Sandcastle Resort at Lido Beach

Sarasota, Gulf Coast Beaches

Restaurant
Standard Room
Gulf Front Double Room
Courtyard View Room
Restaurant
Standard Room
Gulf Front Double Room
Courtyard View Room

The hotel

The sand is beautifully bright and sugary soft on this 600ft stretch of private beach and you can hire watercraft to drift along on the waves. This really is a must-see paradise, and right on the doorstep it only makes this pleasant and inviting hotel even more appealing. There are lots of dry land activities too, including bicycle hire. Alongside the attractive pool area is the pool bar where it is customary to gather at sunset. Later you can enjoy a meal in the Candlelight restaurant or perhaps stroll over to St Armand's Circle and sample one of the bistros there. The hotel puts on seasonal live entertainment and the staff are friendly and helpful.

Amenities

  • Bar
  • Swimming Pool
  • Families
  • Free Parking
  • Room Service
  • Safety Deposit Box
  • Wheelchair access
  • Laundry Service
  • Internet Access
  • Car Included
  • Beachfront location
  • Volley Ball

Where is it

On Lido Beach in the charming resort community of Sarasota, which offers a wealth of cultural activities and attractions.

Hotel information

179 rooms on up to 4 floors in 7 buildings with 2 lifts. All with air-conditioning, TV, complimentary WiFi, coffee maker, fridge, safe, iron and board, and hairdryer. Standard Rooms with 1 king-size bed or 2 double beds, sleeping maximum 4 adults or 2 adults and 2 children.

Courtyard/Poolside Rooms sleep maximum 4 adults or 2 adults and 2 children.

Gulf Front Rooms sleep maximum 4 adults or 2 adults and 2 children.

Free self-parking. 3 minute drive or 20 minute walk to St Armand's Circle.

Candlelight Restaurant and Lounge (open for breakfast, lunch and dinner). Sandcastle Pool Bar (open for drinks and snacks). Lounge bar with seasonal live entertainment.

2 heated swimming pools, shuffleboard, sailboats*, kayaks* and water cycles*, table tennis, beach volleyball, giant chess and bicycle hire*, 600ft private beach, golf* and tennis* nearby.

Room service*. Coin laundry*. Gift shop. Complimentary WiFi throughout the hotel.

This hotel has a resort fee of $12.50 plus tax per room, per day (payable locally, subject to change).

Resort fee includes use of the following amenities - WiFi - Access to fitness centre - Use of beach chairs (two per room) - Beach towels - Beach games - Use of pool deck - Resort bicycle hire (max 3 hours per person, per day) - Bottled water in guest room (2 per day) - In-room coffee - Use of lobby business kiosk - Unlimited local and toll free phone calls - Daily newspaper - Use of coin operated laundry - Self-parking - Shuttle to St. Armands Circle daily (8:30am-10:00pm). Resort fee, tax and inclusions are subject to change - please see hotel check-in for current inclusions available to you upon arrival.

Wheelchair accessible rooms available on request. Please note that these rooms are subject to availability and may be restricted to specific room categories and bedding arrangements. Rooms and facilities vary between hotels so please check at the time of booking. For more information and contact details please check out our Special Assistance page

*Denotes local charge.

Rating summary

  • Location Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Sleep Quality Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Rooms Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Service Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Value Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Cleanliness Image of the Tripadvisor rating

Traveller rating

  • Excellent (431)
  • Very good (631)
  • Average (360)
  • Poor (156)
  • Terrible (121)
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Absolutely Unbelievable

Sep 20, 2020 ronh624 Bethel Park, Pennsylvania

My wife and I checked into this place on Sunday the 13th of September. We got into our room, We know its older, as we have stayed here before. Definitely needs updating, but it has gone from needing updating to needing demolished! We got into the room and went out to dinner, getting back around 10pm. The room felt warm and we wondered if the ac… Read more
My wife and I checked into this place on Sunday the 13th of September. We got into our room, We know its older, as we have stayed here before. Definitely needs updating, but it has gone from needing updating to needing demolished! We got into the room and went out to dinner, getting back around 10pm. The room felt warm and we wondered if the ac was working, after around 1 hour of it not cooling off we realized there was a definite problem. We put up with just the just the blower fan for the night, and the next morning I went to the front desk. The woman there was VERY NICE she moved us right away to a "better room" . After getting into the new room we went to the beach, which they never told us was being dredged and had a HUGE pipe running from siesta to the end of lido beach . Now onto the room it was cool enough so the a c did work but, Paint peeling off the doors , MOLD on the pillow, Fixtures were disgusting, A C Vent mold also and the ceiling was blistered and damp the parking garage on the second floor where we parked NO LGHTS and garbage at the entrance laying around everywhere. When coming back one night around 10 there were 2 racoons rummaging thru the piles of junk on the first floor of the garage. I feel bad for the front desk personne this place should be closed and rebuilt. I understand that this is supposed to happen at some point in the fluture. The thing is they are milking it till the end and just making people mad by staying open with this terrible building Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating One night stay

