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Sarasota, Florida
| Frequently Asked Questions
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| We really like this town and its four barrier islands: | Can I make the Sarasota reservation by phone? We would |
| Longboat, St. Armands, and Siesta Keys, and Lido Beach. | be happy to help you make any Sarasota hotel reservation |
| In 1927, John Ringling chose Sarasota to be the winter | by phone. You can call our toll free number between the |
| quarters for his circus. Today you can visit the Ringling | hours of 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday (CST). 11 |
| Center for the Cultural Arts, a 66-acre estate that includes | a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. |
| three museums: the John and Mable Ringling Museum of | |
| Art, the Circus Museum, and the former Ringling mansion, | How can I be sure information about my credit card is |
| the Ca d'Zan. The complex also includes a small 18th | secure? We use secure-socket-layer (SSL) encryption, the |
| century theater from Asola, Italy, a rose garden and | standard encryption on the Internet. This type of encryption |
| beautifully landscaped grounds overlooking Sarasota Bay. | allows you to feel confident and secure about supplying |
| Skeptics who wonder about the quality of the circus | personal and credit card information. |
| impresario's art collection will be startled; it's a tasteful | |
| collection of primarily Renaissance and Baroque art, with | Are free shuttles supplied from the airport to the hotel? |
| an especially fine selection of works by Rubens,Van Dyke, | Some hotels do offer free shuttle services from the airport |
| and Poussin. There's not a sad-clown painting to be found. | but not all. Please verify this information on the property |
| Affiliated with Florida State University, it's the state art | information page, if this is import to you. |
| museum of Florida. | |
| | Can I book the reservation to stay tonight? Some hotels |
| The circus collection is wonderful, especially the restored | accept reservations until 3:00pm on the arrival day. Only |
| circus wagons, the air cannon used by the first Human | hotels that follow this policy will show when the today's |
| Cannonball and the meticulously detailed miniature circus. | arrival date is typed into the search form. |
| A new section oriented to children is scheduled to open | |
| soon. Ca d'Zan, the recently restored 32-room Ringling | Is free breakfast available? Some hotels offer free |
| mansion, houses an impressive collection of fine arts as | breakfast with each room night booked. This information |
| well as Mable Ringling's decorative arts collection. | can be found on the property information "detail" page for |
| | your specific property. |
| The Asolo Theater is closed for renovation, but a nearby | |
| performing arts center across Bayshore Drive from the | How will I know when my reservation is confirmed? Our |
| Ringling complex hosts a variety of theatrical and musical | confirmation number displayed immediately upon |
| productions in the 161-seat Cook Theater and the 500-seat | successfully making your reservation. Our systems work |
| Mertz Theater from Dunfermline, Scotland. | behind the scenes to email you the final confirmation |
| | number. |
| Sarasota is known for its celebration of film. The Sarasota | |
| Film Festival is held each year in January, and the city | Is there a minimum age requirements to reserve a room? A |
| regularly hosts international films during the Cine-World Film | minimum age of 18 is required by most hotels to book a |
| Festival in November. | room. Some require the guest(s) be 21. These |
| | requirements and other amenities information on the |
| While you're in Sarasota, you might also investigate the | property "Detail" pages. |
| Sarasota Jungle Gardens, 10 acres/4 hectares of unusual | |
| plants, flowering shrubs and palms, as well as animals and | What are additional fees and taxes? Each city/state has |
| waterfowl. The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens are the only | different rates for taxes. Taxes are calculated and |
| ones in the world that specialize in epiphytic plants (plants | displayed on the hotel reservation amount. For some hotels |
| nourished by air and rain). On display are more than 20,000 | there are additional fees charged to your room reservation. |
| tropical plants, including 6,000 species of spectacular | These additional charges help us have the lowest rates on |
| orchids and banyan and bamboo groves. If you're lucky, | the Internet. |
| you might see the Titan Arum in bloom it's the world's | |
| largest and smelliest flower. Country Living Gardener | "Internet hot deals", what is it? We work directly with many |
| magazine has named Selby Gardens one of the Top Ten | hotels to provide the lowest possible rates available on the |
| Botanical Gardens in America. | Internet. In most cases, these rates are lower than all other |
| | online websites. These are designated with a "hot-deals" |
| If anyone in your group has a fondness for mechanical | link and are listed first for search performed by destination |
| things or just for odd combinations of collectibles you won't | city. |
| want to miss the Sarasota Classic Car Museum. It has | |
| vintage cars (including a 1932 Auburn boat, a 1954 Packard | Do I pay for the entire reservation amount or do I just make |
| convertible and a 1937 Dusenberg). More examples of | a deposit to hold the room? It depends on the room you |
| yesteryear's transport are found at the Florida Gulf Coast | book. Some of our partners require just a $5.00 room night |
| Railroad Museum, where you can take a ride on an old | deposit to hold your room while others require a full |
| train, complete with a red caboose. | payment for the room at the time of your reservation. Please |
| | refer to the amount displayed on the confirmation page to |
| Of Sarasota's four barrier islands, our favorite by far is | see what your credit card will be charged upon making the |
| Longboat Key. One of the best resort areas on the Gulf | reservation. |
| Coast, this very pretty strip of beach has grown increasingly | |
| popular, but it still has a nice, relaxed atmosphere you | Can I contact someone to help me? Yes. We have tried to |
| never feel rushed. Resorts of all kinds line both sides of the | answer most questions with our frequently asked questions |
| island (those facing the gulf are more popular), serving | sections. If youd like to talk with one of our knowledgeable |
| guests of all ages. We saw as many kids as we saw | customer service representatives please call our toll free |
| seniors on our last visit, and that added to the pleasant | number between the hours of 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday |
| feeling. We also enjoyed St. Armands Key, a charming little | through Friday (CST). 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and |
| community with a roundabout in the middle of town that's | Sunday. |
| surrounded by stylish shops and restaurants. St. Armands | |
| has a small-village feel to it but also has a little more | How do you book a room for someone else? You can us |
| sophistication than some other Gulf Coast towns. It's perfect | our system to book a room for someone else. Make sure |
| for dining and shopping, especially when you've maxed out | you include that persons information as the guest. You can |
| on UV rays. | have a different person paying with their credit card than the |
| | name and address of the guest staying in the room . |
| Lido Beach and Siesta Key are two other popular islands | |
| near Sarasota. Both have restaurants, shops and galleries. | Is your detail on amenities information accurate? This |
| At the far end of Lido Beach is Mote Marine Laboratory's | information is updated a many times during the year. We |
| Mote Aquarium, with a 135,000-gallon shark habitat, a | strive to have the most complete information available and |
| Mysterious Mollusks exhibit, sea turtles, jellyfish, two | the most accurate. We do rely on the personnel at each |
| manatees (Hugh and Buffett), two touch pools and viewing | hotel property to update and change information as |
| areas where you can watch Mote's research in action. The | appropriate. |
| Gulf waters around Siesta Key are crystal clear and provide | |
| almost unlimited visibility. A number of diving and | Can you give driving directions? Yes, click the map link |
| snorkeling excursions are available. One popular | displayed on the property "Detail" page. This informative |
| destination is Point of Rocks, where scuba divers and | map will give you the main cross streets and address. Click |
| snorkelers can explore an exotic array of sponges and | the tab: "directions", type in your address and click |
| colorful tropical fish at depths of 10 ft/3 m or less. | "submit". A detailed list of where to turn and how many miles |
| | will be displayed. |
| Or you can hunt for prehistoric shark teeth south of Sarasota | |
Florida Hotels
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FAQ Continued
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