The St. Regis Longboat Key Resort

What a wonderfully beautiful resort. My the moment we walked in and were handed a glass of champagne, that set the tone. Frazier showed us to our room and he was very knowledgeable and helpful. Jeffrey from the front desk was so helpful and was very accommodating. I will definitely recommend this resort to friends and I look forward to my next visit!!

Exquisite, luxurious, modern, serene! just some of the many reasons to visit this resort. We made a last minute decision to come to Sarasota and we were between this hotel and the Ritz Carlton in Sarasota. We definitely made the right decision! First impressions on arriving and being greeted by Giorgio, we knew we were in for a treat! We were checked in by the lovely manager Eduardo, whilst being served with a glass of fizz in a traditional champagne saucer. For those that don’t know, a champagne saucer is the original glass for champagne and only normally found in hotels such as The Ritz and Claridges (it’s maybe an English thing!) The lobby is beautiful; decor and layout along with a scrumptious scent From there we met the lovely butler Frazier. He showed us around the resort which is definitely worth doing. We were taken to our room, with an upgrade and wow! The view was something else. Everything here is outstanding…from the lovely Eva at the beach bar to the Asian/peruvian restaurant. We are booked into CW Prime tonight which looks fabulous. Thanks to Tim for sorting everything The hotel isn’t big, and apparently it’s at 77% capacity but it feels like it’s 25% as there’s just so much space! Not going to lie, not going to give the lazy river a try, but the kids look to be having a ball in there! The beach is stunning, the beds extremely comfy and love the little button for when you need a drink. We have been fortunate to stay in some amazing hotels around the world, and this is up there with the Burj, Six Senses, One&Only and Shangri La. My only complaint is that we aren’t staying for longer, but we will definitely be back for a little bit of luxury.

Stopped by the new St. Regis to have lunch and check it out before we stay as guests next week. An extensive hotel review will follow then. This is just for their tiki beach bar, The Monkey Bar, but of course no shorter than any of my other reviews. Outside winding entrance road and gate area kind of bare, perhaps because of the devastation from last fall’s hurricane which forced them to close right after opening. Could see lots of new plants, but no palm trees or trees of any kind so looks stark. Hard to tell ballroom entrance you see first vs the lobby entrance further up. Both understated in appearance. Resort offers valet parking only, immediate service upon driving up. Told charge is $10 with a validated ticket from a restaurant, otherwise I think it would have been $37. Asked at reception how much parking is as a guest, almost $60 a night including the tax. Beautiful huge lobby, 3 reception desks to the right. Entrance to CW Prime on the left. Two gas fire places burning even though it was almost 90° out. Gorgeous view of the gulf visible looking straight through lobby to expansive wall of windows. Gorgeous lobby bar in the middle with elaborate stained glass lighted structure overhead (can be seen on line, will post photo next review). Found our way outside past Riva, down steep stairs to another open air restaurant. Got directions to Monkey Bar which was still mobbed at 2 pm. Every table taken, some chair hogs holding seats (with no one sitting there for an hour I noticed). Mentioned it to the waitress who replied not her job to monitor it, and they must be in the restroom. Finally got two seats at the bar. Excellent service. Extremely limited food menu-four entree items? Tropical drinks $25 each. Didn’t care for my grouper sandwich but husband liked it, and they had nicely cut it in half plated onto two plates when we said we were going to share it. Fries crispy, tasty, pirate rum drink yummy. Met several people, none of whom were staying there. All had walked up the beach to check it out. Pool area absolutely mobbed, and actually smaller than it looks on line. Loud music playing. Lazy river looks inviting. Beach much quieter and looks beautiful. Told all seating is first come first served. We walked past an adults only pool to get to the beach area. Smaller with a pretty waterfall feature. Our female server (the only woman) very good. Only negative was the guy bartender in front of us. Ignored us when we sat down, ignored us the entire meal, and looked miserable. Snapped at guests asking questions. Maybe unhappy working during spring break. Very grumpy to anyone who tried to speak to him. Fortunately didn’t have to deal with him. Note that we happened to stop at the Aura restaurant at first to ask was this the Monkey Bar, but was snootily told by hostess that “Aura is only for guests and members”. We must have looked kind of scruffy to her I guess. But I smiled and replied then I guess we’ll see you next week when we stay here. Su

Everything about our trip to the St Regis at Longboat Key was wonderful. The staff, especially the ladies in the coffee shop and bar tenders at Monkey Bar and the main lobby bar went above and beyond to provide amazing service. The rooms were lovely, the grounds well appointed. Perfect for a fun relaxing upscale get away.

Spectacular location on long boat key. The hotel is luxurious in every detail. They tout their butler service. The butler is on demand 24 seven. He provides anything you need from ice, to extra coffee pods for your Nespresso machine, to fresh half-and-half delivered at 7:30 in the morning! The restaurants are beautifully designed, and the food is impeccable. CW Prime was excellent, perhaps the best service I’ve ever received from Gregory our server. Truly something to remember. For breakfast we had a mother daughter team, Dawn and Amanda. They bent over backwards to make sure we enjoyed each morning with them. Superb. The room was exquisite. The bathroom to die for. The patio! Nothing was done cheaply here. The real draw for us was the Gulf of Mexico and the beautiful beach. I don’t think there’s a better spot in Florida. Often we would be the only people in the water and one of only a few on the beach . It was bliss! A huge shout out to beach attendants, Joe and Charles who took such good care of us and laughed with us and played along with my husband’s requests for foot rubs in jest. Kudos to management for finding such stellar folks to do a hard, hot job. Kara Harriman on the management team answered every concern we had our first day and was the epitome of extreme hospitality! We were so grateful for her approachability and kindness! The St Regis, Longboat Key is a treasure, honoring the history of The Colony with their Monkey Bar and maintaining that pristine stretch of Longbost Key!

I had a disappointing experience with both the front desk and valet service. When I expressed concerns about my room, the front desk staff responded by suggesting I either book an upgraded room or find a cheaper hotel in Sarasota, hardly the kind of hospitality one would expect. To make matters worse, I informed the valet that I would be right back, only to be told I needed to give him at least $20 to hold my car for five minutes. He went on to say that they don't make any money unless tipped and that I should be tipping $20 each time. The valet service was unprofessional and made me feel uncomfortable. Overall, this experience did not reflect the standards I expect from a resort of this caliber.