Holiday Inn Sarasota-Lido Beach, Sarasota

I have no reservations about recommending this hotel. Service was excellent.Location perfect, just across a quiet road from the beach and a short stroll to the restaurants and shops of st armands circle.

We stayed in February of '07 during school vacation week with our 2 kids (11 and 8). Pros: The hotel is in a great location, close to St Armands Circle. Bartenders that work by the pool were very nice and accomodating. They would come around and ask you if you wanted a drink or something to eat. Nice tables to eat at by the pool. Pool was nice. Cons: The beach is across the street, not on the beach. You have to borrow beach chairs from the hotel (if available), or rent chairs (the nice ones on the beach don't belong to the hotel) from 'Cabana Joe' on the beach which are pricey per/hour. The rooms are clean, but very outated. Make sure you request a gulf view if you want a view of the ocean, otherwise you will get a canal view facing the opposite direction and over the parking lot. Food in the top dining room was OK. You could order food by the pool bar, but what was on the menu at the pool was not always available. Hotel definetly needs updating to bring into the 'new milleneum.' It could be so much more if they invested some money to update the decor in the rooms and the bathrooms. Very 70's style.

The room was clean and fresh. The location was perfect for going to the beach and shopping. The tap water was 'nasty', but bottled water was available at the vending machine

The location is fantastic-No doubt about that! Our room overlooked the beach and had floor to wall windows. It is also close to The Circle, which features dining, shops, and other fun stuff to do on your stay. The service and overall stay, however, was terrible. Our room was on a floor where a social function was being held, and you literally had to walk through part of the party to get to the wing where the 7th floor rooms are. Drunk people wandered the halls through the night, loudly talking. We also found some of the party patrons smoking in the stairwell right outside of our room after it filled with the smell of cigarette smoke. The staff would not deliever food up to our room, despite offering "room service". We literally had to go downstairs from the 7th floor to the bar and carry our food up on a tray through the party to get back to our room. The next night, they wouldn't even deliever a drink up to the room! We had to go downstairs and get that ourselves, too. The whirlpool baths aren't what you would expect. They can accomadate two people, but they are so noisy, it's more annoying than relaxing. It was a beautiful location, for sure, and is a great choice if you're planning on just going there to sleep. After the amount of money I paid, I'm not sure if I'll be going back in the future, though.

The accessability to the beach, St. Armand's Circle, and restaurants make this a wonderful location. I've stayed in this hotel three times and it has exceeded my expectations each time. The only negative is the bathrooms were not immaculate--some dusty corners (I am very picky.) The decor is typical Florida style. The views are great--whether it be of the city or the beach. The brunch on Sunday is good--not exceptional. The staff are extremely accomodating. The last time I was there I lost an earring in the pool. The staff helped me find it and fished it out. The walk to St. Armand's Circle at night is lovely and the sunsets are beautiful.

What a wonderful location and these were the friendliest staff I have encountered in a long time. No matter where you are in this hotel, you see water and sweeping views. We walked to St. Armand's Circle each morning and strolled around to shop and people watch. The area is so clean and safe. We also saw dolphins nearly everyday of our stay from our balcony. We will be back!

The beach is superb, the restaurant\bar has an awesome view of the sunset- why go any place else. It's walking distance from all the the shops on The Circle. The Blue dolphin is the best breakfast restaurant. The salty dog restaurant also is great.

I truly have to question the positive reviews that I see of this hotel on every other travel-related Web site. In fact ,I believe that they must be planted by the staff--which seems appropriate, since they spend so liitle time cleaning the hotel or attending to the guests. This is the worst beachfront property in Sarasota.