Need Info about Sanibel or Captiva Islands

Hmmmm, has anyone gone to Sanibel or Captiva Island? We're thinking of getting a 3 bedroom place there this winter for a week and want to know if anyone has recommendations for places to stay, things to do (heard the shelling was great), restaurants, side-trips, etc.

GB and I have been several times. Love it there, very tropical. However, I can't really suggest a great place to stay because all the condos there are old and not updated. My best advise is stay as close to Captiva if not on Captiva as possible. If you stay on the south end of Sanibel your view will be of Ft Meyers. The restaurants are some of the best!

Some pics...

Blind Pass at sunset Between Sanibel and Captiva





GB and the LittleOtters

:wub:

I spent a month there one weekend. 😀

I spent a month there one weekend. 😀

The no-see-ums are brutal in the summer :yikes:

The no-see-ums are brutal in the summer :yikes:

Bring Avon's Skin So Soft to fight them. 🙂)) Paula you will love it. I love it b/c it is so tropical and the shelling is the best. There are so many different kinds of birds and wildlife. It's one of my favorite places to visit. RO is right on about the restaurants....YUMMY. I remember going to the Mucky Duck and Snug Harbor. One being on Sanibel and the other on the way by the bridge in Ft Myers Beach.

RO is right on about the restaurants....YUMMY. I remember going to the Mucky Duck and Snug Harbor. One being on Sanibel and the other on the way by the bridge in Ft Myers Beach.

It's what I do :cool:

Also the Prawn Broker is excellent and the Bubble Room is kinda their version of the Red Bar. Not as roudy though and they do take credit 😀 . Also Schnappers (on Perriwinkle sp?) has the best hot dogs in the world :cool:

wear shoes on the beach!

wear shoes on the beach!

Sooooo true :cool:

Paula, we were just there at end of April for our 25th wedding anniversary. Stacy and I honeymooned there, have taken the kids numerous times over the years, and felt like it was a return to paradise!

The Bubble Room is still the coolest, most unique place to dine...try the Eddie Fisherman Grouper cooked in a brown paper bag, and the Red Velvet cake is the legendary dessert you won't be able to eat all of! The Mucky Duck is actually the place that is closest to the Red Bar - fun, funky, unpretentious.

As for places to stay, while many of the resorts were built in the 1980's, there has been quite a bit of rebuilding and modernization since the hurricanes of a few years ago. While we didn't stay there, the talk among the locals was about South Seas Plantation at the far end of Captiva. They have spent many millions rebuilding, renovating and transforming their piece of paradise into a truly special place. Also look up Sundial Resort & Condominiums - again, major renovations and freshening to make it an even better experience.

Shelling is the big attraction - wake up around 5:30-6am and head to Bowman's Beach for the best shelling before all the lesser-informed tourists start showing up around 9am or after. Bring a bag or beach bucket and wear flip-flops or water shoes, as there are so many shells that bare feet might start to hurt...

It's a different feel from 30-A, as visitors there hail primarily from the midwest and northeast U.S. rather than the typical 30-A Nash-Lanta-Ham crowd. Not a bad thing, just a different vibe to that area. Enjoy!

BTW, we lived in nearby Cape Coral from 1996-2002, so we were "locals" there before life's adventures brought us to the realization that SoWal would become our early retirement gift to one another...:wub:

Used to be my old stomping grounds, Paula (before Sowal). Spent a lot time on both Sanibel and Captiva. There's lots of private condos on the beach in Sanibel. Just check out VRBO. I had reservations at the South Seas Plantation once and once I saw the room, I refused it. I had specifically wanted Beachfront and the beachfront rooms were set back very far from the beach, couldn't even get a view with all the trees between our room and the beach. There's much nicer condos available IMHO.

You will LOVE the Bubble Room, Paula. Wish I could go with you. It's just an eclectic, fun place with fantastic food and great service.
The Mucky Duck is my other favorite. Fine Dining on the Sand.

