The Helmsley Sandcastle
Sarasota resort, private beach on the Gulf of Mexico
On Lido Beach
Facing the Gulf of Mexico on Lido Beach, this casual Sarasota resort features 600 feet of private white-sand beach; the upscale shops and restaurants of St Armands Circle are 1 mile away.
See this hotel on a mapSun, sand, and sports
Kayaks, personal watercraft, small sailboats, and bicycles are available for rent. Guests at The Helmsley Sandcastle also have complimentary use of volleyball and shuffleboard courts and 2 outdoor pools.
More hotel informationBright hues and views
Spanning the 7 buildings of The Helmsley Sandcastle, guestrooms provide views of the pool or the Gulf of Mexico. All have high-speed Internet access, compact refrigerators, and complimentary HBO.
More room informationHotel review summary of The Helmsley Sandcastle, Sarasota Hotel
| Overall satisfaction | 83% of travellers (59 of 71) recommend this hotel | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel service | Hotel condition | Room cleanliness | Room comfort | ||
| 4.2 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 4.0 | ||
| Scores are based on a 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) rating system. | |||||
Most recent reviews and ratings for The Helmsley Sandcastle in Sarasota
All reviews displayed are submitted by customers who stayed at this hotel. Only the 3 most recent reviews are shown.
| Overall satisfaction | Hotel service | Hotel condition | Room cleanliness | Room comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 |
Michael
Was expecting more up-to-date facilities.
| Overall satisfaction | Hotel service | Hotel condition | Room cleanliness | Room comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.0 |
On the beach and great facilities
We get consistently good service and facilities at the Helmsley. It isn’t the height of luxury but it strikes a good balance between cost and location/facilities etc. They have their own section of beach, a deck if you want to watch the sea without getting your feet sandy and good pools and pool bar. The little gift shop at the hotel is good too. Beds are comfortable and the breakfast is good value. The only things we think fall short here are the lack of wi-fi (coming soon) and the bathrooms could be bigger - but it’s not a major problem.
| Overall satisfaction | Hotel service | Hotel condition | Room cleanliness | Room comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 1.0 |
Beds are awful
The first room we were given smelled moldy. The hotel worker seemed put out by our request to move. We were moved to another room that didn’t smell, but the phone in the room didn’t work and no one came to fix it our entire stay. The beds were rock hard and very uncomfortable. The rooms are small and out dated. On one of our nights there we had no place to park in the parking garage. The two pools were wonderful and the ocean was great. I would probably not stay there again.
