two-bedroom condo, and our stable is filled with ten two-bedroom timeshares. However, we traded years ago into Windward Passage Resort (418 Estero Boulevard Fort Myers Beach, FL 33931 239-463-1194) on the quiet north section of Ft. Meyers Beach. Ft. Meyers Beach is not Sanibel and Captiva, but for a small fraction of the price, we purchased two weeks of one-bedroom units. There are very few two-bedroom units at this property, and very few two-bedroom units appear on the secondary market. I believe that location is vital; that timeshare ownership should be in geographic areas that one will re-visit; and that timeshare ownership is not an economic investment, but rather a lifestyle investment. Windward Passage Resort also turned out to be an economic investment. We sold the two properties at a profit. Windward Passage Resort is a resort that we greatly enjoyed for several years; all 52 weeks are flex ownership, and we always scheduled the very same unit for two consecutive weeks. Timeshare owners know the advantage of making these arrangements: no refrigerator transfer of food, no kitchen transfer, no bathroom transfers, and no clothing or luggage transfer. Windward Passage Resort has a great swimming pool on the south side; we always arranged to reserve our units on the north side with a beach view rather than a view of children playing about the pool. Some years, we found profit in renting the unit, and these ocean and beach front one-bedroom units traded into five star and two-bedroom units with a degree of ease. All 53 week are red weeks at Windward Passage Resort. My wife and I are avid tennis fans, and Windward Passage Resort, and the tennis courts are one story high on the roof of the parking lot. This is a unique and clever arrangement, and one which discourages ball retrieval. The photographs (while limited) on the Interval international Website do not provide justice to this gem of a property. Ft. Meyers is the archetypical Florida "snowbird city." The hordes come in November and depart in April. This means that often the bridge from Ft. Meyers to Ft. Meyers Beach is in gridlock. This is not the case in the summer months. We fly to the Ft. Meyers airport, pick up a Hertz number 1 automobile and drive the 18-22 miles to Windward Passage Resort in about 30 minutes. During the "snowbird months" allow at least an hour for the same trip. I posted this review on the Web several years ago: "Outstanding small resort located between city pier and city park. Although small rooms, the veranda provides an outstanding Gulf view. Summers are hot and humid, and good vacation times. Winters can generate fierce traffic problems. Hurricanes have done their worst to this property, and it has always bounced back. Ideal for small families. Great staff." The following post is representative as a summary of Many Web posts: "A unique, intimate Resort in a great beach location. Socials include Ice Cream Day, Pancake Day, Hot Dog, Burger Day & free coffee any day. A user-friendly quiet Resort with heated pool and complimentary beach chairs. Bring your own beach towels as they are not supplied and minimum toilet tissue or you can purchase additional rolls. Not far near the end of N. Ft. Myers Beach is the fabulous Pine Shell Resort for a tropical drink or meal and several quality island restaurants." The absolute best part of the day is at sunset. People flock to the beach in an almost religious manner to silently observe the ardent red ball of sun "descend into the ocean" or into a thin layer of clouds that provide a hue of red and pink for a 30-minute afterglow following sunset.

My wife and I were on vacation via RCi and we booked this place because we love the Gulf. First…read moreoff, they stuck us in the back cottages without even offering us a place with an ocean view, which I knew there were tons of, because the place was not that full. The pool only had about 5 tables, which were filled by 7 AM every morning. Take away some lounge chairs and put in tables. Not difficult to remedy. All of the activities were volunteer based?!?! What!? I have been to 30 different timeshares, and this was a first. I asked if they had a place where we could donate our leftover, unopened food to a food shelf, and they looked at us like we were insane. They said the staff takes them. The ocean was nice and warm, but very murky, which wasn't their fault of course. The fan in the main room did not work and lots of vent slats were missing from the AC registers. Fort Myers Beach is a wonderful place, but I think I would stay somewhere else. They have taken themselves for granted.