Bring your bicycles, if you can. Like 30A, has bike paths with lots of beautiful natural spots. You might want to go into Ft Myers for the Edison House if you've never been there and maybe check out the Lighthouse on Sanibel.

Have a great time. Hope to see you soon :wub:

It's a different feel from 30-A, as visitors there hail primarily from the midwest and northeast U.S. rather than the typical 30-A Nash-Lanta-Ham crowd. Not a bad thing, just a different vibe to that area. Enjoy!

We always went in the summer. Their summer is like SoWal's winter. Nobody is there because it's so dang hot. Big German influx during that time too. Better speakathe dutch 😀

We always went in the summer. Their summer is like SoWal's winter. Nobody is there because it's so dang hot. Big German influx during that time too. Better speakathe dutch 😀

:lol:

We enjoyed Edison's House and Gardens. We toured one of his labs and learned about all these plants that he brought over from other countries. He was the first to have an in ground swimming pool. Lots of interesting facts. The girls would love it. Mr OL and I went when we were honeymooning so that was many moons ago!

Wow and thanks for all the useful information (I knew I'd get useful information here! I love SoWal, SoWallers, and SoWal.com:wub:). I'm looking at a family-friendly resort call Point Santo (sp?). But I'll check out the others you mention on this site and I'll follow up with VRBO (I started searching there). I've narrowed our choices down to about 6 places, but I haven't considered those places recommended above yet and will look at them.

Nice photos, RO!

And thanks everyone for the shelling and restaurant advice. I'll stop by a bookstore today and look at a few books as well.

Keep those ideas/advice coming! I don't like it, I love it!

Wow and thanks for all the useful information (I knew I'd get useful information here! I love SoWal, SoWallers, and SoWal.com:wub:). I'm looking at a family-friendly resort call Point Santo (sp?). But I'll check out the others you mention on this site and I'll follow up with VRBO (I started searching there). I've narrowed our choices down to about 6 places, but I haven't considered those places recommended above yet and will look at them.

Nice photos, RO!

And thanks everyone for the shelling and restaurant advice. I'll stop by a bookstore today and look at a few books as well.

Keep those ideas/advice coming! I don't like it, I love it!

Point Santo is really nice and just down the beach a way, another group of condos called the Moorings (www.sanibelmoorings.com). Our friends have a condo there so we've been staying with them for years. The landscaping at the Moorings is simply amazing. They have an on-site horiculturist who gives tours of the grounds; can you believe? I forget how many varieties of plants and trees they have growing but it's a lot.

When we visit Sanibel, we collect shells, swim, and ride our bikes (miles and miles of bike paths and people are exceeding good about stopping their cars to let bikes cross at the crosswalks :clap: ). That keeps us more than busy, but if your girls are interested, there's also plenty of shopping with small shops just like the kind you see on 30-A.

Paula, you might want to visit the Ding Darling wildlife sanctuary, too, which is towards the end of the island. http://www.fws.gov/dingdarling/

Point Santo is really nice and just down the beach a way, another group of condos called the Moorings (www.sanibelmoorings.com). Our friends have a condo there so we've been staying with them for years. The landscaping at the Moorings is simply amazing. They have an on-site horiculturist who gives tours of the grounds; can you believe? I forget how many varieties of plants and trees they have growing but it's a lot.

When we visit Sanibel, we collect shells, swim, and ride our bikes (miles and miles of bike paths and people are exceeding good about stopping their cars to let bikes cross at the crosswalks :clap: ). That keeps us more than busy, but if your girls are interested, there's also plenty of shopping with small shops just like the kind you see on 30-A.

Paula, you might want to visit the Ding Darling wildlife sanctuary, too, which is towards the end of the island. http://www.fws.gov/dingdarling/

We stayed at Point Santo as well. Small pool but nice enough complex. Also stayed a Casa Ye Bell (or something like that) It was a time share place and we payed for somebody's week they couldn't use it. I liked it better. Much cooler pool, palm trees and yard just kinda turns into the beach. Very cool place. Oh ya, they have a tiki bar between the pool and beach kinda like High Pointe.

