Ask the Floridian: Where to Stay, Cheap in Sarasota

Answer: I would say most any of the places on Siesta Key are pretty much ok to stay in; the key is to look which days are available or if you can get them for less than a week. Many find Longboat Key expensive and not as interesting, though toward the south it is cheaper and crossing onto Anna Maria and Bradenton Beach area offers many other options.
Ditto with St. Armands, where restaurants are touristy. Many of the most popular hotels get booked up year after year. Some recent friends have stayed at Tropical Breeze, and found it convenient to the Siesta Key village. Friends have also stayed inthe 1960s era Jamaica Royale, which is nice cause its one story and lots of parking and near the good beach.
Turtle Beach is at end of Siesta Key…it has Turtle Beach Club which is often around $250 a night. And remember; Sarasota County still has free parking at the beach. That’s a great money savings and helps make rooms away from the beach more valuable to tourists.

Some folks like to head down the road a bit. Venice has a cool place and prices a bit less steep.

Surprisingly, I find one of the best deals for old school Florida is Boca Grande, Florida. With Gasparilla Properties, you can find a larger place for a number of folks on that island. If you like to relax in small town and walk on beach, then that is a great choice. Nearby is Palm Island (ferry to it) and even on mainland at tip there Cape Haze its around $1,400 a week for a unit bigger than hotel. The Innlet hotel there is $135 a night and its right on bayou, overlooking fishing boats with great breakfast grill. That’s my kind of place.

In downtown Sarasota, Hyatt is a Hyatt and Ritz is very much new money. Slightly funky is the Helmsley Sandcastle; its where Leona’s dog lived until it died. When I was there a few years ago and the restaurant steak house was like some other era of vinyl booth 1970s steakhouse, but in a good way. Kinda cool actually if you like that sort of thing. There is also a Holiday Inn; great view but no big bargain, though you can’t beat the location.

If you want REAL cheap you can stay in one of the motels along Tamiami Trail north of downtown, though you have to use your judgment when you see them. I wouldn’t book without some real investigation as some are really cheap for a reason. Traffic is never a big problem.

Some have had good luck by looking on VRBO. A friend rented an apartment duplex downtown for three weeks.  They got it down to $15o a night with kitchen, bedroom, sleeping porch for extra and living room. Walking distance to all fun in downtown Sarasota, which is great.

Others have ideas? Leave them below.