South Seas Island Resort

14 of us with my husband’s family spent one week here over New Year’s eve. The beach is really beautiful and well kept. The pools and slides a heaven for kids. The resort is very spread out. The reception desk is almost 2 miles away from the accommodations and pools and one has to use the shuttle, which runs every 15 minutes, from one end to the other. The reception is also located near the small town of Captiva with more options for food. What we were shocked by, however, was how beat up and rather dirty the rooms were. We were in the 1800 building overlooking the inlet and the ocean. We thought we were getting nice rooms at $ 540/​night. The furniture was absolutely basic and beat up. No glasses to drink water from, no water bottles in the room or snacks. The floors and rugs were filthy and greasy. I’ve never seen anything like that! I tried wiping the floor with a towel and it turned black instantly. The rugs were way their prime, beat up and filthy as well. I called the housekeeping and they cleaned up the floors and I asked to clean the bathrooms too in front of me, while I was looking. The food in the restaurants and the Ship Store was good and tasty but main courses at $ 30-​$ 40 sting after a week… I wish there were more salads and more greens or vegetarian options, not that I am a vegetarian. Simply for variety if you stay for as long as we did. I don’t think we will return to this resort.

We’ve stayed in Sanibel so many times, fortunately this time, we spent it Captiva. We wanted to venture and experience something totally unique, lovely and classy.
We decided to spend the long Christmas weekend on the beautiful turquoise waters of The Gulf and under the beautiful sun.
Breathtaking. That’s all.
South Seas Island Resort is ultra elegant. Our room was immaculate facing the gorgeous waters. And I couldn’t have asked for more. The utmost attention the staff provides, is beyond words. Front desk service, is on point the few days we were there. The room was very comfortable, and fully equipped with the basics amenities: flat screen TV, refrigerator, access to laundry room and more. The grounds were incredibly pristine, as they should be.
But let me move away from all the housekeeping details.
What always captivated me about The Gulf, is exactly that– turquoise waters. It’s as if you’re in the Caribbean without leaving American territory. Water is still turquoise– like the Caribbean. And so, so, so warm. The only quirk about Captiva is their sand. Sand here is grey and not that milky white sand you’d typically get in Sanibel Island. But the color of sand did not put a damper on my trip. I had to get it together and focus on more important things and absorb the beautiful sun rays. Weather was magnificent, I spent the few mornings, afternoons and early evenings-​hour after hour swimming.
Staff was amazing and South Seas Island Resort is extravagant in every aspect and thrive on providing the maximum best. I can’t wait to be back.

My family (two adults and a kid) spent 4 nights over Christmas week at the resort. Here’s what we enjolyed about our stay at the South Seas Island Resort:
1. The grounds are immaculate, including the beach, the marina and the golf course.
2. The tennis club was excellent and I was able to schedule and cancel lessons and court times without challenge.
3. Housekeeping did a fine job and did not seem intrusive.
4. My 8-​year-​old, who is typically very selective, loved the Sea School, and asked to go back the next morning.
5. The pools at the «water park» are great and heated. There is also a hot tub.
6. We enjoyed our dinner at Doc Ford’s.
7. The trolley service is convenient.
Other things to know:
1. The Marina suites (650 sq. ft.) are guest rooms with larger bathrooms. They are not really «suites» in the sense that a suite has a separate living room. There is a queen or king bed and a few feet away from the bed there is a small sleeper couch facing the dresser/​tv. We had booked a marina suite, but when we checked in and called to complain we were promptly moved to a two-​bedroom marina apartement nearby. That was very nice of them, of course, but both the suite and the apartment really need to be updated. The rooms, the bathrooms, the furnishings, the décor are old and cheap.
2. Potentially because the property is so spread out, the bell service is non-​existent. Actually, service is very lean. Concierge was unavailable and then (clearly rushed) provided inaccurate information about the Sea School schedule. No one helped us to move rooms at check in. There was frequently no one at guest services when we stopped by. There was no beach chair/​umbrella service and no one on towel service most of the time at the pools.
3. Bikes are available for rent but you have to go off the property. Do yourself a favor and rent from Yolo in town, not from Sunny Island Adventures, whose bikes are truly terrible.
4. Food and drink are extremely expensive. $ 40 for a grilled fish entrée at Harborside grill. $ 13 for a virgin cocktail at the beach bar. $ 22 for a plate of hummus and feta at the Snook Bar. $ 11 for an (awful) grilled cheese sandwich at the store/​deli. You get the picture.
5. No drinking water at the apartment. Had to pay a $ 10 fee to get a couple bottles delivered as the provision store did not carry gallons of water. Please — if you want to claim to be environmentally aware, do not then sell small water bottles at the store.

