La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Ft. Myers-Sanibel Gateway

The location was perfect, just a 10-minute Lyft ride to the beach, and the room felt cozy with its LED bathroom mirror and backlit bed. For the price, it was well worth it. There was some wear, but nothing excessive like a few earlier reviews suggested. The mildew smell was the main problem: my first room smelled very strong, and it seemed to affect all the carpeted rooms. Even though I arrived late Friday night, 10/3 into Saturday, the woman working took time to help me find another room. The first-floor room with laminate flooring didn’t smell, and she kept helping until I was comfortable. I really appreciated how much effort she put in, especially in the middle of the night. My only suggestion is to remove the carpeting and consider laminate on every floor, since the smell is so strong.

The fire alarm went off randomly in the middle of the night every night we stayed. The room was musty too, and even after we bought three air fresheners, the smell wouldn’t go away. The pool heater was broken, so the pool was freezing, and the hot tub was broken in two ways: it wasn’t hot because its heater was broken, and only half the jets worked. Coffee supplies in the room weren’t replenished, and there was rust and paint that needed attention.

The location was perfect, and I’d definitely stay again. We were on the second floor with neighbors all around and didn’t hear them at all. The room was clean, the bed incredibly comfortable, and the bathroom huge, with plenty of hot water and great water pressure. The pool area was clean and spacious. Breakfast was great too, with waffles, eggs, sausage patties, cereal, oatmeal, muffins, fruit, yogurt, plus coffee, tea, hot chocolate and juice. The room had a dehumidifier, and it stayed free of a musty smell as long as we kept it running in the Florida humidity. My only suggestion is better lighting, since the rooms were very dim.

I had a roach on my face while I was asleep the first night, found another in the bathroom, and then another a few days later. We won’t stay here or at any of their other locations again. They made the beds daily, but didn’t vacuum or clean the bathroom floor or counters. The floors looked dingy, and the carpeting should go. The rooms were also much too dark. Our door had such big gaps that light came through, and the cold draft was crazy during the chilly first few days. Breakfast was okay and the pool area was okay, but overall I wasn’t impressed with the place.