Sep 13, 2020 isabellalZ7437MY

My family and I stayed for one night. Is a very old hotel, humid rooms,carpets in hallways (crazy to be beach front) I was disappointed because pictures in website show a very different thing. They really need update it.
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Worst Birthday Present I Could Have Given My Poor Husband

Aug 29, 2020 L4001BGlisac

This is by far the most disappointing motel stay I've ever experienced. The first room had ridiculously old mattresses that looked more like a sway-back horse than a bed and there was a poor whining dog in the room next door that would not be quiet. The staff were kind enough to move us to another room but this wasn't any better. This room smelled… Read more
This is by far the most disappointing motel stay I've ever experienced. The first room had ridiculously old mattresses that looked more like a sway-back horse than a bed and there was a poor whining dog in the room next door that would not be quiet. The staff were kind enough to move us to another room but this wasn't any better. This room smelled like the last guest smoked weed in here and there were ants EVERYWHERE in the bathroom and the sink and counter outside the bathroom. There was also someone else's used soap on the window ledge in the shower. If there had been another beach front room available we would have left. This place calls itself a resort but it is a trashy motel. When I told the front desk about the ants they said they'd have someone spray for ants while we were out.Foubt that happened as there more ants in the room when we got back than before we left.I went out my car and got disinfecting wipes to take care if the ants. Got better results than whatever they say they did. Shame on this company for how they misrepresented this property online. The rooms in the photos look nothing like the dingy dirty ant ridden rooms on site. The carpet is old and musty, the paint is peeling and mildewed in places. The whole place is disgusting. I will be reviewing this place accordingly on every site possible. The worst part is the front desk staff tried but they are clearly understaffed for what is expected of them. Despite their kindness it was not enough to make up for generally awful this place is. This was supposed to be a romantic little getaway for my husband's birthday. What a disappointment to have this special occasion ruined. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating DO NOT STAY HERE!

Aug 21, 2020 nicholascG368UB

This hotel is extremely outdated and poorly run. Despite being located on the beach (which was closed), the rooms were dirty and reeked of mildew. Sinks/tubs were slow to drain and the water quality was highly questionable. With the exception of one person, the hotel staff was unfriendly and unwilling to assist with basic requests. This was… Read more
This hotel is extremely outdated and poorly run. Despite being located on the beach (which was closed), the rooms were dirty and reeked of mildew. Sinks/tubs were slow to drain and the water quality was highly questionable. With the exception of one person, the hotel staff was unfriendly and unwilling to assist with basic requests. This was obvious at the pool bar and front desk, who did little to control guest behavior and late night noise. Don’t be fooled by attractive rates and location. The entire resort needs to be renovated. The only plus was the food service, prompt and very good. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Should have went down the road.

Aug 11, 2020 mclarencvo

I dont typically get worked up over a bad experience. This place is beyond repair. Beach access is laughable there is major construction going on right now i will share pics. We were able to get into the water but it was nasty. The beach is filthy a very thick seaweed barrier before getting in the water. I would advise that you bring water shoes… Read more
I dont typically get worked up over a bad experience. This place is beyond repair. Beach access is laughable there is major construction going on right now i will share pics. We were able to get into the water but it was nasty. The beach is filthy a very thick seaweed barrier before getting in the water. I would advise that you bring water shoes because the layer of shells is pretty bad walking into the water. We had old M&M's all over the floor when we got in. My friend had old moldy chicken wings behind his desk. Both rooms smelled bad especially his because of the wings there was even an ozone machine sitting outside his room im sure they were trying to get the smell out. Its sad because the pics fool you but just read the bad reviews and trust them. The good ones are paid or are in other rooms I guess. We ended up going down the beach to get in most the day the resort fee is not worth it when there is no services or a nice beach. Couldn't even get beach towels outside. Read less