We have been going here for the last few yet and it is a beautiful. They have great birds of prey to take pictures of. The T dock for fishing is great and you can rent a rod and reel and you do not need a license to fish. Kind of pricy but they provide great service.

Property beautiful, room was clean and quiet. Bait and switch with «specials» unacceptable at the prices paid for this vacation. Prepare to pay 20 per cocktail with tip — am not even kidding. Luckily I anticipated this and we brought our own cooler to beach and lunch foods and drinks. So if you are getting away on a budget that is a must. Room fridge was warm so make sure you take big cooler. No ice on premise we had to buy bags even though we stayed on «hotel» portion. Special Board outside poolside restaurant advertised $ 5 Bud special — which I specifically order by name «we’d like the $ 5 bud special on the board down there» we were brought glasses of beer — figured at 5 bucks why not have 2 — bill came we were charged 10 EACH plus 1.50 up charge for 4 beers — 11.50 X 4 for beer!!! …I told her I very specifically ordered the 5 special — she said oh well that is the 16 oz bottle sorry — we can’t adjust it you drank it. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT?. The «grouper» is NOT Grouper I DONT CARE WHAT THEY SAY, I have lived in Florida 30 years and I’ve had real grouper. I expect these rip off tactics in Bahamas not in an upscale resort in the U.S.
**UPDATE POST CHECK OUT CREDIT CARD HOLD SITUATION** — So I guess they upgraded their system which caused some gliches in breakfast buffet charges etc… I was very irritated today over hold charges on a credit card when we paid in full upon departure. I was not very nice when I called them but I DO have to say the manager was very nice despite me being rude out of sheer frustration and did work all day to get things corrected and credited back to my credit card. I’m upgrading a star because she did apologize for what we experienced with the bar mischarge and the breakfast charges that didn’t get taken off. ******ALL CHARGES WERE NOT TAKEN CARE OF TWO DAYS LATER as manager above promised she would take care of — AND THEY ARE STILL CHARGING FUNDS THEY SHOULDN’T — WHAT A JOKE. BEWARE if they make a mistake and charge you for things they shouldn’t they can tie your money up for a week or better — THIS IS A CREDIT CARD NOT A DEBIT CARD (which they specifically reference when you check it — debit I get it they place holds on your money).
What did I RE-​Learn: No matter what level of resort you go to or where it is located Always get a detail PAID IN FULL receipt when you leave and keep it (which we did thankfully) and always keep all your receipts when on a resort and track everything you spend and make sure it jives with your bill. Again I’m irritated because I don’t expect all these types of things from a place like South Seas.

Over all amazing! The entire staff went above & beyond. We had an amazing time.