Very very happy with our stay here. We will definitely be…read moreback again. Gonna try to make it a yearly thing. We rented a 2 bedroom 1 bath apartment. The ac worked great. The apartment was very clean. Very pleased with it. Susan checked us in. She was very nice. Gave us a tour of the complex. The pool was nice. The court yard was nice as well. A great place to sit and just relax. Not to mention, we had a private place of the beach. I totally recommend this place if you wanna visit fort Myers beach.

Our room was a little dirty when we got there, so wasn't overly happy about that. The grounds,…read morepool, and tiki was very well taken care of and enjoyed it very much. The walk to the beach was very short and they also offer beach chairs, wagons, and coolers. Will go back again but hope the room is clean this time.

Nancy/Tom May recommend this site highly. We have stayed at this site for almost 30 yrs. Since…read moreretirement, we have continued to stay for 4 weeks when we can afford. Leslie has been so welcoming and the site is the best in condition of all our many years. Knowing many, we have recommended over a hundred to the site. We are already set for this Jan/Feb with help of Leslie. Wish we could stay longer prior to our arrival. Fixed incomes for oldies is not good!!! However, SAW is outstanding.

We have been coming to Sanibel Arms West for over 25 years. We love that the condos are two…read morebedroom, 2 bath with a large open living area, screened in lanai for outdoor dining and washer and dryer in each condo. Each condo has been clean and well-stocked. We have looked at other condos on the island, and they don't compare to Sanibel Arms West. The beach and pool are perfect for a family getaway or a winter escape. We were so excited to get back to Sanibel Arms West this past winter after spending one winter vacation in Marco Island and one on the east coast. WE LOVE Sanibel and Sanibel Arms West. Leslie and Becky are great to work with.

This is a long read...but worth it…read more In 1974 my loving, stoic and incredibly generous grandparents stayed at the Holiday Inn on Sanibel Island, Florida. My mother and father accompanied them. As did I ....well, in utero at least. This past year my mother showed me the first waterslide that I ever went down. (while I was in her of course) and my first question was "Did I put my hands up? Back in '74 my family took a walk down the beach and encountered the very first time share property in the United states.(under the current time share model) The rustic but lavish villas have changed almost zero percent, as has the rest of this commerical free island. Buildings of four spacious units with all amenities surround a central pool and BBQ area. Within 20 minutes on monday morning of your shared week you either know everyone from years past or meet them over a noon time beer, and anyone that was a stranger before becomes part of the family in an instant. On tuesday of week 11 at 230 every year we all gather by the pool for a week 11 group photo. This year me and the brothers had fun trading barbs and Bud Light with a pack of Canadians that most likely found us as arrogant as we found them. But it was all "one love." All of the new grandkids (9 of them) got to see Sanibel for the first time and we spent most of the day tending to them and seeing that thier attention span was catered to. You may think that may bother a man of my speed but I have to say that it was quite the opposite. I don't get to see them but once a year and to be able to spend a week with them with no pressure was pure bliss for "uncle Rooney" Of course having been here on Sanibel Island since I was in utero I know that this tropical paradise is dead after dinner, as was most of us. The term "nightlife" if nonexistent. When we were juveniles the lack of activity allowed our inner felons to emerge in the form of golf cart theft. We would stake out country clubs and beachside resorts with loose carts by day ala Oceans 11 only to return at night for a deliciously illegal joy ride courtesy of an EZgo (sun roof optional). WIth Jack Daniels in tow (we were over 14 of course) we shuttled drunken minors (blondes in the front) that were also on vacay with thier parents to and from the hottest beach parties and thier respective resorts. Of course stealing golf carts at 35 would be a felony and I have no where near that much courage these days, so I was happy to bask in the sun, walk the perfect beach, try and figure out if that hot chick was speaking German or Dutch, argue with my brothers over fights and basketball, make creative cocktails, kill a hangover in a morning pool swim, and love on my ever expanding family for days on end. If I was to want to spend the rest of my life in one spot...it would no doubt be week 11 on Sanibel Island. The simplest life is sometimes the best...as long as its 85 with clear skies of course. ;-)

Careful when you rent a week from here. They work through Kenoyer Real Estate and may have rented…read moreit out from under some older people due to late payment when they were confused.