Paula...try and get your hands on a May Southern Living. Saw one today and it had info on these places.

Went to Sanibel in the winter a couple years ago (before the hurricanes) and had an excellent stay at "Song of the Sea." I looked up the site (http://www.sanibelcollection.com/song_of_the_sea/ ) and see they have a chain of resorts in the same area that range from guest rooms, to suites, to cottages. Can't vouch for how they are now, but the service we received was excellent "back then."

World-class shelling and (at the time) no building taller than a palm tree. But the water was brackish (did our swimming in the pool) and the beach did get a bit "buggy" during sunset strolls. The toll to the island was about $4.00 back then--now it is $6.00--keeps traffic down to a minimum.

We ate at most of the restaurants mentioned here, but to tell you the truth, although they were all good--none really stand out in my mind to merit a strong recommendation.

Are you planning on entering and exiting the island a lot? Are you planning on day trips to other areas in Southern Florida?
.

World-class shelling and (at the time) no building taller than a palm tree. But the water was brackish (did our swimming in the pool)

This is another reason to stay as close to Captiva or on Captiva. The water is much better. Everytime I've been the water was a pastale blue. The shell dust makes it that way I guess.
.
.
.
.
.
Ok, I tried spell check on "pastale" and couldn't find anything so I guess it's wrong :idontno:

We stayed at Pointe Santo when we were there in April this year. A bit older complex, more dated units but adequate and well maintained. Their lagoon has an alligator in it...😱

The prices at Pointe Santo typically are slightly lower because of the dated feel...the place fills up with retired snowbirds looking for a bargain during winter season.

This is another reason to stay as close to Captiva or on Captiva. The water is much better. Everytime I've been the water was a pastale blue. The shell dust makes it that way I guess.
.
.
.
.
.
Ok, I tried spell check on "pastale" and couldn't find anything so I guess it's wrong :idontno:

Bless your heart!!! pastel? I think pastale is Italian for pastel. 😀

We stayed at Pointe Santo when we were there in April this year. A bit older complex, more dated units but adequate and well maintained. Their lagoon has an alligator in it...😱

The prices at Pointe Santo typically are slightly lower because of the dated feel...the place fills up with retired snowbirds looking for a bargain during winter season.

Our unit was gulf front but a true 70's time capsule :lol:

Our unit was gulf front but a true 70's time capsule :lol:

Most of them are like that, aren't they. We're awfully spoiled on 30-A in regard to decor (praise the lord). 😀

Most of them are like that, aren't they. We're awfully spoiled on 30-A in regard to decor (praise the lord). 😀

At the time (5 or 6 years ago) that 70's time capsule was for sale for $1,100,000 with absolutly no updates! I figured if they are getting over $1,000,000 for this POS then I'm buying in SoWal!!

I'm making a list of things to do. I've been checking the different places you all have recommended on the Internet (Vrbo and other sites, as well as the home sites of different communities and comments on travel advisor). The general feeling seems to be that the places are old (not too much of a problem for me as long as it's clean and fresh because the house we live in is almost 100 years old) and tend to be individually managed so upkeep is inconsistent. Sanibel may work better for us than Captiva because with two teenagers it's probably better to be where there is some action, even a little bit of action.

Frankly, it sounds like just about any place would be fine if it's a 3 bedroom (which are in short supply) and if it's clean, fresh, and not too dated (classic is OK, green stinky shag rugs and old linen with pills are not OK).

Trip Advisor is interesting because people's comments give the exact condo #s and whether the unit was nice or not. Owners have a chance to respond and do sometimes.

And, Miss Kitty, I subscribe to Southern Living so I'll see if I can find the May issue.

And I've been keeping notes on all of the recommendations of things to do...

Of course I'll post my own trip report when we go... but that will be in February.