Had an amazing time at Zota Beach Resort! I live an hour south and came up for a staycation, it was…read moremy first time staying on longboat key and it won't be my last! The room was affordable especially for being beachfront, and I got 2 balconies! Had a huge fridge, was right near the stairs down to the beach, which was so convenient. Received complementary champagne for a birthday, had an amazing dinner on the balcony at the restaurant Viento. Returned for breakfast which was just as good. The hot tub was the best part, it was huge! The beach was just steps away and there is showers to rinse. Highly recommend this resort!

Pro: Balconies are wonderful overlooking the Gulf. Beds comfortable. Staff wonderful…read more Cons: Big heavy bathroom door slides back and forth. It's very difficult to move even after the hotel added WD40. Also very heavy door to the balcony. We had to use our whole bodies to open and close and that was also after wd40. Also our sink kept clogging and the plumber had to replace a part on the toilet so it would flush more easily. Too much time spent waiting for maintenance to fix various things! The restaurant is a big eh. I had chicken and another time fish tacos. I couldn't finish either because of the quality of the food. There aren't any alternative restaurants under $30. Be prepared to spend!

We checked in today and were shocked to discover we were given the worst unit on the property.In…read moreour 25yrs of exchanges this is the absolute worst. We are literally looking over a parking lot and main road.In addition the front desk person although elderly was lackadaisical and lacked the authority to make a deciscion.Very disappointed and would not reccomend. What a complete waste of an exchange and money.

Look at the stunning vistas and the magnificent beauty of the sea…read more Magnificent..utterly magnificent. Five stars easily.

I'd like to say something nice about this place but all I can come up with is that it's clean and…read morethe beds are comfortable. The staff needs retraining as they are not helpful or accommodating. I had issues from check in to check out. All the construction made things very inconvenient and they nickel and dime you with so many extra fees on top of the premium price they charge. I only stayed here because my brother and his family were booked there but I would have stayed at the Margaritaville if I had a redo. I cannot recommend the Diplomat hotel and it's hard to believe it's part of the Hilton brand.

Rm. 228 was amazing. Clean, stocked with kitchen stuff, beds were good. Really, really cute beach…read moreDecour. Somebody has a good eye for designing. Would stay here again definitely. Shower is wonderful and updated. Beach chairs in the closet. All tile floor throughout. The chairs at the dining room table need those little carpet pads stickers under them. I'm sure we probably annoyed our downstairs neighbors every time we moved a chair. Whoops

Wonderful Resort on the beach. Stayed in C15, completely remodeled, updated and well maintained…read more Unobstructive view of the Gulf and pool, tennis and pickleball courts, heated pool, grilling area, fully equipped kitchen and on site office staff. Great place to chill out in the sun and sand.

I came here with my family for a mini getaway vacation, we were a really big party of 15 guests and…read morewe occupied 3 different condos that had an ocean front. From the moment I stepped in and looked out the balcony it looked like something out of a movie, the water was just a mere steps away from our balcony and we can hear the oceans crashing by when we opened the sliding doors. It was incredible! The rooms is my specific condo we're clean, organized, and spacious where as much as 6 people fit in it, with a full kitchen as well. I ended up working here since I have the ability to work from my laptop and the WiFi was phenomenal given that about 5 of us were on it simultaneously. Being able to work with a view like that was something out of a dream. I highly recommend renting out umbrellas and chairs if you are coming in the summer. It came out to $120 for the week and that included both the chairs and umbrella. Each condo is only allowed to rent up to 2 umbrellas but you can take as many chairs as you want that can fit under the two. The ability to wake up every morning and dive into the ocean in mere seconds was priceless. I also got to enjoy many sunsets from the comfort of the condo, while playing board games with the family. I wouldn't trade the time I had here for anything in the world. I will definitely be coming back and making more memories here soon.

Bottom Line: I'll never trade or sell my timeshare week here!!…read moreWe have been coming here for years and hope to be coming for the rest of our lives! Located on one of the wealthiest beaches - this place is older and affordable. The amenities are few, and a lot of the decor is outdated and cheap chain hotelesque, such as ugly fake floral arrangements and tacky placemats. The kitchens have been updated in the last few years (2013 and ongoing). Granite kitchen counters and new dishwashers. The kitchen is fully equipped with fridge, stove, dishwasher, plates, bowls, cups and such. The basics, perfect for a week or so. There is a super upscale Publix directly across the street. Even though the place is older - it is always clean. It's quiet and it's on a beautiful stretch of beach. You can go from your room to being in the gulf in 100 steps. What more can you ask for? They have shuffle board, basketball hoop/tennis court combo, beach volley ball, ping pong table, pool table and bikes. There are also board games for check out at the front desk. There are plenty of chaises by the pool and on the beach. It is a timeshare so there are always owners who never want to trade because they love the place. There are also plenty of people who traded to be there and first time renters. One of our favorite places to be!

