Silver Sands Gulf Beach Resort

Very impressed! We stayed in a two bedroom gulf front condo and we are very happy with how clean not only the unit is but the all the grounds. Everything is is perfect condition and immaculate ! The beach and pool are fabulous. We feel like we have our own little private beach! Pleasantly surprised!

What a find! First off the place is so… very clean. The beach is not over crowed because the closest public beach is probably at least 2 miles away. We stayed on the first floor in the one bedroom unit (240) oceanfront. Amazing views very convenient to the beach and the pool. Great place for families. I will agree with a precious post that the lady at the desk had no people skills but you only have to deal with her at check in. Love loved the place I will go back.

Great room super clean love the are the beach is amazing.. The only bad thing was the person at the front desk has no people skills at all. But if u r in town a most … u only have to deal with her for 5 minutes

We stayed here for a wedding and I have to say, not my favorite hotel. Goodness, where do I begin? Driving from Alpharetta to Longboat Key was not that bad. The GPS got us precisely to Silver Sands Gulf Beach Resort. When I made the right hand turn into the parking lot, I was immediately unimpressed. Let me say that I’m not coming at this as a snob (well, maybe a little bit, but not a lot). The parking lot was a sea shell/​hard white sand combination… Is that what they mean by the Silver Sands? I saw the main complex and it was the usual light green or light orange paint that you see all over the Florida coast for homes and commercial structures. They were two-​story buildings. This also was unimpressive (and this is the only part that is a bit snobby of me because aesthetics aren’t 100% key to the experience even though I want them to be in this case). Since we got in after hours… They close at 5:00 PM which I didn’t appreciate. I thought this was going to be a nice resort. At least our key was in their box and addressed to us.
The parking lot was limited and it was tough to find a spot. Our room was in the building off to the side and inconvenient to get to. This isn’t really a «resort», unless there is a looser definition of the word. You see, every room is owned by someone and managed by RVA (a management company). I thought I would be staying at a hotel resort, but I was staying in a hotel/​apartment around other residents. The manager was friendly and helpful when we met her the next day.
The interior was nice, clean, and relatively modern. Most of the reviews claim the beds aren’t very good and I concur. They didn’t mention that the walls are paper thin and you can hear EVERYTHING!
I’m glad this was just for two nights and that Unilocal!exists so I can document my stay. I think the location is nice and beach behind it is nice as well. If you want a nicer experience, I urge you to select a different resort.

Nice spot on a great beach. That being said, the resort could do with better bedding, but overall nice.

I am a fan but this place is not as good as it gets. It’s in a pretty good location. Very private feeling beach with not a lot of people. Great sunsets, good pool, and you can still drive either way to get to some nice golf courses and restaurants. Speaking of golf, they have a six hole miniature putt-​putt course right out near the parking lot. Played it several times while the wife was in the shower or getting ready for dinner. We had a small efficiency one bed studio that had a small bathroom and a wall unit that doubled as a kitchenette and closet. There was also a small TV built into the wall unit. Her parents had the adjoining room that had about the same size bedroom but they also had a living room and full size kitchen with a balcony that faced the beach and pool. We mostly kept the adjoining room doors open so it felt like a nice size two bedroom condo but overall the place was small. The tile floors throughout were nice looking but very slippery, as Andy J. pointed out. This was the first time my wife’s family stayed at Silver Sands and I won’t say it will be our last but i will be lobbying for other options if we go back to Longboat next year.

We always stay in the efficiency apartments that face the pool. If you have children or plan to use the grills by the pool to prepare your meals I strongly recommend staying on the ground floor — it is much more convenient. The sleeper sofas are OK for the kids but not comfortable for adults. You can also get an adjoining room that gives you a second bed and another bathroom — and another TV.
The rooms are clean and up to date. The beds are nothing special and the bathrooms are pretty small. Having a full kitchen and the grills by the pool really helps. By using them and not going to local restaurants for meals it not only keeps the cost down but allows more time for swimming at the beach and the pool.
The pool is well maintained. Almost every time we have been here in the summer it was warm enough to stay in all day and never get cold. The beach has wonderful white sand and in the summer the water gets up to about 86 degrees. When you get tired of the pool, walk to the beach. When you get tired of the beach walk to the pool. The Gulf and the pool are literally only 250 feet apart. The beach waves here are often so calm you don’t have to worry about the little ones getting knocked over by them. It is not unusual to see dolphins swimming by. On clear nights everyone heads over to the beach to take in a beautiful sunset. A screened in room offers a great place for all your pool and beach stuff to dry. If you are on the ground floor this provides a way to unload all the wet stuff before you walk inside (slippery when wet tile floors!).
While it used to be a bargain to stay here, the cost has gone up to where it is no longer the great value it used to be. If you are looking for a hotel with a staff that will pamper you — this is not the place you want to be. However, if you are looking for a great family beach vacation location where you can just relax and enjoy what Florida is all about — this is the place!