Sanibel’s Song of the Sea

The Song of the Sea motel on Sanibel Island, Florida was very quaint and neat. The staff were friendly and made us feel right at home from the very beginning of our stay.
Our unit was nice and located on the second floor facing the Gulf of Mexico. The bedroom was tiny, and it was tricky to maneuver around the king-​size bed, but it was pretty comfortable .
We had a small kitchen with a stove, a regular size refrigerator, a small sink, and a microwave oven. We were missing a large frying pan to cook bacon in for breakfast, and the staff quickly brought us a brand-​new fry pan.
There was a small living area with a medium size sofa, and a little table with two chairs to eat on. We had a nice size flat screen TV to watch. We were also able to access the Internet with free Wi-​Fi service.
Each morning we went to the office where there was a nice continental breakfast prepared. There were many different delicious breads from a local grocery store. We always had a nice selection of fresh fruits and juices. You could make your own waffles. The coffee was good. The ladies that took care of the breakfast were so nice and accommodating. We ate our breakfast outside on the patio on tables that had umbrellas for shade.
We checked out two bicycles and rode around the island one morning, which was a lot of fun. There was no extra charge to use the bicycles.
There was a coin operated washer and dryer on the premises, which was quite helpful. It’s always great to go home with clean clothes in your suitcases.
The swimming pool was very nice and clean.
The beach was beautiful and the water was very calm when we were there. We enjoyed walking up and down the beach searching for seashells.
Even though we went there in the middle of August, it was not miserably hot because there was always a nice breeze coming off the water.
I would recommend staying at the Song of the Sea if you would like to be somewhere quiet, relaxing and low-​key. We will definitely return one day.

Beautiful location, nice facilities, reasonable prices. The staff are mostly super friendly and helpful. Free bike rentals, free helmet rentals, free towel and beach equipment rentals, and a free breakfast.
One complaint is that everything closes at dusk and the only services are located at the adjoining hotel which is inconvenient and weird. Also poorly lit at night, bring a flashlight.

Stayed here for our 6^th Anniversary and LOVED it! Perfect environment for a romantic getaway/​vacation. The staff was extremely friendly, informative, and helpful. Everything was included which was a nice surprise (Beach chairs/​umbrella, bikes/​locks, breakfast)
We thought it was perfectly located. Close to the lighthouse, to the market, and to plenty of shopping! Some of our favorite places to eat (less than a couple miles away) were Bennet’s, Cheeburger Cheeburger, and Timbers.
Highly recommended and will stay again!

Song of the Sea deserves more than three stars … but not quite four.
We stayed four nights here after a week at Hyatt Coconut Plantation in Bonita Springs … and in fairness Song is not a Hyatt. A few days on special Sanibel was what we needed and Song mostly fit the bill.
Some of the pros:
Pleasant and accommodating staff. Special shout out to Rochelle who worked hard to find nearby WiFi spots when the WiFi was out for many hours.
Extended continental breakfast was tasty. Two juices, plus a variety of fresh fruit, cereal, bread, bagels, English muffins, yogurt, hard boiled eggs, make-​it-​yourself waffles, plus coffee and Tzao tea. Yogurt was pretty mediocre, but the fresh strawberries on the waffles were good as was the cinnamon bread when toasted. The good breakfast here meant we saved quite a bit on breakfast during our stay.
Bright white towels. Plenty always left after our room was cleaned each day.
Steps from the beach … good shelling.
Small screened in porch with great view of the beach.
DH took advantage of one of the available bikes.
Some of the cons:
Very small bedroom leaving less than a foot between the bottom of the king size bed and the wall!
Wall kitchen was minimally stocked. Tiny, tiny sink. We weren’t able to cook any meals as planned.
Sliding louvered doors to the porch did not slide properly. Joe did his best to fix it, but could not. We decided we would «live with» a panel that would not slide.
Dirty couch with a hole in the cushion. A shame as it looked like it was fairly new.
All in all a good stay. After some initial disappointment, we settled into a good stay. However, with so many other options on Sanibel and Captiva, I am not certain Song of the Sea would be a choice for repeat business.

We will definitely be coming back: We just got married and are pretty much broke, so found this hotel. On the beach, had pools, looked ok. I was surprised when we arrived! Loved our stay here. I abhor chain hotels, so this was perfect: the room was very nice, beds were super comfy, bathroom a bit small but definitely clean, the room had a lanai (porch) where one could sit and eat breakfast/​etc. We had a pool side room and could see the beach from our room, which worked out very well. We went the week before Christmas and it was relatively quiet, which was wonderful! The staff was so nice and welcoming! Rochelle at the front desk was so personable and we had a lovely conversation. The staff were real people, not the over-​professional detached type which was very refreshing.
I bought the rooms on
primarily because they had a $ 75 food voucher included in the rate. The food was pretty good at the restaurant: Hubby had Steak which was really good and I had the Hawaiian Chicken which was good, but not as good as the steak. Note: DRINKS ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE VOUCHER. It was a lovely cheap dinner.
Our room had a kitchenette with fridge (essential for leftovers from our dinner at the Bubble Room on Captiva), stove, pans, dishes, and silverware. Very useful if you are planning a long stay.
Great value for the price and includes all the standard amenities for Sanibel:
High Speed WiFi
Private Beach with umbrellas and chairs
2 pools
2 hot tubs
Pool Bar (Not very good drinks though and overpriced)
Restaurant (Great with voucher, more money than I would spend otherwise)
Complimentary fresh breakfast on patio
Complimentary bikes with keys and helmets
Cable
Air Conditioning
Spacious rooms
Definitely staying here again! Can’t beat $ 119 a night + $ 75 food voucher. On checkout they also gave us a 10% coupon for our next stay.
Only regret: We only stayed 2 nights, should’ve stayed 3

Spent 3 nights here during mid April 2012 and throughly enjoyed ourselves. Advertised as a couples retreat so not well suited for families. Met all our expectations with the caveat that the free breakfast is very generous but light on protein (hard boiled eggs and light yogurt). Our large room was wonderful –screened in porch looking out over the pool with clear views of the white sand and gulf beyond. Comfortable bedding and fully equipped kitchens make it easy to just gel. There is a restaurant at their sister property next door. Most restaurants are not close enough to walk but easy drive or doable bike ride (on free bikes provided by SOTS). Pool was perfect sized and well maintained. Hot tub was private and hot! Great place and recommended.

It was very nice. I think we would have been happier some place else. We weren’t very close to anything.
The one thing that stood out for me was the decoration and size of the room. It felt cozy with the wood shutters and spanish tile. It was nice to wake up and have breakfast in the morning and make your own waffles.
The Noseeums ate me up terribly, so we couldn’t walk on the beach at night.
There was nothing that was bad but maybe it could be amazing for somebody else.