My mom and I booked 4 nights here. We left after 2. Yes- the view was great of the gulf. But really- cheap plastic balcony chairs - enough said. The decor in the room looked as if were left over from a frat house. There was little hot water in the shower- which I did report and maintenance did come to remedy it, but really- that is not something that happen at all. There was a wet spot on the carpet next to the entry door that did not dissipate at all in the 2 days we were there. The walls are paper thin- we could hear conversations in the next room clearly- even at 2 am.

No worth the money- even for the amazing sutset views.

I did not use the pool or the restaurant.

I found some members of the front desk staff to be surly.

We left and went to the Ritz- now that's a nice hotel!!

Just returned from a 4 night stay. We had a king with a gulf view. The room was adequate in size, but be aware, there are 3 different king size rooms that we saw. Try not to get a corner room - it is the smallest. The bathrooms are not big and the water pressure was low. The room however was very clean.

We had a balcony over looking the gulf which had great sunset views. The pool area was nice and clean, but we spent all our time at the beach.

Our stay was very nice - the best part is the location. Walking distance to St. Armand's Circle. We did not rent a car. The hotel offers a free shuttle that we utilized when necessary - to a couple shows, Ringling Museum and to and from the airport. However don't forget to tip the driver.

If you plan on just a few days, I'd skip the car rental. Most everything you need is within walking distance. Great restaraunts and shops.

We would definitely stay here again, it's less expensive than most of the hotels in the area., but still nice.

We chose the Holiday Inn for its location on the beach and how the pictures looked on the internet. When you get to the property it isn't quite all that as seen on the internet sites. The King Room with ocean view was small and it had the SMALLEST bathroom you could ever have in a hotel. If you were a very large person or had small children to bathe in the bathtub you would have a hard time. The mattress did sleep pretty good. Even though we did not eat at the roof top restaurant we heard it was a good place to eat. Our bartender, Kelly, was new to the hotel but she tried hard to make my drink extra special. The location was within walking distance to the shops. Overall our stay was fine but you are definitely paying for the location here as the hotel isn't all that. The hotel was clean but the one thing I noticed is ease of getting your luggate into the hotel. It was steps in front and back and the one ramp in the back was difficult if you had quite a bit of heavy luggage on your cart.

We spent 8 nights here (Feb 1 to 9). If the 3 most important factors in real estate are location-location-location, this place has it. Room 624 was gulf view, with drop dead gorgeous direct water view. (Ask for a gulf view room) The room itself has a single king bed. Room size was good, about 20 x 24. Decorating and furniture was modern, and pleasant. A full width balcony was great. The bathroom was functional, but a little out of date. The maid service was good. We called for a few items (extra hangers, etc) which were provided within a few minutes. The front desk staff is friendly, but not terribly knowldegable about local restaurants.

The beach is fantastic. Cross the street, turn right, and you can walk about a mile along an almost unspoiled Gulf beach. Take your car to the south end of Lido key, and a beutiful state park has a mile of so of beaches along the Gulf, Sarasota Bay, and tidal marshes. Lots of fishermen here, and large (3 ft tall) birds (herons, I think) standing on the beach waiting for handouts.

Walk out the back door of the hotel, and the upscale restaurants and shopping of St Armand's Circle are within a very short walk.

The hotel has been redecorated, and by itself is not "luxury class". It is pricy, but it's great location on quiet Lido Key, Gulf View, and beach access makes up for it.

Sarasota is a great destination, as well, with plenty of restaurants, theatre, museums, etc.