The PalmView is and small hotel with just a handful of units. It's not a fancy, high end motel with room service, or even daily maid service. But it's very comfortable, very clean and very inexpensive in comparison to other Sanibel lodgings. It's also very quiet. Since there's no pool (but there is a hot tub), there's not a lot of people noise outside.

We've stayed in the Creole Garden unit and my wife and I we're very comfortable. It has a sitting area, queen bed (maybe it was king) and kitchenette. The only quirky thing was, at least when we were there last, was a VERY 1970's yellow bathroom. The floor, sink, toilet and tub/shower were all yellow. Everything worked perfectly well, but it was a little hard on the eyes at first. If you choose to stay in to eat, the kitchenette has everything you would need. There's a grocery store just a couple of minutes away by car (I remember the prices being higher then what I was used to), But, isn't going out to eat a part of going on vacation? And for any meal. the Island Cow is FANTASTIC! But I digress.

The PalmView is also just about a 10 minute walk from the beach. But they have bicycles you can use free of charge and the beach is only a couple of minutes away. We didn't bike into the center part of the island, but I don't think that would have been very long by bike either.

I could go on and on about the PalmView, but the best way to put it is that's the only place we'd consider staying when we come down to Sanibel.

I was really turned off by the service. Upon our arrival we were not shown or advised of the amenities on the premises, ie grill, washer/dryer, hot tub and any guidelines or hours of use. No inquiry into our trip or any other small talk. The key had been left in our room upon our arrival, but we had not been advised that this would be the case, so we sat around waiting for the owner, which wasn't a big deal until we got a all business lack luster welcome. I didn't count out my cash payment correctly and got a very icey acknowledgement of this and obviously corrected my mistake immediately and then got my receipt 3 days later. Very uncomfortable and unnecessary.

We had intended on using bicycles as our primary source of transportation and then discovered we could only use the rusty bikes for 3 hours a day and ended up renting a car to compensate. I saw nothing to this point on their website.

The lobby w/the brochures and towels etc., was locked all the time except when the owner was present. And no place to leave a note if you needed something when she wasn't around.

The beds were comfortable. The sleeper was not made up and we had to watch for the owner to show up to ask for additional sheets. The kitchen was functional. The heat/air worked very well. The shower had good pressure and hot water.

I have previously stayed at The Tarpon Tale Inn and thought I'd save some money and try this Inn. I will not make that mistake again. I can't say enough about the Inn Keeper at The Tarpon Tale or the nicely appointed 24 hr lobby, rooms, grounds and amenities.

If you just need a place to sleep, then save yourself a few bucks here. But if you want a comfortable welcoming stay and Inn experience, then I would not recommend it.

I would definetly recommend this Inn as a great place to stay. It is affordable, and has all of the things that we needed to be comfortable. The kitchen was well equipped, the bed was comfortable, and it is a close walk to the beach. The owner is very accommodating, providing things that we didn't bring as travelers, beach chairs, beach towels, hairdryer, bicycles, and more. It is located in a quiet little neighborhood. It is clean and decorated nicely. The best thing is the price, and the fact that we had a nice kitchen to prepare our meals in. I will definetly stay here for may years to come.

Location of Palm View is very good, but not on the water. Thus, you save money and can walk to beach access in about 5 minutes. Beater bikes are provided at no cost, so you can use the bike trails starting right across the street. Also provided at no cost: 2 beach chairs and umbrellas. Efficiency unit (Captain Ed's) had a well-equipped kitchen, comfortable living/sitting area, and a comfortable king bed. Bathroom is dated but serviceable with 60's pastel ceramic fixtures. There is a washer/dryer available for free use after 5 PM.

Downsides: This efficiency unit adjoins one other unit, and the walls are thin. We and the neighbors coexisted by keeping our voices and TV volumes low, but others might not have such nice neighbors. Water pressure is also greatly affected between the units, so we agreed on a shower schedule so the other folks or we would not suffer through a nearly-dry shower.

All in all, a very nice place to stay, and a bargain when compared to going rates at nearby motels and condo rentals.