Captiva is gorgeous — nice beaches, sunsets, shelling, nice people. But SouthSeas was a major let down! We planned this family reunion months ago. In preparation for it I called south seas several times with loads of questions. Since I have 2 kids and my sister has two little kids I was concerned about room layout and access.
I asked of the 2 bedroom was in fact, 2 rooms. I was told yes on several occasions. I asked if the «tennis villas» were car-​to-​door access, I was told yes. I also asked on my sisters behalf that no stairs were needed to access the villa or bedrooms, I was told no, that wouldn’t be an issue. We both called to confirm our reservations days before and again, told no prob.
These are not villas! They are open breezeway apartment buildings with lots and lots of stairs. One elevator which did not work for us. Our villa was top floor and a loft — not a two bedroom! Zero privacy for my husband and I – our first real vacation in a year. My poor sister spent her entire time blocking off the stairs and in our villas and keeping her baby from going up the stairs.
You can’t use CASH or credit card anywhere on the resort property. Some of the people on the family reunion (including my kids) had saved cash to use. My kids were so upset as they had saved chore money and birthday money to use as they wanted. At the end you can pay however you want, but it defeated the purpose of budgeting and more.
Drinks at pool are $ 17!!! Insane. Golf on a 9 hole course is $ 100!!! I’ve been at some amazing resorts all over the world and I thought the cost of this place for what you get is outrageous. There is a hefty resort charge per person per day that you get at the end of the bill. It was more than what was quoted on the website when we booked a while back. You also can’t bring your own beverages or food to the main pool area, which are really nice. The smaller pools located by your villa/​condo are ok, ours was very dirty.
Mermaid photo shoot for a kid is $ 42 or $ 81 for both land and water session. Grandparents bought half of the package with us. The water portion was a disaster. I just got the chance to view the pics. There were people in the pool, so pics of my daughter have strangers legs/​butts behind her & other kids swimming around!
My villa door looked like it had been kicked in in the bottom, light & bugs kept coming thru. I took a picture and will upload it to this review later. The best deal on the island? The self-​serve frozen yogurt for $ 6.
One tip: Buy your groceries at the super target or grocery store before you get to the island, otherwise, you’ll be eating $ 8 cherrios with no milk.
Pros: sunset beach/​bar is awesome. Low key and fun. Bartenders were awesome (shout out to David & Alexie). Doc Fords right outside the property was delish, cocktails a little light on the pour. Tennis is affordable and courts are spotless.

The place is nice. The property is clean and tidy. Everything is perfect until you go check out. That’s when you become shocked to learn that there are OUTRAGEOUS hidden fees. We ended up paying $ 600+ dollars for a 1 night stay. Like that’s not enough there is a $ 17 per person surcharge. This should be illegal! This is clearly theft. Unless you like to be shafted don’t go here.

Love this place. The staff are always accommodating and helpful with everything you may need. Five stars for location, free beach chairs, towels, and cleanliness of the facilities and grounds.
Negatives: renting bikes is so nice to get from place to place, but the bikes are junky. I mean awful. If they were free, I would not be complaining. But your paying for this service. The bikes should at least be in running order and for properly. The workers do not help with this.
Restaurants on the island: BRING YOUR OWN FOOD. There is barely anywhere to have breakfast or lunch for any less than $ 50. I mean stop at the grocery store before you come on the island. You will be glad. Get coffee if you do not want to pay for Starbucks ridiculously higher prices and staff that charge you .65 cents MORE for light ice… Give me a break.

I had been here MANY years ago on a boat, and when I was trying to come up with a place for my extended family to celebrate some birthdays, I thought of South Seas.
The drive over from Miami is easy if unexciting. We booked four condos, and everyone showed up on their own time.
Pros:
The beach is great. Clean and full of umbrellas and chairs, the staff kisses your butt. The food there is good and the most reasonable in the resort. (We were shocked by the $ 23 breakfast by the harbor)
The tennis courts look in fine shape.
The golf course is in way better condition than expected.
Kids love the Explorer scavenger hunt. Get the map from the front desk.
Staff is friendly. Mostly foreign staff from places where service is still respected.
Cons:
Attention to detail is not the best. The condos looks to have been renovated in the last few years, but at a poor standard as far as workmanship. Mismatched tiles, big gaps in the finish. Buckets of grout left in our closet. Was I supposed to fix it for you?
Our pull out sofa had only a flat sheet. No pillows, blankets or top sheet to be found. Had to walk over to the front desk at 11PM and ask that some be brought for our exhausted kids who were falling asleep on their feet.
Why did I have to walk? Because I had some drinks and didn’t want to drive. Oh, and the phone did not work in the condo. I informed the front desk while I was there, and they promised to send someone out. He arrived the next day and said «Yep, it’s broken. And so is your internet. But the IT guy is on site today, and I’ll have him fix it.» That never happened. And most places in the resort can only be reached through the on site phones. You cannot call the resort by cell and have them transfer you. That was a huge pain in the ass, trying to arrange golf, food, towels etc.
Food! If you want to bring your own, do it BEFORE you arrive. Jerry’s is a fine store, but is a minimum 30 minute drive each way. And the place outside the gate had very limited selection at gouging prices. $ 4.50 lb Barilla dried pasta. $ 10.00 12oz Folgers coffee. $ 48.00 case of water bottles (jerrys had them at $ 1.29/$ 4.00/$ 3.99 respectively)
The golf carts are a rip off. The carts are through an outside concession unrelated to the resort and cost $ 125.00 a day, with a free shitty attitude thrown in. Arrange carts through YOLO Sports for much cheaper. They drop them off for you at the resort. Now I know for next time.
Overall, It seems like a downscale Ocean Reef. The potential is there, just the execution is lacking. But the prices are on par with OR, so really the only advantage is the beach.

