Tropical Sands Resort

Located at the quiet (southern) end of Estero Island (Fort Myers Beach), away from all of the traffic, crowds and congestion at the Times Square area of Fort Myers Beach. All (39) units at Tropical Sands are identical; spacious 2 BR units (about 1350 square feet). Each unit has its own screened porch / lanai. Washer and dryer inside each unit. Full kitchen, dining table that seats 6, spacious living room with a large flat screen TV. King sized bed in master BR with it's own TV and private bathroom with walk-in shower. There is also a second (very tired and in serious need of updating) smaller bathroom located outside of the second bedroom, which has two twin beds and a small, wall-mounted flat screen TV.

WiFi is provided on site at no additional charge and each unit has its' own individual password to securely access the Internet.

There is a deeded, right of way access path to the Gulf shoreline directly across the street from this facility. Crossing Estero Blvd. can be dangerous however, with vehicles speeding along in both directions, completely unaware of the crosswalk there. There really should be a flashing yellow light at that dangerous pedestrian crosswalk, as at numerous other locations on Estero Blvd, but there isn't one at this particular crosswalk. Cross the street quickly and with extreme caution.

Good sized rectangular heated pool on site at the resort. Hot tub was destroyed by Hurricane Ian in September, 2022; as of December, 2024 it not yet clear when the hot tub will be replaced. Lovers Key State Park is less than a mile away, with nature trails, kayak, paddleboard and bicycle rentals and a free tram out to the Gulf beach. Lover's Key is a large and very popular Florida state park, the second highest rated state park in all of Florida, second only to John Pennekamp State Park in Key Largo.

Although older (built in early 1980's), this is a nice enough facility, with very spacious units and located in a great, quiet location away from all the hustle, bustle and traffic congestion in and around Time Square, which is about four miles away. There is a Publix grocery store around mid-island. There is trolley service running up and down Estero Blvd if you want to get around FMB without having to drive or find public parking (which is very limited on FMB and completely non-existent anywhere south of Santini Plaza).

In summary, this is a nice place with very large 2BR units in a quiet location with convenient access to many amenities in the immediate area. Nearby Santini Plaza had been completely closed since Hurricane Ian in 2022, but as of December, 2024, shops are now slowly beginning to reopen there.

P.S. A 2008 review below states that "all units face the pool". That statement is not accurate. 6 out of 39 total units have no such view.

P.P.S. As of 2019, Tropical Sands is a No Smoking resort. Smoking (of any kind) is prohibited within any unit or any lanai or ANYWHERE on the property except for a small designated area located on the north side of the property.

Update, December 2024: This resort was completely closed after sustaining extensive ground level damage from Hurricane Ian on September 28, 2022. The resort reopened on June 1, 2024, but with lots of restoration and landscaping work still remaining to be completed. In October, 2024, Hurricanes Helene and Milton caused new damage which made all 13 ground level units uninhabitable. Repairs to those 13 units are projected to be completed sometime in early 2025.

Staff was friendly and helpful. We enjoyed the extra activities...bingo by the pool.