Great location. Great views from the bayside units…read more The pool and hot tub were both very warm - almost hot - this year. The tennis / pickle ball courts seemed in good order (we didn't play). Outdoor grills by the pool area work well. The staff was very responsive to the issues that they could address easily. The decor in most of the condo units has not changed or been updated in 20+ years. Black out curtains have small holes (dry rot) throughout. A lot of wallpaper could user some tlc or outright replacement. The beds were serviceable bordering on uncomfortable and loud whenever shifting positions. The Wi-Fi is ATROCIOUS (less than 1 mbps down). I was unable to use it for anything meaningful and ended up tethering to my phone when I needed internet. The TVs appear to be more than 10 years old and have a limited channel selection. The in-unit washers/dryers are old and not particularly effective. A load of towels routinely took more than 90 minutes to dry. Patchwork on the ceiling in our master was falling off. AC vent in the in the master bedroom was not delivering cold air. AC vents all have black discoloration / buildup (mold?) and need cleaning. Shower and sink fixtures are old and in some cases difficult to operate. AC outlets are often too loose and incapable to keeping a plug actually plugged into the outlet. Kitchen pots / pans / cooking utensils are in bad condition and need to be replaced. Refrigerator made a knocking noise when the ice machine was on. Refrigerator was loud in general. Our family has been coming to the Lighthouse R&C for 30+ years and seeing the condo complex continue to fall into disrepair is very disheartening.

It's a nice resort for vacation. Right next to the water and close to great dining…read more You can find this place on RCI, and it seems to have the same families over and over: year after year. They have free bikes, and the island is not so big that you can ride the whole way around the island.

Love Sanibel Beach club. We have been going there for years. Condo is spacious and the people are…read moreamazing.

I have really enjoyed my stay here. It's clean and laid back. Any needed items for the units such…read moreas trash bags, towels, or beach towels are readily available at the front office. The pool area is very clean and the beach is just a short walk away. Sanibel beach club also has bikes available to ride to nearby convenience and gift shops. There is laundry in the units. I highly recommend!

I stayed there the place is full of cockroaches and spider.it smells of mold from being flooded out…read moreevery summer.they go in youre unit and go though you're stuff

Such a disappointment. Main reason for staying: location. Visiting family over Thanksgiving and…read morestayed 5 nights. Upon arrival, the space seemed fine for a family of 4. Our infant slept in a crib that fit at the foot of the bed....however...there was no dead bolt so he was constantly escaping out of the room. No curtains so the bright light outside made it hard to sleep. Had to make a curtain out of a towel to block some of the blinding light. Speaking of towels: there were just two and we tried to get more, we were unable to get a hold of anyone! The entire stay! No one was in the office and no one answered the phone or returned an email. Thank goodness there was no emergency but we had one trashcan liner and two small towels for the entire stay. Couldn't buy any detergent for laundry from the front desk. It was frustrating. Toilet kept running and was slow to flush. Bathroom door knob was barely screwed in. No iron/ironing board. If someone else flushes the toilet in another room, water will get boiling hot. TV had to be turned on and volume adjusted manually. One bed was hard as a rock. Pillows are flat and there are no extras. Silverware was missing and not discovered until after we warmed the food. Definitely a sub-par motel stay. Won't be back unless we can't find any rooms left in the area. UPDATE: Despite no communication (office presence, call back, email reply) during our stay, I was surprised with a note in the mail with my ID that I had lost in the room! They found it and sent it back. This was so kind for them to do. Those reading this need to know that though customer service was lacking, they did go above when it came to returning my property. They didn't have to do this and it is appreciated.

This has been a great place to stay! I took a group of college students for a service trip in FL…read more(10 of us total) and we all fit comfortably in the home along with the 15 passenger van fit just fine in the driveway. This property is adorable - way too nice for a service trip! I would absolutely consider staying here with family or friends. There's a full kitchen as well as a kitchenette, two full bathrooms, four bedrooms (easy sharing spaces), and it's kid/pet friendly as well.