The only reason I am giving this hotel a 4 star review is because it is overly priced! However, I absolutely loved our vacation! They charge a resort fee of $ 17 per person, per day! It includes towels, beach chairs, umbrella, & wifi but it is still a lot per person. Sunset beach is beautiful! Our one year old had the time of his life playing in the water and sand. There are three main pools and one of them has slides that are pretty fun! We stayed in the harbor side hotel marina suites which was great because it was close to everything. If you decide to stay in the south side by the tennis courts you will have to take a trolley to get to the main pools and restaurants. Try and stop at a grocery store or Walmart before entering the island and stock up on food, alcohol, snacks, etc because everything on the island is over priced! It’s an $ 8 toll to get into the island and a bit of a drive. You will see dolphins and manatees all the time by the marina!!! It was amazing!!! Again, yes it’s overpriced but we will definitely be vacationing here again !

Great beach access and uncrowded. A little expensive for food but the pizza place is reasonable.

We decided to spend our 4^th of July with the family here. We can say it has been a pretty relaxing stay. Our kids have enjoyed the pool and the activities they have to offer.
We also enjoyed the food in the pool are with great service. The kids got to enjoy activities in the pool and really don’t want to leave. Running is not a problem here. If you want to enjoy a nice run they have maps with the distance to choose from. They also have a nice gym and cool activities. We enjoyed our stay!

So apparently you can’t get gas for a golf cart here any more, no problem for the last 14 years, but now if you complained the Lee County Sherif and security pays a visit to your door? Thanks South Seas!
Gotta say though an undisclosed personal brought me gas, he could be fired for this !
Thanks!!!

I seriously do NOT comprehend the negative reviews that people are leaving.
I’ve been coming here yearly with my family for 20 years– my step mothers family has been time share owners for 35+ years and we have added on in the family to own 3 full weeks here a year. We hop villas weekly and stay in various parts of the island– the beach houses, which are closer to the entrance of the island, harborview, which is kind of smack in the middle and the plantation house, which is closer to the main pool.
This is an ISOLATED ISLAND. No, there’s not a ton of activities like some all inclusive resort. The whole point of this place is to enjoy the surroundings, lay on the beach and hang out with your family.
No, there isn’t a ton of shopping. No, there isnt a giant abundance of restaurants. Yes, the island is spaced out and you have to walk or take the trolley (seriously??? Cry me a river. You’re on vacation and you’re walking though a gorgeous resort. You won’t die from some exercise or a charming little trolley ride) to get to where you want to go, but people are making it out to be MILES to get anywhere. If you want to eat off island, you probably need a car. The Bubble Room is close enough to take a trolley to the entrance and walk– we do it often and nobody complains about walking though palm trees and gorgeous views.
Yes, it’s expensive. We combat that by stocking our kitchen with groceries before entering the island. We bring a weeks worth of food and booze and we eat as we do at home. There are grills to use at each villa and we do what you’re supposed to do here– enjoy family time together. We fill colored waterbottles fruity, boozy drinks and head to the pool to relax.
I have zero idea of what people are talking about with dirty, dated rooms. Perhaps it’s other villas and not the timeshare villas? I typically take my week at harborview and we squish most of my family on there– anywhere from 10 – 12 of us!!! There’s a master bedroom with a king bed and bathroom across the hall, another room with two twin beds and a pull out bed in the sofa, and another room with a queen bed. The rooms are pretty meticulously kept from what I’ve seen and again– are you staying in your room the whole time or enjoying the island???
Maybe I don’t understand because I spent my childhood coming here and it’s a nostalgic family trip for me. But I’ve also don’t enough traveling to know a crappy place when I see one and this is FAR from it. This is and always will be one of my absolute favorite vacation spots and I have zero complaints.
If you’re looking for ²⁴⁄₇ entertainment, this ain’t the place for you. If you’re looking for a relaxing place to be with your family, this is perfect.

