Turtle Crawl Inn Resort — Hotel in Longboat Key

We rented joined condos 61 and 62 at Turtle Crawl Inn over Thanksgiving with another couple - it was two bedrooms shared by a common living space.   The condos at Turtle Crawl are owned individually but managed by the Turtle Crawl Inn Property Management company.  While we can't speak for the other condos, we can speak for 61 and 62  We should have known what the experience was going to be like when we got the keys to the condo (first picture)||Absolutely THE worst rental experience ever.  I think "a picture is worth a thousand words"  so will share the pictures we took of this abomination which included rusted shower holder, a green tub from the 1940s with no mat that was frankly dangerously slippery to take a shower in, cracked tiles, stained table chair pads (all four) and stained couch, rusted trash barrels, side bed tables in room 62 with no lamps or clock - one lamp for the entire room - (we know why now, too much light would have revealed how awful it was), half a beach umbrella (front desk did give us two), old used air fresheners attempting to mask the constant musty odor (BTW, we went to Publix and bought refills and antiseptic spray), dirty painted surfaces, especially around door knobs. Could go on but will let the pictures do the talking. What was good? The refrigerator kept things cold and the TVs worked. ||As the week progressed management, I assume, decided to start holiday decorating, but abandoned the attempt; as they left an extension cord leading from a storage closet to the half-lit bushes, across our doorway; not to mention the abandoned grocery cart full of decorations at our front door. ||We did bring our concerns to the property manager on our first day there and asked if we could move to another condo or were willing to move to two individual condos and we would pay any difference in cost for the remainder of our stay.  They offered a 20% discount for their tower condos but not a refund for the place we already had paid for. They also told us the elevator was not in service there. ||The property rep said that since these are owner-owned, they would bring our concerns to the owner.  They offered a $207 credit on a 2,072 total bill for 5 nights.  Nothing else was offered.  In hindsight, I wish we had charge-backed the entire bill on our credit card.  These accommodations definitely influenced our stay in Longboat Key negatively.||The beach is beautiful - no doubt about that - but it did NOT make up for the...

Would Not Rent Unit #64 at Turtle Crawl Condos Again – Disappointed Despite Beautiful Beachfront

Our overall experience was mixed. The beach is absolutely beautiful and very enjoyable. The pool, while kept at a good temperature, is quite small considering the number of guests the property accommodates. Unfortunately, sand remained at the bottom of the pool throughout our stay, indicating a lack of regular maintenance.

The BBQ area was excellent, and parking was easy and convenient. Laundry facilities, however, were a big issue—only one washer was working. Three others were out of order, and after losing funds trying to use them, we downloaded the app to add more funds, but it didn’t work. We had to leave with wet clothes, which was very frustrating.

The kitchen was extremely understocked just one pot, one pan, and very limited cooking utensils. On the plus side, the coffee machines were great. In the hallway closet, we found extra pillows, blankets, and an air mattress, but the mattress was dirty and unusable.

The front office staff was the highlight professional and thoughtful. The ladies even offered champagne for my birthday, which we truly appreciated. Unfortunately, the housekeeping experience was the opposite. The housekeeper walked into our unit without knocking and questioned us rudely when we asked for two extra pool towels. When I mentioned there was no dish soap, she insisted on inspecting the unit herself, even after I showed her that I had just purchased some from Publix. She eventually brought over a sponge, but the overall interaction was uncomfortable and unprofessional.

We had reached out prior to arrival requesting to change our reservation to different dates (not a refund), hoping to return another weekend to celebrate with our children in a larger available unit. Booking.com informed us that the owner could authorize such changes, but the owner flatly refused without explanation. It left us wondering if our request was denied unfairly or possibly due to discrimination, as we are a Hispanic family.

Sadly, we cannot recommend Unit #64. If you're only looking for a place to sleep and access the beach and pool and don’t mind intrusive housekeeping, minimal supplies, poor customer service, and questionable management then it might work for you. Otherwise, I suggest looking...

July 2023 The resort consists of 6 buildings. I believe that each room is owned by different individuals, therefore, some rooms are better than others. The tower is equiped with an elevator. In general, the rooms are clean but some of them are very dated and in #72 & #73 we have seen black spots on the ceiling, under the paint (possible mold). Room #402 in the tower was ok, with great view to the beach (was equipped with kitchen and utensils). All the public areas were clean, including the restroom, the pool, the BBQ and activities area. The beach is wonderful, just 1 minute walking, it is quiet, clean, big enough, not crowded. The waterline is shallow especially in the evening during the low tide. The water was warm and clean, usually calm in the morning and wavy in the afternoon. We sighted a manatee and a couple of dolphins. There are free beach chairs available and umbrellas (we had 2 umbrellas in our room and got another one from reception). For shopping, there is a Publix south of the resort, 5 minutes driving and the closest Costco is 30 minutes driving. For coffee I did like Sips and Back Alley Treasures coffee shops. There are a lot of attractions around, I suggest visiting Lido Key Beach where the sand is incredible, to walk and check the shops in the area bound by Madison Dr/Washington Dr/Monroe Dr/Adams Dr (parking is free), then drive to Marina Jack (parking is free) to see Unconditional Surrender, and walk the Marina Jack Trail. Of course, there are a lot of other activities like manatee tours, aquarium and museums. The traffic was not too bad and be extra careful in the roundabouts as people appear to not understand how to use them. The lady at the reception desk was super helpful, I hope the resort is paying her well because she is the reason we stayed and did not take off after seeing the rooms (#72 and #73) and I bet she is the reason this resort gets a...