Surf & Sand Hotel Pensacola Beach, FL — Hotel in Santa Rosa Island

Came for the Blue Angels Pensacola Beach show. Room was greatly lacking. Bathroom sink clogged day one. Comforter had holes worn through. When you open the bathroom door, it hits the comode. We had to adjust the toilet seat so the door would open. Tub stopper did not work. (Phoned my journeyman pluimber husband for instructions on how to fix the sink and tub stopper issues). Windows may have never been washed. Lantern outside our room on the balcony flashing on and off. One of towel sets we requested, contained one which was blood stained. Holes all over the door frame where the maintenance crew tried to install the deadbolt. Filthy floorboards. Mold on the bathroom door. We had to go down to front desk to get more towels, to get more toilet tissue. They are only "allowed" to hand out four towels, and one roll of toilet tissue. (I'm sorry. Can you repeat that?) Had to request an iron and ironing board. I get it. This hotel has a three star rating. But they raised their rate for the show, and we were paying $496 per night. Yes. And minumum 4 night stay. My son is in the hospitality industry, a front desk manager for a luxury property in Los Angeles. We know how it goes. Prices are higher on weekends and during events. But if you are going to charge us those amounts, you need to up your game. Despicable. My brother and sister in law stayed at the same hotel and reported similar issues. We felt like we were staying at a run down Holiday Inn. I see the rooms right now are $117/night. (July 18, one week after the show). I talked to the front desk when we were leaving. One agent was trying to help. She comp'd our parking for a whopping $10/day. The other agent said, "Why didn't you tell us?". Well, because what would you have done? Your hotel was full. No way all of these issue could have been handled. Positives: very friendly staff, especially Elizabeth, who ran the breakfast service. Complimentary dogs and burgers by the pool during the shows. Nice private beach on the Bay side. Not too crowded. Nice Adirondeck chairs. Free paddleboard rentals. Really decent view of the Blue Angels dress rehearsal. My nephew is on the Blue Angel's team. He also commented on what a great spot we landed for the rehearsals. (We were on the beach for the show). No. We won't be back. But thank you to all of the staff who were very friendly and...

My room was exactly what I needed for the most part. The bed was soft. The room was clean. The breakfast was decent. It was basically what I expected. It’s in a perfect location with direct access to the bay, but only for some of us. Elizabet, who served breakfast every morning, was fantastic. She was so friendly and gave excellent service. She gets 5 stars. It was a little weird to see a tip jar at an inclusive continental breakfast, but she was working hard to serve people, and I was happy to tip her for it. However, I was traveling with a group of six people with varying degrees of disability, and we did not have the same, fully accessible, clean experience.

My two friends in wheelchairs not being able to get in the pool, which was one of the main reasons we chose your hotel, and not having appropriate accommodations in their supposedly accessible rooms, which they paid extra for, was unacceptable. They made reservations to what should have been a fully accessible hotel. Instead, they had to make due or ask for every little accommodation. That is unacceptable. Nobody on the property being capable or knowledgeable enough to operate the pool chair is unacceptable. Being unwilling to contact the GM about the issue, even just to ask a question, is unacceptable. Having to ask for a shower bench in a supposedly wheelchair accessible room with a full height bathtub is unacceptable. One of my friends came to a beach vacation where he was unable to get in the water anywhere, including three bodies of water. The hotel pool being properly accessible would have and should have afforded him that opportunity. It is dehumanizing to treat accessibility as optional or an afterthought. That affected our entire group’s stay. That is four rooms of people.

Two friends staying in another room said the room was dirty, with used coffee pods in the coffee maker, dirty towels, no phone, and a TV that did not work. Two more friends said their phone did not work — in an accessible room that did not have all of the accessible features until the guests had to verbally request them! None of the wardrobes had hangers in them, so I’m not really sure why they were there. They were just taking up space.

Six people between four rooms is a lot of money to never return to your hotel, even if we come back to Pensacola with other groups or alone...

$782 for three nights in the month of May 2024. Overall the location and staff are great - However rooms, facility, and amenities are so so.

The location is a gem. It is located right across the street from the beach ball statue parking lot - super convenient! All interactions with the front desk and staff were friendly and prompt. The woman who runs the breakfast station is off the charts with top notch hospitality and service! The opportunity to rent kayaks and bikes for free is a great amenity. If we were staying longer I am sure we would have indulged. The sunset can be perfectly watched and enjoyed in the pool / private beach area. We saw dolphins every evening! The fire pit by the pool is a vibe. Air conditioner was powerful and effective. The black out blinds were exceptional. The breakfast was basic but still had a good variety - the waffle machine is the best part tbh.

The so so; Shower water pressure was pretty low, the wall mounted soaps in the shower are awkwardly placed offering not alot of body room under the shower head, the towels, bath mat, and toilet paper were low quality, there is only one trash can located in the room, the fridge was a great size but the racks were very tiny which did not offer much space for takeout containers / leftover let alone regular groceries, the pool is heavily chlorinated, the private beach is wedged between boat docks, elevator sounds sketchy while riding in it, paid parking for a hotel located across the street from free parking does not still well with me.

The negative; The door lock (pictured) was rusted and was so sketchy. If I was a solo traveler or in a girls group I would have requested to switch rooms. It did not feel secure at all. Used towels have to be traded in for fresh towels - inconvenient. Room service is by request only so the sand in the room after one visit to the beach or pool is a nightmare. My husband's back hurt after one night from the bed quality and did not sleep very well for most of our stay.

The choice to stay here was an ANTI Airbnb decision and in the name of free breakfast and location - we are just OK with the price and experience. We would most likely choose to stay here again on our next visit...