Sanibel Island Florida

[ronmac]

So, I'm thinking of booking a vacation to Sanibel Island in Florida in June.

Any fans?

Any detractors?

[rushfan]

Sanibel is great. I used to live in South Florida and did several day trips out there. Very peaceful, walking along the beach and well known for sea shells. I never stayed overnight but always thought it would be time well spent.

[Hunnibee]

I've never been there, but my friend Eva loved it a few years ago. She was full of praise for the area. Go and enjoy yourself, Ron!

[BobM]

It will be pure relaxation. If you are looking for roller coasters you will need to go elsewhere.

[ronmac]

It will be pure relaxation. If you are looking for roller coasters you will need to go elsewhere.

Nope, we're going to relax and it just happens to be one of the best shelling locations in the world.

[AcousticWalden]

I'm a fan, great for walks on beach, shelling, birding, photography, etc.




Ruddy Turnstone by Acoustic Walden, on Flickr

[East New York]

My brother used to visit all the time and he loved it. Have fun! I used to collect shells, and when I did, I always dreamed of going there.

[markwoll]

I love to visit Sanibel. My folks moved down there in the late 80's. We have been regular visitors since the late 60's.
The shelling is ok, but was better 30 years ago.
The beaches are nice, some are re-nourished so they have a bit more organic material than the white sands in the pictures.
Shallow water and gentle waves.
June is hot and insect-y. They have done a good job of keeping the mosquito population down, but there are gaps in the coverage.
Ding Darling Refuge ( wildlife drive ) may be closed for cars and bikes at that time due to repaving.
The indigo trail will be open to bikes and walking.
There is also the Bailey tract on Tarpon Bay Rd. and a couple of other bird watching areas.
You can rent kayaks at Tarpon Bay as well as boat rides to look at wildlife.
If you like quiet stick to the west end of West Gulf.

mark

[Gladiator1634]

Have been to Fort Meyers beach but never made it onto Sanibel Island but I would recommend also considering Siesta Key a little ways north of Sanibel in the Sarasota area gorgeous white sand beaches and incredible sunsets. I guess you can get that in many places along that southwest coast it all depends on your preferences.

[JKL2000]

My family used to go there, but that was back in the 70s. It was great then, though I hear it's much more built up now. But my in-laws still go sometimes and like it, so I'm sure it's still nice. Back when we used to go there was like one restaurant and a Dairy Queen - that was it.

We did find some amazing shells and stuff back then - I remember I picked up a really cool shell, and as I was looking at it, a baby octopus crawled out of it!
Back then there was a shack on the beach where you could cook the shells you found to remove the critters inside them. Weird and kind of sad (I didn't do that to the octopus, BTW - he was just a hitchhiker and I let him go). Also, you could run your hands through the sand at the edge of the water and find sand dollars really easily, which was cool.

[-=RTFR666=-]

Check out Cabbage Key - ferries run from Sanibel for lunch or dinner or an overnight stay at the inn there

[ronmac]

Wow, thanks to all of you. It's always a big help to throw things like this to PE. A big help.

[nosebone]

Never been to Sanibel Island, but can vouch for Siesta Key beach in Sarasota.

Nicest beach I've ever been to.

[Ken]

Minimal nightlife, no street lights. It certainly is relaxing. When checking out a new location, I find tripadvisor's forum sight to be quite helpful. A lot of unusual topics totally relevant to a vacation trip can be found in their forum section.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum...d_Florida.html

[ronmac]

Great stuff, Ken!

[Lopez]

My mom lives in Ft. Myers. When I go down there to visit, we go to Sanibel. Very pretty and nice to drive around. A bit further north is Captiva Island, which is connected to Sanibel by a bridge. There's a pretty cool restaurant there called the Bubble Room. The food is just okay, but the atmosphere is amazing. It's all toy shop and 40s movie memorabilia. The deserts are monstrous.

[SteveSly]

My parents used to live in Englewood (north), and my wife's sister has a place in Naples so have been on day trips to Sanibel, but have never stayed there. The beaches are nice, but I guess I think of it more as a winter destination. In June it will be hot hot hot, although being the off season will be a lot less congested.

Steve Sly

[Skeptrick]

I lived in Cape Coral in my tween years (I understand Cape Coral is alot more built up now, back then it was us and the rattlesnakes) in the mid-70s and we would go to Sanibel often, and also took our boat around there and Pine Island as well. Haven't been there in years, but am planning on doing so sometime in the near future.

[Vic2012]

Never been there. I've visited the west coast of Florida but mostly Tampa or Naples. Not really a beach type person myself (seen one beach, seen 'em all ), I'm more into the Everglades and all that steamy humidity.

[ronmac]

I'm actually beginning to rethink this particular destination. I know it's the rainy season and I'm finding that the noseeums (bugs) are pretty nasty. My family (me excepted) is like a living magnet for any problem that could possibly happen. I envision them all being swelled with bug bites.

I might have to look at the Outer Banks, or something like that.

Maybe one of you can convince me otherwise. I know that if you avoid dawn, dusk and the shade, you can minimize it. And they don't like breezes.

[SteveSly]

I might have to look at the Outer Banks, or something like that.

Maybe one of you can convince me otherwise. I know that if you avoid dawn, dusk and the shade, you can minimize it. And they don't like breezes.

My wife and I spent a week in Nags Head (Outer Banks) the week after ProgDay several years ago. After the stress related with Progday, it was great to just go there, chill and relax. We were with some other friends who found a relatively cheap motel right on the beach. We had a great time just hanging out, spending some time at Weeping Radish Brewery and eating great seafood. We also went up to the Wright Brothers memorial at Kitty Hawk which was cool. This was the week after Labor Day which is the start of the off season, so it was not crowded at all. Being from the north we only go south in the winter, so not sure how the place would be in June.

Steve Sly

[ronmac]

Thanks, Steve. We'd be pushing things back into July, if we got hat route. Maybe even August.

[markwoll]

August in Nags Head is the start of the hurricane season, get trip insurance for your stay if you get a house ( for deposit and rent coverage ).

mark