CHEAP SANIBEL! Please help.
 

Going to Sanibel (how long is drive from RSW?) April 25-29. Need a cheap, but clean hotel- have heard Raddison? Island Inn? Want a room that is ~$100-$120. Will spend most of time on the beach (going to rent a car)- does it cost to cross bridge/highway into Sanibel?? Have been once and loved it. Also any good super cheap food reccs? Going for a getaway to get a tan but have little money! Thank you sooo much!!

Last summer we stayed at the Sanabel Harbour Beach Resort--located right before the beginning of the bridge going over to Sanibel Island. A beautiful resort--huge room, beautiful bathroom and balcony. Very clean--very important to me. The room was 105 per night. Go to their website and it shows you everything. www.sanibelbeachresort.com The airport is about 20 minutes from hotel. The toll bridge costs 2 or $3 to go over. But you only need to go over once and stay a long time. I was glad we stayed where we did because our hotel was much nicer than the ones on Sanibel and much cheaper. Have fun.

First, there aren't any hotels on Sanibel. Most are resort type or condos to rent. There are some small cottage type places that are a little cheaper. Most food is resonable on Sanibel. You might do better to stay on the other side of the bridge before you get to Sanibel and pay the one way toll to get to the beach. Comfort Inn is right before you cross the bridge and a lot cheaper (and clean) if that is what you need. A lot of money saved on the room would cover the toll. Sanibel is pricey this time of year and also pretty well booked up. Try Lazy Flamingo for great cheap local food and beer. Also try Seahorse cottages. Cheap, if any available. (www.seahorsecottages.com).They are on Sanibel.

It is not true that there aren't any hotels on Sanibel...they just aren't high rises or big places. I can think of the Holiday Inn and the West Wind Inn offhand that both looked nice. They probably aren't real cheap though. Actually - nothing on Sanibel struck me as cheap!!! But it is great there.

Bridge toll is $3.00 (only pay one way) plus there is parking fees per hour. $1.00 per hour I think.

Some of the smaller motels might meet your budget. Can't name any of them but there are quite a few. Not many amenities but most are on Middle Gulf Dr. so they would be on the beach.

Super cheap and Sanibel seldom collide in one sentence unless it's an oxymoron. :-)

Cheaper food would be the Dairy Queen, don't laugh. Island Cow has big portions that you could share. Great hot dogs at Schnapper's but I think they are about $5. Great fries...some of the best.

I'm wondering if you can find a hotel on Fort Myers Beach. Beach has less shells and more sugar type sand, lots of inexpensive places to eat and lots of cheaper type hotels. Just a thought. Completely different in style from Sanibel however. LMF

LMF is right on about Sanibel! LMF: the parking at the beach is now 2$ an hour! Sanibel and cheap do NOT go together ;-). Sorry Sanibel, you are quite lovely but tres pricey IMO! Judy

To be perfectly honest, lorraine, I'd suggest going to Ft. Myers Beach instead. Why go to the most expensive place in the area when you say you don't have any money? And I can guarantee you that you can get an identical tan on Ft. Myers Beach, where there are lots of cheap hotels and cheap restaurants. Also you won't have to pay $3 every time you cross the bridge.

Is anyone familir with a Raddison near Sanibel? If not Sanibel is there a great hotel with a beach nearby RSW airport?

look at a map. LMF

Hi Lorraine,

I have stayed twice at the Radisson Sanibel Gateway and it is a decent hotel for the price with easy accessibility to the bridge going to the island.

lorraine, you're really confusing me. I wouldn't suggest using terms like "great hotel" when talking about spending under $120 in the height of season in Florida -- particularly on Sanibel. If you want cheap, that's fine, but don't expect deluxe. If you will notice, the Radisson is nowhere near any beach. Decide what you want. A decent hotel with a pretty long drive to a beach, or a decent hotel right on the beach? Again I will mention that there are nice hotels with a great beach right there on Ft. Myers Beach. It is just as close or closer to the airport than Sanibel. Is Ft. Myers Beach as nice as Sanibel? No! Does it have a nice beach? Yes. Is it cheaper for lodging, entertainment, and restaurtants? Yes!