Sarasota Hotels and Accommodation

(Sarasota, Florida - FL, USA)

The biggest and most significant city between St. Petersburg and Fort Myers, Sarasota is an enticing Floridian destination with a very reasonable selection of accommodation. Hotels within the Lido Key District are well-placed for beach-goers, although do bear in mind that Sarasota lodging is fairly expensive all through the year.

Additional hotels can be found close to Sarasota, in neighboring Bradenton, Holmes Beach, Longboat Key, Osprey, Port Charlotte and Siesta Key. Further accommodation is also to be found within Orlando and Kissimmee, both of which are within easy driving distance of Sarasota and home to world-class tourist attractions, such as Walt Disney World, which comprises the Animal Kingdom, the Disney Magic Kingdom and also Epcot.

Where to Stay

Some outlying hotels are situated close to the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ), which is just 5 miles / 8 km to the northeast and right next to the bayfront. Accommodation near to the airport is generally clustered along the University Parkway (Courtyard by Marriott, Hampton Inn and Suites, Hyatt Place, Sleep Inn, and SpringHill Suites by Marriott), and along the North Tamiami Trail (Days Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, and Quality Inn and Suites).

Budget accommodation is available outside of central Sarasota, with Clark Road on the city's southeasterly outskirts (next to the suburbs of Bee Ridge and Sunrise) being a good place to look for cheap hotels. Here you will find two-star lodging such as the Days Inn, which is situated roughly 5 miles / 8 km from Siesta Beach and around 9 miles / 14 km from the city center.

Spend a little more and the standard of accommodation improves greatly. Three-star hotels form the majority of lodging options available around Sarasota's coastline, with some of the most popular including the Island House Beach Resort on Midnight Pass Road, right alongside the sweeping white sands of Crescent Beach. The Sarasota House of the Sun on Siesta Key is another notable hotel for sun lovers and also fronts Crescent Beach, with guest rooms boasting uninterrupted views of the sparkling Gulf of Mexico. Close by is the Crescent Beach shopping area, as well as countless restaurants. On the beach itself, many holiday makers often choose to hire a kayak or jet ski, or take a relaxing cruise to the Siesta Village.

If you are not afraid to 'splash your cash', then you may well like to spend your vacation in luxury, at the five-star Ritz Carlton Hotel on the Ritz Carlton Drive, where accommodation enjoys panoramas of the Sarasota Bay, the marina and the cityscape. Rather less pricey is the nearby four-star Hyatt Regency on the Boulevard of the Arts, which has recently been upgraded at the cost of more than $20 million and comes with its very own private marina. Just minutes away from both hotels is the beachfront, Causeway Park, several theaters and the St. Armands Circle complex on the Lido Key, which is linked by the John Ringling Boulevard.