I had mixed feelings about the hotel. I thought the service was really good throughout our stay. The hotel itself is an old historic hotel and I personally felt myself bouncing back and forth between thinking the decor was charming and fit for the historic hotel and thinking it was dated and just old and dingy. The draperies in the main hotel especially were old and dated.
The rooms were comfortable. Not overly big or overly small. The town on the island was charming and only a couple block walk from the hotel but in June the temperature was scorching hot. I am from Texas and used to heat but when you add the humidity to the mix, it felt like a sauna.
We were there on a kind of mix of business and pleasure, so I didn't get to explore as much as a should have. I was told that the fishing in the area is pretty great. I brought my golf clubs to play but the only free time I had was in the middle of the afternoon and it was too hot for me.
We got a good deal on the rooms compared to some of their quoted prices. I thought our good deal price was probably about appropriate and I didn't think the place was worthy of some of the five star rates I heard thrown around as their in season full price rates.
I wouldn't avoid Gasparilla Inn but I also wouldn't recommend people go out of their way to go there. If you are looking for a family vacation spot on the west coast of Florida, it is a pretty decent option, but for me, I would probably prefer the Florida panhandle and the Seaside, Destin, Watercolor area.

We recently stayed here on a vacation. I found this hotel on the internet and it couldn't have been a nicer destination.....my only regret is that I wish I had booked more than one night for us! The hotel is a beautifully restored Inn which reminded me of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. Service was perfect, food fantastic, and the golf course was in top condition. We loved watching the dolphins jump as we golfed! My husband had forgotten to pack his one good outfit (no doubt on purpose!) and I really wanted to eat in the main dining room which does have a dress code. Thankfully there was a store called Fugate's downtown that was open (it was a Sunday) and he was able to get a nice pair of pants and shirt.

This was our second trip to the Inn. Because we travel with our dog, we must stay in the cottages rather than the main hotel. We stayed here about a year ago in a sub-standard cottage. Upon check in, I explained which cottage we stayed in the first time, and asked if any had been updated. We had to wait a bit, but our accommodations were changed to a cottage that had been updated. What a difference! Nice furniture, bedding, etc. Bath is still very small but overall it was a much better experience than a year ago. My advice is to ask in advance for updated accommodations.

We very much enjoyed our stay at the beautiful Gasparilla Inn on Boca Grande island off the west coast of Florida. The service is absolutely superb and the food is wonderful. It was such a relaxing holiday! Everyone on the island is so friendly and driving around in golf carts was a lot of fun!