Sanibel Harbour Marriott Resort & Spa

We’ve stayed here once before in the Captiva Tower. This time our elite status gave us an upgrade to a junior suite in the Sanibel Tower. This really wasn’t much of an upgrade. The room was a corner room with a balcony overlooking the parking garage. The room was in need of repairs as mentioned by other TA reviews. It was just not comfortable and we did not sleep well due to our room’s HVAC running noise all night and outside noises from the parking garage and thin walls. There was a large dining room table in this room that would have been nice if we were holding a dinner party. The space in this room could be better utilized. Amenities were less than expected. The $25 daily resort fee was excessive. We were able to only use the pool one day due to poor weather. It is quite quiet here. There’s no sandy beach access. The pool is nice. The staff are all friendly and professional, wanting to help in every way. Thank you to Sitori (sorry about spelling) at check in.

I am a Marriott Platinum Elite member and have frequented various levels of Marriott hotels worldwide, small and big, fancy and basic. The rooms at the Sanibel Resort are by far the worst I have ever stayed in by any measure....AND I was "upgraded" based on my status! Besides being out of date, the rooms are shabby, run down and well below normal Marriott standards. The basic room amenities (Shower, Toilet, Phone and Hair Dryer) all malfunctioned to one degree or another. The bathroom door was chipped and missing chunks of wood and the air conditioning produced moldy smelling air. The desk had some sort of residue on it that looked liked someone had spilled superglue all over it. Our room was in the main building, so I cannot imagine what the rooms were like in the adjacent towers. The staff tried valiantly to make up for the overall shoddy environment and they were certainly friendly, professional and very efficient, but are fighting a losing battle based on the condition of the property. I wasted hard earned points on this location assuming that because it was a "Spa and Resort" and in the vicinity of Captiva and Sanibel that it would be qualitative. WRONG! I regret my assumption and will not make the same mistake again.

We stayed at the Sanibel tower which houses all the restaurants, and the Captiva tower is located a short walk away. We are Marriott platinum members, and we were upgraded to a room with a water view. We were celebrating our anniversary, and the hotel and the restaurant were aware, but we were not offered anything special for our anniversary, a small dessert at dinner would have been a nice acknowledgment. The restaurants were busy, but the service and food were excellent. As platinum members, you receive a breakfast voucher for the continental buffet but can pay a $6 upgrade to the full buffet, a shoutout to the omelet chef, it was very busy, and she was working very hard and kept a great attitude, and made delicious omelets. Bikes are available, but you have to stay on property when riding. They offer "beach chairs" to use when you travel to Sanibel or Captiva Island, but they are very small and uncomfortable. There is a scenic walking bridge to the fitness/spa area and a walking path that circles around the tennis courts. We played tennis on the clay courts, rackets and balls were provided and the courts were in good condition. The pools are nice, we could always find lounge chairs, but the hot tub was usually full of many children. As a hotel guest, you can use the spa facilities which are very nice. A large whirlpool, sauna, and showers with amenities are available in the spa. The hotel bathrooms and the rooms were clean but could use some updates, very basic, and the carpet is a bit stained and outdated. They advertise a yacht for brunch and dinner, but it is not operating and has one portion that is boarded up and takes away from the scenery of the water and dock area.