Sea Oats Beach Club

I am partial this is a great resort all the way around. From a great view to friendly people and lots of great relaxing stuff to do. Overall I have stayed here 3 times and never had a bad time in fact...The best relaxing vacation I ever had!!!!! I give this 5 stars!!!!

We have been returning to Sea Oats each January for 13 yrs. We enjoy being close to the beach, the swimming pool and hot tub and being in a safe area. This is a family friendly resosrt with many of the same families returning each year.

We stayed at Sea Oats Beach Club in March 2005; but I have delayed writing this, with the thought that perhaps my perceptions and utter dissatisfaction with the resort might somehow soften over time. However, after experiencing other, "unrated" timeshares thereafter, which were far superior to Sea Oats, I feel compelled to share our experience at Sea Oats. The resort most certainly does not deserve recognition as one of International distinction for 2004, as a plaque in the tiny office proclaims. I am aware that there are several multiple-week owners, who are satisfied with the place, primarily because they come and meet the same group of people at the same time every year. (One of the "leaders" of that group put it this way: "The accommodations aren't that good, but they are adequate and this is a rather inexpensive way to spend the winter in a warm place.")

Having been rather shocked at the resort's condition immediately upon our arrival, we tried to get other accommodations, but all coastal area timeshares were taken at this time. Although some of our complaints might seem minor, their number added up to a major feeling of uncomfortableness, disappointment, and dissatisfaction. Because we discovered something else wrong or defective almost every day, it seemed pointless to complain constantly about all of them; and we didn't wish to be disturbed repeatedly in the unit for repairs to be made. Following are some of our more serious complaints: 1) The office was closed upon our arrival at 4:30 p.m., which was during the stated, two-hour office hours allowed for arrivals. A handwritten note on the door directed us to our unit in this worn, old, converted, two-story motel. 2) The unit was NOT CLEAN, but there was no one available in the resort to whom we could complain at this time, since the office was closed. I had to clean the refrigerator and stove, which had substantial food residue. The kitchen drawers had crumbs and specks of food in them. The floor was gritty with sand in the kitchen and living room areas. There was a candy wrapper and rolls of dust under the bed (discovered later in the week). 3) A paper warned that all foodstuffs should be kept in closed containers, because ants were often a problem in this "tropical area." We had to purchase a large, covered (18 gal.) container for our food, which was rather inconvenient to live out of during a week's stay.4) Further, maintenance of the unit was poor. There was mold in the tub area along with a rusty tub drain and an internally rusty utility cabinet in the bathroom. A beach towel had a three-inch tear in it. A slat in the vertical metal blind in the "master bedroom" had holes in it. The king size bed in this bedroom was comfortable, but it only allowed a 12-inch passageway between the foot of the bed and the small dresser. In the so-called other small bedroom (containing a high- rise sofa bed), a metal slat from the blind was missing (it was on the shelf in the closet), and a second slat fell off on me as I tried to close the blind. The bulb in the lamp in the master bedroom was missing; and the overhead light above the stairs outside our second floor unit was not working. The slats on the Venetian blind over the kitchen table could not be adjusted; the string was missing. A rack in the dishwasher was damaged and rusty. Two very worn, old, unsightly, dilapidated chairs sat on the balcony. The pool and hot tub were very nice, but the umbrellas in the pool area were very faded and the sand chairs were rusty. The only two major problems that we reported were a break in phone service and two defective TV remotes (they could only fix one). If anyone from home wished to phone us, they could only do so if they were aware of the phone number of the direct line to our room. The office could not connect an incoming call to our unit; anyway, there was rarely anyone in the office to receive incoming calls or to give out the unit's phone number! It was difficult to find anyone in charge at the club (we can't dignify it by calling it a resort!).

There were several other complaints/concerns as well. How did we cope with all this? We left early each morning, spent the days elsewhere, ate lunch and dinner out, and basically only slept there (we had no other choice).

Sorry to have to report all this, but we felt it was the right thing to do, even at this late date. We certainly do not recommend a timeshare exchange in Sea Oats.

We spent week #49 (checking-in December 6, 2003) at the Sea Oats Beach Club in Englewood, FL.. this is a small resort (about 25 units).. the units are small, worn and not well decorated.. constructed perpendicular to the ocean, there are very few units with an ocean view.. the exterior appearance from the street is shabby, asphalt parking lot, small front office, a two-floor row of motel-like entry doors.. the staff is sparse and neither friendly nor helpful.. few activities are scheduled by the resort..

Our unit was a 2-bedroom (one of which was a very small room which provided access to the screened porch.. and very little privacy), 1-bathroom, full kitchen (into which the exterior door opened) with a dining table located in the living room..

However, there are compensating features.. the resort is located on the beach/shore of the Gulf of Mexico.. the beach is clean and broad with soft sand and glorious sun sets.. combing the beach for fosilized sharks teeth, which are abundant, is a favorite activity.. the resort offers a wonderful central area which includes a shuffle board, a nice size swimming pool, a large hot-tub/whirl pool and a thatch-roofed picnic area with grills overlooking the beach.. bicycles are available free of charge.. each unit has a screened porch overlooking the pool (the lower floor has access to the pool area from the screened porch)..

Englewood and near-by Sarasota offer grocery stores, art galleries, antique shops, restaurants, museums, botanical gardens, etc. For sun, sand and salt water this resort provides a satisfactory vacation experience.. Joe Tragesser

I have stayed at Sea Oats two years in a row and I find it excellent. It is a wonderful place to relax and a great place to go if you have children. There are many children each year and they all make friends with each other and it's wonderful to see the bonding that goes on. You make lasting friendships and it's always fun to see who comes back each year and what new people you get to meet. I highly recommend it!