Vanderbilt Beach Resort

Lauren was a real highlight of our stay. She went out of her way to help with our requests, arranged complimentary bikes, and was a joy to deal with. We arrived early and our room was ready. It had everything we wanted, fully equipped, oceanfront, clean, and homey, with unmatched views. We had an amazing visit at the Vanderbilt Beach Resort and will definitely return.

The sunsets were incredible, and we had a wonderful time on the beach right behind the hotel. There was beach work during our visit, though, and with the high tide we ended up close to the big Tonka trucks moving along the shore. We stayed in a clean two-bedroom, two-bath condo across the street from the main hotel, an easy walk away. It had a full kitchen and laundry machines, plus small supplies like dish soap, a scrubber, coffee filters, shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. The waterway view was still nice. The king bed in the primary room was terribly hard and uncomfortable, while the two twin beds in the other bedroom were firm and squeaked whenever you moved. The primary room had a large closet, an extra sleeper mattress, and a bathroom, but the single-person shower was so small that moving your arms quickly meant banging your elbows. The shower water was a bit too warm, and even with the heat turned all the way up, I would have gone hotter if I could. There were sound machines in the rooms, so I guess they know guests can be loud. Our first night, some guests were yelling and partying outside for about ten minutes after apparently getting back from a bar or somewhere, and they woke us up. Still, it was a good experience overall.

11/20/25. The beach is closed. They mentioned limited access, but there were bulldozers and large dump trucks on the hotel beach, and it was a long walk to reach a usable stretch. They should have been more upfront about the scale of the beach work. No wonder the hotel is empty.

A great hotel in a good spot. It has that old Florida feel, the rooms are clean, and the staff are attentive. The Turtle club downstairs is delicious. Can’t wait to return!