An amazing vacation spot for families and couples alike. I was here in Feb/​March and had a wonderful time. The staff are amazing (especially the guy that works at the pool entrance!) and help you with anything you may need during your stay. The grounds are immaculate and the island is a great escape from city life/​reality. I loved my stay here and will definitely be back to Captiva Island at some point!

Meh. Not bad. Not great. Rooms were a little dated. You really had to do your research to find things to do and figure out the map. Feels more like a condo complex than a resort. Would I go back? Probably not but I wouldn’t be against it if a travel partner felt strongly about going… Meh.

I recently visited South Seas with my newly married wife for our honeymoon, based off a recommendation. I have to say I wasn’t entirely enthralled with the place.
For starters, you’re charged $ 6 to get onto Sanibel Island. Then it’s another 45 minute drive to Captiva to arrive at the resort.
I will say the check in process and room were very nice. We stayed in a waterview resort room, overlooking the bay. It was nice to hear the waves at night and in the morning.
We opted for the bed and breakfast package, which gave us a free pass at the buffet every morning we were there. That was definitely worth it.
There’s a lot of outside things to do, if the weather conditions are right. Examples are:
–swimming in/​lounging by 1 of the 3 pools (which includes a bar)
–water activities such as jet skis, paddle boarding, kayaking, parasailing and more
–the beach (which includes a bar)
However, the week my wife and I were at the resort, the winds were above 15 mph and the weather was 60 degrees F and overcast. Not beach weather. So take note: Check the weather before you book your trip. My wife and I ended up in our room for the majority of the trip. Even one of the workers there said there’s nothing to do if the weather’s bad.
Traveling to Sanibel takes 30 minutes and there’s not a lot to do or places to go. It’s a beach community. You’re supposed to be on the beach. And, at least for us, we were under-​aged compared to most of the people staying at South Seas. The average age had to be around 50 – 60 years old.
Overall, it’s a quaint place. Expensive. Make sure to check the weather for the time you’re planning on being there. If it’s too windy you won’t get to do the water activities. Maybe bring some games or a couple good books if the weather is bad.
Oh and the Starbucks on site of the resort? Doesn’t do SBux member cards or giftcards. Which kind of is a bummer.

