The Diplomat Beach Resort — Hotel in Longboat Key

The Diplomat Beach Resort is an interesting location providing the nostalgia of the 1960's when this facility was built. The units open right to the beach much like the one and two story motels of years past. The beach and pool areas are very clean and well maintained by a pleasant management staff.

However, this location is very different from more modern vacation facilities. Many of the design elements are still from the 1960's such as no bathroom fans, old noisy motel style PTAC wall air conditioners, no ADA handicap accessible features (read their website disclosure), etc. Realize also that the Diplomat Resort is not really open to the public, and that your visit is considered to be a guest of the individually owned unit.

Therein lies the real problem with the Diplomat Beach Resort. We saw a number of very well appointed and maintained units from other guests. Unfortunately, our unit 226, was very poorly done with cheap furniture, thoughtless arrangement and showed signs of neglect. The main window, right beside the bed, in this first floor unit has large gaping openings in the blinds and no curtains. Many nights we observed people walking by the sidewalk stopping to look in at us sleeping or relaxing; zero privacy in this unit due to the owner's inexpensive choice of window treatment. Some of the other units have very tasteful and private window treatments, but not 226. The layout of unit 226 puts the only eating table right next to the wall air conditioner, which has to be shut off to eat due to the excessive noise and freezing discharge temperatures. The should be located closer to the kitchen and away from the window issues. The clothes dresser is hidden in the small utility closet, very difficult to accessed with the bottom drawer full of the owner's personal material. Other issues summary: a.) cheap bed frame squeaks loudly with the smallest motion all night; b.) exterior doors need repair and locks barely work; c.) most of the lamps don't work; d.) the DVD player is broken and the TV one of the smallest seen in years; e.) the stove is grossly rusted and others issues.

The Diplomat Beach Resort apparently does not hold the owners to a minimum standard for rental properties as does most condo resorts. The Diplomat website allows renters to leave a review about the individual unit, but does not allow anyone to view these reviews. Had we been able to see the reviews of each individual unit during our original selection, we never would have selected unit 226. The Diplomat should allow the public to see the individual unit reviews since each unit has a very different maintenance experience. After all, by their own admission, you are not renting the "Resort", you are renting an individual unit held to whatever standard the unit owner decides. Our experience shows a tremendous variation in unit quality. If you stay at the Diplomat Beach Resort I would recommend only picking a unit based on a personal recommendation from a known friend. If you pick a good one, you will probably have a pleasant stay. For us, after staying in unit 226 for a week, we will never be back to the Diplomat. There are far many better choices for the price than the obsolete and partially run down Diplomat Beach Resort. Note: this review was also posted on the hidden Diplomat review portal so our weeklong stay can in fact...

I stayed at The Diplomat Beach Resort in Long boat Key in April 2025. It is in a great location and easy access to Siesta Key, Bradenton Beach, and Anna Marie Island. Room 255 was slightly outdated, but very functional. The sunset views from the balcony were amazing and with the beach footsteps away. The property in general is clean. The Units are individual owned and are rented out and maintained by a Property Management Company. That being stated any complaints fall on deaf ears. At the time of my stay ground floor construction woke me up on the first Monday of my week stay. When I complained about the noise 9AM-630PM, the front desk said "It sucks for you, but we can not control any timing of repairs!" I received an email from the property manger in response to my complaint:

"It was brought to my attention by the staff that during the checkout process, you had requested a discount due to the door replacement work taking place on property 4/14/25.

I apologize for the disruption in your stay, because our units are all individually owned we do not always know when projects will be taking place. We also still have a good amount of owners doing upgrades and prep to hopefully help protect the property from any future hurricane impacts (doors, windows, etc.)

The door replacements is an ongoing project that is being done by multiple contractors as their and our schedule allows. Because of the fluidity of the project, we are not giving discounts for this project taking place. I know that is not what you want to hear and understand that will likely keep you from returning to our property in the future. But this is how the project has been handled from the start and how it will be handled through its completion."

So, if you plan on booking with The Diplomat Beach Resort, beware of on going remodeling. Do not expect a refund if you decide to leave due to facility construction. My recommendations for this resort is not rent units above remodeling projects, show some transparency to customers, and invest in hospitality education....

Sept 2024: Our second year staying at studio condo 261 for about 10 days. Updated, clean, nice fresh smell. Grounds are well kept. Pool is warm, immaculately clean, and saw the pool maint. guy vacuuming the pool and checking the chemicals every day. No chlorine smell (which is how all pools are supposed to be). Comfortable bed, nice TV, dishwasher, everything worked. Even had hair dryer and curling iron. Fast WiFI. Had beach chairs and umbrella for us to use. A small safe for valuables. Great balcony view. Super place to watch the sunset. ||Laundry room on lower level. Any time we needed anything (clean towels, toilet paper, etc.) no problems getting it quickly from the staff. I saw someone complain about trash not taken out. This isn't a motel. You take your own trash and recycle out to the dumpster. No big deal. They furnish the trash bags. ||Hop, skip, and jump to the beach. Quiet condo. Friendly staff. Guest book in room tells everything you need to know about the condo and the surrounding area, restaurant suggestions, things to do, etc. Very short drive to grocery and CVS. |Easy drive to Mote Marine Aquarium, St. Armands Circle and north to Anna Maria Island. ||Compared to other places, the price is reasonable, and parking is easy. No hidden fees and I just don't like the big multi-level high rise places that require an elevator to get to your room. This is much better. More like a home. If I could afford it, I would spend the entire winter here. ||The only caveat I can think of is to bring some bug spray. The darn "no-see-um's" will just chew you up. This is a problem all over Florida. No bugs or pests in the condo, though! Not even an ant. ||As it turned out, we were booked to leave on Monday, just before the hurricane hit. The weather the whole time we were there was perfect. I feel very sorry for all the owners of condos, homes, and businesses in the area. What a mess to deal with and such a financial loss. I pray for the best for...