ELYSE

Our first visit to Sanibel and because of this resort - wont ever go back. It is owned by South Seas Plantation, and it was completely overrated and overpriced, over $350. a night for a one room motor court hotel room. We have stayed all over Fla. beachfront in 2-3 bedroom condos for the same or less $$$. After complaining to SSP management by letter, never heard a word. Basically they state they own 1/2 the island and really don't care.

I'm sure there are many beautiful resorts/condos on SAnibel, but when you have such a bad experience on your first visit, its hard to go back.

Lori

Elyse,
Sorry to hear that your first visit to Sanibel was a sour one. I just returned from my first visit myself, but we were SO happy with our condo. I did a lot of investigating on the Internet, and I thought the Seaside Inn sounded pretty nice myself - but pricey! ANd I know people who have loved South Seas Plantation despite the price, and people who own a timeshare there, but we decided to go cheap.

We ended up with a condo in the Blind Pass Condominiums for $707 (AAA discount) for the week. We had so much space and privacy. If you'd like I can send you more information or even photos we took there. Give Sanibel another chance!

Debbie

Hi,
I read the post on the disappointment
with South Seas Plantation. I just
booked a vacation for the end of August
and I thought it would be beautiful there. Can you give me more details
why you thought it was terrible and
if it was actually the South Seas Resort that you stayed? Thanks

Lori

Debbie, South Seas Plantation is on Captiva and you'll have a great time there. Elyse was upset at the Seaside Inn, which is on Sanibel, and owned and operated by South Seas Plantation. She paid over $350 a night for a standard motel-type room, as opposed to a condo-type setup. I don't blame her for expecting more for her $350, and I've heard lots of buzz about the price gouging South Seas Plantation engages in.

Debi

I stayed at the South Seas Plantation on Captiva about 5 years ago. I assume they have done major renovation since then - because I was extremely disappointed with the resort. We had been at the Grand Floridian at Disney World and then I figured a nice beach stay would be relaxing. The furniture and carpet were thread bare, everything smelled old and it was not attractive at all - plus there were raccoons running around all over the place. The only reason that was disconcerting is that they were fairly large and really didn't seem at all afraid of people and you had to work around them. It was a very expensive vacation - but, as I said, they MUST have refurbished it by now. I would ask them that, though - or possibly someone else knows that.

gail

I agree with you Elyse, I stayed at The Sanibel Inn another property owned by South Seas Plantation. We liked the property, but the room was very expensive. We had a terrible experience that we will never forget. We had spent 4 days in the St Petersburg area and had a bag of treasures that was dropped near, but not next to a rubbish barrel when we arrived. The maid threw it away! Regardless my daughter was in tears when she realized what had happened, she had invested her own money also. When I told them what happened they gave me a form to fill out. I think they sent me a $50.00 gift certificate towards my next stay, good for some ridiculous time. I would never stay on their property again, nor would I recommend them to anyone.

Debbie

Hi Everyone,
Thanks for the input... I wish I knew about this site prior to booking my vacation. After hearing the stories about these places I am hesitant now.
Has anyone stayed at South Seas plantation in recent years? I hope I am not in for a big disappointment!
Thanks for any info you have.

ELYSE

You still have time to back out of SSP, as I believe it is a 30 day cancellation. It is probably fine in Captiva, we drove through there on our way back and although it is still extremely expensive, at least you pretty much get what you pay for. The trouble with SSP, they think they can get the same premium for their tiny sister resorts and there just is no comparision, my biggest complaint is there is no one to complain to. I would never give them another penny of our money they seem to think they are so big that they don't have to respond to peoples ligitmate complaints. One day. . . .

On a lighter note, we visited friends staying @ Casa YBel in Sanibel ( a time share property) It was just lovely, I would recommend it to anyone looking for a nice vacation. Beautiful grounds, great restaurant, very nice rooms - and 1/3rd of what SSP charges.

Good Luck - Have a great time! (sorry for all the sp's - in a hurry)

Debi

Debbie - I would call them and ask them when the last time they refurbished their rooms was. What the heck - they should be more than willing to answer that question. I wish I had known to ASK that question. You're right, though, this forum is a good place to get ideas. While everyone has different opinions, standards on what is acceptable to them, etc - you do tend to see trends in the responses. So - just call them and ask them. Tell them you have heard a few complaints that you wanted to clear up.

Debbie

Thanks everyone for your comments...
I took your advice and called to see when the last time the Villa was refurbished. We are renting from a private owner and they said that they just put in new furniture last year when they bought the place. Looking at the pictures on the web site of the unit it looks very clean and nice, but
you never know until you see it in person. The owner deals with a real estate company Royal Shell to rent the condo.. my understanding is that they have to abide to a certain standard, but this might not be true. Has anyone had any bad experiences going through Royal Shell Realty?
Thanks again for all your help. One thing I didn't like is that you have to pay off the balance of the rental fee
3 weeks prior to your arrival. I'm afraid I'm going to give the my money and if I am not happy with the place, I'm stuck..any thoughts on that?

Lori

I rented through an agency, too. It wasn't Royal Shell (though I saw their listings on the Internet and they were very nice) but Properties in Paradise. The setup was the same, as we put a deposit down and paid off the balance with a check a couple of weeks before arrival. I, too, was a little wary of that, but we loved our condo and I'd rent through them again in a second. I don't know what you're paying for a unit at SSP, but we paid $745 a week for a 2 bedroom/2.5 bath two-story townhouse that had screened porches off the dining area and the master bedroom. It wasn't waterfront, but a short walk over alligator-infested waters (ok, so we only saw the alligators once) and down a path. Actually paid less because of a AAA discount.