The location is excellent, but unfortunately, the property itself is outdated, poorly maintained,…read moreand in significant need of repairs and management attention. Upon arrival, we immediately noticed maintenance issues. The blinds in our unit were broken and lying on the floor, setting the tone for what became a disappointing stay. Throughout the week, there was no housekeeping service of any kind--no bed making, no fresh linens, no replacement of kitchen towels, and no general upkeep. We were expected to keep and reuse the same towels, including damp and increasingly unpleasant kitchen towels, for the duration of our stay. The towel process itself was one of the most frustrating aspects of the experience. Guests are required to turn in towels and then be issued replacements for any trip to the pool or beach. The process felt unnecessarily restrictive and, at times, demeaning. We were repeatedly instructed where to take towels, where to pick them up, and what we could and could not touch. On one occasion, when we brought towels to housekeeping during the designated day and time window, each towel was individually inspected. We were lectured about makeup stains, informed about their laundering procedures, and warned that we could be charged for anything they could not remove. This level of scrutiny felt excessive and inappropriate. In all my years of staying at hotels, resorts, and vacation rentals, I have never been threatened with replacement charges for normal wear on old, frayed towels. Another major issue was the insect problem. Staff themselves joked that there was an unusually high concentration of bugs this season. Unfortunately, the situation was far from humorous for guests. Bugs were constantly entering through poorly sealed windows and doors, crawling across the room, getting into beds, and covering personal belongings. When we asked whether the property sprayed for pests or offered any assistance, we were told they do not spray and provide no solutions. No guest should have to spend nights dealing with insects crawling on them while they sleep. Customer service was also disappointing. Several interactions with front desk staff left us feeling as though we were being scolded rather than assisted. As first-time guests, we naturally had questions about procedures and amenities, but the responses often felt condescending. Rather than helping guests navigate the property's unusual policies, staff frequently spoke to us as though we should already know the rules. The shared amenities were equally problematic. When we attempted to use the BBQ area, we discovered there were no utensils available because another unit had taken them upstairs and kept them. Despite cleaning up after ourselves, we were later told that the grill needed cleaning the following day, apparently due to another guest's use. There seemed to be little oversight or accountability regarding shared resources. Noise and safety issues further diminished the experience. One night, an apparently intoxicated underage resident caused a major disturbance on our floor from approximately 2:00 a.m. until 4:00 a.m., eventually requiring police intervention. Surprisingly, the individual returned a few days later and was openly drinking again. Despite the significant disruption to guests, no compensation or accommodation was offered for the sleepless night. The family in the neighboring unit was also extremely noisy throughout our stay. Children repeatedly bounced a hard ball against the shared wall for hours at a time, day after day, with no intervention from management. Likewise, the pool and hot tub were frequently overcrowded with unsupervised children, making it difficult for other guests to enjoy the facilities. There appeared to be little enforcement of rules or consideration for guests seeking a quieter environment. Perhaps the most unusual part of the stay was that we were given materials encouraging us to become "owners" despite the property's obvious maintenance, service, and management shortcomings. Overall, while the location is undoubtedly attractive, the combination of poor maintenance, lack of housekeeping, pest issues, inconsistent customer service, noise disturbances, and inadequate management oversight made this a disappointing experience. This property may appeal to families with young children or groups looking for a more party-oriented atmosphere, but it was not the relaxing vacation experience we expected. Unfortunately, I would not choose to stay here again.

Beach? Pampering? This is the place. We brought guests and got lounge chairs, umbrellas and food…read moreplus drink. Only caveat, you must be a member or hotel guest to utilize facilities.

Great improvement since visiting in May. Program to improve facilities. Increased amenities…read moreincluded in resort fee. Staff had much better demeanor; friendly, professional and responsive. Text line for needs produce quick results. Getting its swagger back.

What a wonderful stay! My husband and I stayed at Arbors by the Sea for 3 nights over the…read moreThanksgiving holiday. As we pulled up to the Iris cottage, the 1-bedroom we'd chosen, George greeted us in the parking lot. He gave us a nice walk-through of the cottage and welcomed us to Longboat Key. The cottage was sparkling clean and updated, and felt like home. Every room carried a beachy theme with beach signs and pictures. There was no mistaking that we were at the beach! The bed was comfy, the shower never ran out of hot water, the kitchen was fully stocked with all necessities and appliances including a dishwasher, and there were even games provided in the dining room cabinet. To top it off, the cottage also came equipped with free Wi-Fi and a flat screen TV in both the living room and bedroom. The layout of the cottages is such that even though Iris and Ivy are first, and nearest to the road, we honestly couldn't hear the traffic. There is shrubbery and a fair amount of distance to the road, so have no trepidation in booking either of these cabins. We will easily book Iris again with no concerns. Though we didn't take advantage of it, we had a nice patio area complete with table, chairs, umbrella and a nice-sized barbecue. Next time around, I'd like to enjoy breakfast on the patio at least one morning. There was also a beach umbrella for us if we wanted to take it to the sand. I'm accustomed to having beach towels when I book lodging anywhere near a beach, but the beach towels here are thick, nice quality beach towels, not the typical cheap blue/white striped towels every other place provides. They also provide 16 chaise lounges and 2 Adirondack chairs out at the beach, along with 2 hammocks, and some nice cushy chairs on a deck near the sand along with a community fire pit for sunset barbecuing near the water. I really can't say enough about how comfortable this stay was, and how much I looked forward to heading in to the cottage after watching the sunset in the evenings. This was truly our holiday home, and we are looking forward to a return trip next year.

This place is fabulous and 5 stars is not enough! The room was sparkling clean and ready for check…read morein when they said it would be and so well decorated. Being able to just walk to the beach from Casa Limonada was perfect. Each unit has a cart with chairs and an umbrella for the beach, which we used every day. I also appreciated that the kitchen was fully stocked with everything you would need for your stay, including a wine opener and even a lunchbox, which we used when we went to the beach. Ice is provided on site in the community building. This place is truly a hidden gem and we can't wait to come back here!

We have stayed here on a couple of occasions. We brought 10 couples with us to celebrate my 40th…read morebirthday. 10/10 recommend!!