Pros:
Beautiful Island
Family Friendly
Cons:
Over priced for what you get
Food is mediocre at best
Rooms are tired and extremely loud. You’ll hear your neighbors every footstep.
Mosquitos!!!
We rented two villas on the North Pointe of the island. Based solely on appearances, the more economy rooms are furthest south, you get more expensive as you head north.
Our two bedroom villa aka apartment/​condo was on the first floor. As we entered the room we noticed a placard above the door handle «rooms are not soundproofed, please be courteous». I was concerned about this but shrugged it off.
The second night a family moved in upstairs. We’ve not had a moment of quiet since. Every footstep, every piece of furniture moved, every time one kid chases the other across the villa, we hear it. I would NOT stay on the first floor villa again. You’ve been warned.
We rented two golf carts to get around the island. I recommend this. You’ll thank me.
One of our two carts broke in the middle of our stay. It wouldn’t go over two mph. You’d think the resort would send someone with a new cart, considering we rented two villas and two carts for a week. Nope we had to bring it back to the rental center near the entrance to the resort.
None of the restaurants on the property take credit cards or cash. Everything must be charged to the room. Food is expensive and mediocre at best.
The general store near the fitness center does take cash and cards.
The fitness center was nice for a «hotel gym.» In line with expectations.
Overall customer service would be rated ²⁄₅. More than once we were given wrong information from the front desk. For example being told there was a path to the beach from our unit. Or where to go for the Dolphin Cruise (which was worth it, kids loved it). Ask each individual activity where they are, don’t ask the front desk.
It’s extremely buggy, bring repellant. Mosquitos swarm you after sunset.
So in closing: the island is beautiful, it’s a family oriented resort but the rooms are tired and not soundproofed. Considering what we paid, I would be afraid to see the «economy» rooms.

So what can I say about South Seas Resort?! I LOVE this place. My parents bought a timeshare week over 30 years ago and we have been going every year since. The only time we missed a year was when we had some very bad hurricanes a few years ago. The resort use to be called South Seas Plantation. It got news owners and the name changed. Over the years the resort has seen some improvements and changes.
The resort offers hotel stays and owner stays, in the form of a timeshare. I am not sure of the hotel cost but I hear it is a little expensive. I read some of the other reviews and people putting it down, but what you need to remember is that this resort is on an Island, even though it doesn’t seem like it, it is an island and it is a resort. Things will cost a little more. I absolutely love that the only people allowed inside are those that are staying at the resort. I don’t know how many rooms there are but it seems like a lot. The resort itself takes up almost the entire island.
You have to have a key car/​room card to go anywhere inside the resort or to buy anything inside the resort.
Our room is located in South Seas Club. It overlooks the golf course and then the gulf behind it. We have a private pool for South Seas Club, as do most of the different areas. It is really nice if you just want to lay around and relax. The only downside of our pool is the temperature. Every year the pool is so warm it is like a hot tub. They say they do not have the heater on but I just cant imagine it is that warm just from the sun. We also have a full size kitchen so we can cook in our room. Our rooms at South Seas Club sleeps about 6 people, with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
There is a main pool area with two separate pools. The one pool is much louder and full of kids. It also has the slide. The second pool is right on the gulf and the view is breathtaking. We will usually spend a day or two sitting by the main pool just for the view. A downside of this pool area, and something really needs to be done, is that some people will get up very early and put towels down over a good number of chairs. They then go back to their room and come back around 10 or 11. It is really disrespectful and I wish the resort would remove their towels. If you are not going to sit at the chairs at the time, then don’t take them up.
We usually go golfing in the mornings and the golf course itself is a view and a half! The course use to be longer but was shortened due to the hurricanes a few years ago. I believe it is perfect length and doesn’t take up much time. They have golf carts to rent so you don’t have to walk with your clubs and they come with a couple of bottles of water and a small cooler attached to the side. The guys that work in the pro shop are always friendly and know us by the end of the week.
There are a couple of restaurants on the resort, a few of them are a little pricey, we usually don’t eat much at the resort, but only because there are so many other places on Sanibel and Captiva to try.
All in all, South Seas is one of the most relaxing places I have ever been too. If you are looking for a place to get away and relax and enjoy the pools and beach then this is the place for you. Most of the staff seems pretty friendly and nice. I may be spoiled because my family owns, but we always get good service when we are there. I really think it offers something for everyone. They started this new thing, I guess for kids, but my sister and husband and I did it last year and had a blast doing it. It is called scout-​about and it is a treasure hunt all over the resort and at each place it teaches you about either an animal or area and you collect a bracelet, that you can turn in for a special bracelet. We had a blast doing it so I know that kids will absolutely love it!
This resort is a great place for families to come and visit and just get away. I hope you all have a wonderful time because I know we do every single year!!!