Brief Visits
Like this writer, your first visit to Sarasota might be a quick one, to check things out. He needed a place to crash as he had an appointment with Marina Jack’s dock master to look over slip options for Alto, so he needed something close to the marina and downtown for a couple days. As of 01/03/25:
Hotels & Motels Near Town
The Ritz-Carlton had one room left at $749/nite ($911 with fees) in 01/25. Too much now and too much back in 2019 when this writer found America’s Best Value Inn (pictured below in its better days below) to be the cheapest place, walkable to both the marina and downtown, about half a mile to either. He was there when Hurricane Dorian crossed Florida a bit to the north. He was safe but without power at the Inn – an interesting introduction to southern Florida.
The Best Value Inn is still the cheapest in-town option at $102/nite ($115 w taxes) with a breakfast buffet (prepackaged stuff) included. Quality is on the low side, but there is no other option for a vaguely affordable hotel/motel this close to the marina or downtown.
VRBO and Airbnb
Airbnb is usually more expensive the VRBO as their guest service fee is around 16% while VRBO charge you a service fee of 6% to 15% on the subtotal before taxes. Informal reports suggest Airbnb is more popular with 1–3 day renters while VRBO serves longer vacationers at 10–50 days.
You’ll have to be at least 21 and some places require the primary renter to be 25 or older. As of 01/03/25 there were about 15 Airbnb rentals available for ~$225/nite, with a couple places like a 3 bed/2 bath home with a covered patio for $161/nite. Remember you’ll have cleaning fees even for a one-day stay, which are not usually an extra cost in a motel/hotel.
A few miles out of town on the road to the airport you can stay more comfortably at the Wyndham Days Inn or at a dozen other less-nice motels for around $100-$125 per night. The fancy downtown hotels are now putting on junk fees, like a daily resort usage fee ($20) whether you use the facilities or not. Then you have to pay for parking.
Interesting Options Out-of-Town
If you don’t mind driving back to explore downtown Sarasota
The Ramada Inn at Sarasota Waterfront Units
I’ve always been interested in the single rooms at the Ramada Inn north of town in Whitfield which are mostly privately owned, but serviced by the Ramada motel. There is a marina there, tiki bar and on-site restaurant making it more interesting than the average motel. Costs are around $150/nite but may be cheaper if you book directly from the owner through Airbnb. You do get a complimentary breakfast and included cleaning when booking through the Ramada, though.
