Island Inn

The Island Inn suites are wonderful! These lovely, spacious accommodations include large screened porches furnished with table, chairs and comfy Adirondacks...a perfect place to relax with one's morning coffee or to watch lightening over the Gulf. The Matthews lodge building survived Hurricane Ian with barely a scratch and we wish we had stayed longer than 2 nights. Yes, the evidence of the hurricane was everywhere; high piles of debris lined every road and vacant, damaged buildings were the norm. Beaches were closed to the public, and one needed to show a reservation to cross the causeway from 9pm - 6 am. But the roads and even most bike paths are clear and Island Inn has cleared away the debris from their property and beach so you can walk the sand like always. There were a few "shellers" each morning. Expect to hear some hammers and chain saws and be glad that means that people are trying to put their lives back together. There are restaurants open (make reservations!) and their food is as delicious as ever. (Old Captiva House was amazingly intact and charming.) So if you want to encourage the people who are trying to reopen their businesses, go to Sanibel and Captiva. Eat out. Buy t-shirts. But be respectful of the disaster crews, haulers, and construction workers, cranes and trucks. Observe from a distance; stay out of the way. But go! Enjoy the sun. Dine out. Pick up a few shells. But also listen to the stories and imagine what it's like to lose everything. You'll be blessed by the hope and determination of the people you meet.

We are so sad about what happened to the Island Inn during Hurricane Ian. The whole island was devastated, and the Island Inn--right on the ocean--was not spared. We had reservations for exactly when Ian hit. Obviously, that wasn't going to happen. But what did happen surprised me in an eye-opening way. Instead of going into lock-down, they got onto Facebook and started communicating right away--telling people what was going on at what to expect next. Soon their email was up and running, and they began making arrangements for REFUNDING pre-paid deposits. Which they did promptly and by talking to us the whole way through. What a class act. We see that they've already started the process of re-building from this devastating event. We see that they're dedicated to reopening this historic property. This sets an example--a shining example--of what businesses are supposed to DO when disaster strikes. And actually, the staff have gone above and beyond what could be expected. Well done, Island Inn. Well done.

From booking, to emailing before arrival with questions, to check in, to the experience during the stay, and lastly to check out, everything was perfect and we felt taken care of. The staff we met everywhere on property was so kind. Impressive customer service. Everything was clean. We never had an issue finding an umbrella and chairs on the beach or at the pool. We will definitely go back.