This was our first family trip to Sarasota, Florida and it won’t be our last. This little town has so much to offer. We explored Downtown Sarasota, Lido & Siesta Keys (5 miles from Sarasota). And the beaches are rated #1 in Florida for good reason. The sand feels just like baby powder.
Stay
By now you know we are big fans of Marriott Bonvoy and are Marriott Titanium Members. We love the point game and definitely strive to stay at hotels for free, but sometimes it doesn’t make sense. We wanted to stay at The Ritz Carlton, now part of the Marriott brand. For our stay, it was 75,000 points per night totaling 225,000. With future trips in mind, I felt that 225,000 would not be worth the stay. We instead the chose points + cash option. $250 +25,000 points/night. We booked a 2-queen room and were complimentary upgraded to a suite. The Ritz properties do not participate with “suite-night” awards, so the request for the suite was granted simply because we asked. Marriott Platinum and higher status’ have seniority over lower member status. Suite upgrades are based on availability. We arrived in the first week of January, just after the holidays so the property was not at capacity.
The Ritz Beach Club
The Ritz Carlton hotel is gorgeous and close to downtown, but their beach club on Lido Key takes the cake! We had a rental car, so we drove to the beach club daily. However, there is a complimentary shuttle. And, the service is top-notch. Upon arrival, you are greeted at the entrance by the valet staff to park your vehicle. There are lockers to change, shower, etc. Once you make your way down the stairs to the oceanfront pool, you are greeted and taken to your lounge chairs of choice. The staff sets up your towels and provides a complimentary ice bucket full of waters. I LOVE this gesture.
Eat: Onsite Restaurants
Jack Dusty’s
Ridley’s Porch at the Beach Club
The Lido Key Tiki Bar
Eat: Off property restaurants
Boca. Farm to Table. Downtown Sarasota
Shore in Armand’s Circle-Sarasota.
Mediterraneo. True Italian. Downtown Sarasota.
Other notable restaurants: Selva Grill, Evoq, Marina Jack, Ophelia’s on the Bay.
See
We spent almost all of our time the The Beach Club, but had my kids been a little younger, we would have checked out the…
The Ringling Circus Museum
Tito Gaona (Venice Beach) Flying Trapeze Academy: Classes
RETAIL THERAPY
St. Armands Circle
All in all, Sarasota was a success and we look forward to returning! If you need help with credit card point redemption, or learning more about travel hacking, please reach out: Tiffany@hellosunnyskies.com.
Beth S.
Tiffany is truly a credit card point guru. She was very patient and helped my husband and I navigate our credit card point game.
William F.
WE’VE SAT ON THOUSANDS OF POINTS FOR YEARS WITH NO CLUE HOW TO REALLY USE THEM. TIFFANY COACHED US HOW TO COMBINE OUR POINTS, TRANSFER POINTS AND ADD MORE POINTS THROUGH CREDIT CARD SIGN-ON BONUSES. AWESOME SERVICE.
SUZANNE M.
WE OWN A SMALL BUSINESS AND HAVE ALWAYS WRITTEN CHECKS OR USED OUR DEBIT CARD EARNING ZERO TRAVEL REWARDS. WE’VE CHANGED OUR WHOLE WAY OF MANAGING MONEY AND ARE ON OUR WAY TO A FREE LUXURY VACATION THANKS TO TIFFANY.
JANET M.
TIFFANY HELPED MY HUSBAND AND I EARN A VACATION TO CROATIA BY USING SPECIFIC TRAVEL CREDIT CARDS ON OUR DAUGHTER’S WEDDING. WE HAD PLANNED TO WRITE CHECKS TO ALL OF THE VENDORS, SO GLAD WE MADE A 1:1 COACHING CALL.
Liz R.
WITH TIFFANY’S GUIDANCE, we EARNED 400,000 CREDIT CARD POINTS BUT WE DIDN’T KNOW HOW BEST TO USE THEM. WE HIRED HER TO PLAN OUR TRIP USING A COMBINATION OF POINTS, MILES AND CASH (CREDIT CARD). HIRING HER WAS THE BEST MONEY I’VE EVER SPENT. SHE WENT WAY ABOVE AND BEYOND. PARIS HERE WE COME.
