Island Inn has again been recognized by TripAdvisor in 2019 with the Certificate of Excellence. We are proud to have received this designation each year since 2011 when TripAdvisor began awarding the Certificate. The award is given to hospitality businesses delivering great service around the globe. Only a small number of businesses are recognized. The award is based on overwhelmingly consistent positive reviews from customers within the last year.

Whether you and your family have been coming to Sanibel for years, or if you are just looking for ideas or lodging options, it pays to go with a well-recognized property. Looking at a map of Southwest Florida, seeing tiny Sanibel curled up just offshore of Fort Myers, you wouldn’t know there are dozens of lodging choices on the island. There are decked-out, high end rental homes with gobs of space and full beach access. There are also tiny, rustic cottages planted inland, away from the beach. Sometimes, shopping online for a place to stay, it can be difficult to tell which end of the spectrum you’re going to wind up with. In other words, how do you make sure your lodging choice will fit your idea of a Sanibel Island vacation once you get there?

Since we first opened our doors in 1895, Island Inn has offered lodging to those looking for a luxurious but tasteful island retreat. There weren’t many choices in those earlier years, when Sanibel was more fishing village than tourist area, and Island Inn developed a unique style as a result. Of course, over the decades we’ve changed, replaced, added, rebuilt and updated our different lodging options to better serve our guests, but the Old Florida tradition of casual elegance has always been at the core of everything we do – our buildings, the food we prepare, the design of your room, the sheets on your bed.

That tradition, trust and track record have been recognized and rewarded with awards and rave reviews, for which we are grateful. Whether you select a hotel-style room for one or rent out the beach house for a large group, it will live up to the Island Inn standard. Born on Sanibel, the Island Inn style of lodging is uniquely our own – not rubber stamped or slickly produced like a chain hotel. We’ve grown naturally and now have several buildings on our 10 acre beachfront property. We could add more buildings, more rooms; maybe decrease the space between our cottages. Instead, we’ve preserved the courtyard of sandy open space that allows each of the lodges and cottages breathe in the warm Gulf air.

After all, when the first vacationers came to Sanibel more than a century ago, they weren’t coming here to feel crowded and bothered. They came to literally get away – to a place more remote and more beautiful than their everyday surroundings. That’s something we try hard to preserve.

For parties sized 1 to 12, among the many lodging choices on Sanibel, there is one spot, one address, one Island Inn hotel and resort. One award-winning place where you know you’ll have the vacation you’ve been dreaming of.