Sanibel Island?

[deliciousjones]

We are visiting family in West Palm Beach, Florida over Thanksgiving week and wanted to take a side trip for a couple of days with our daughter (who will be 11 months old).

My brother in law suggested Sanibel Island which sounds great.

Can anyone recommend lodging? We'd prefer a two-room suite, cottage, condo or something similar. We want to be able to put our daughter to bed and then read, watch movies, play cards, whatever, without waking her up.

Also, for those of you who have been there, what did you like and dislike about it?

[HeatherFL]

I love Sanibel. It can be a bit touristy, but it's peaceful and pretty. There isn't a *whole lot* to do, but sometimes it's just great to relax!

My favorite place to stay is the Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa (http://www.sanibel-resort.com). Also, Expedia.com has some good deals at times.

Here's a good bit of info Sanibel/Captiva: Sanibel Captiva Islands (http://www.sanibel-captiva.org/)

Have a great trip! :)

~H.

[deliciousjones]

Thanks, Heather. I found that resort online as well and just called to confirm that babies are welcome. I think that's where we'll be staying. Thanks!

[kris97]

I haven't been there in many years, but when I was in high school we vacationed in Sanibel. Heather is right, it's really pretty. The beaches are great, and you can find the most beautiful shells (that's what I remember most - we still have many of them). I'm sure you're going to love it.

[juliemag]

There are alot of cottages and homes for weekly rentals in the Sanibel/Captiva area, so you may want to look into that as an option. That might be nicer and more cozy than a hotel - not sure what you prefer! There isn't a whole lot going on over there. But it's *perfect* for relaxing and simple beaches.

[HEW?B]

I am not sure where to tell you to stay because since my family has a place there, that is where we always go. I will tell you that it is a wonderful place to go for a little get away. It is very pretty and peaceful. There is a nature preserve called Ding Darling on one end of the island and it is really easy to get around on bikes. There are tons of places that rent then and extensive trails all over the island. Have so much fun!!

[dragonfly28602]

I love Sanibel/ Captiva. My aunt has a condo on Captiva at South Seas Plantation (pretty sure I remember the name). The shelling there is great if you like to collect shells. :)

[HeatherFL]

Glad to help. :) It's a beautiful resort! Enjoy your trip. :)

~H.

[numberlady]

I have to agree with Heather about Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa. DH and I went there for our honeymoon and had a wonderful time. The property is really beautiful and there are lots of activities to do there.

[scubasam]

My family lives nearby Sanibel and it is truly beautiful. The beaches are fantastic and there are a lot of cute, quaint shops & restaurants. I'd have to agree that Sanibel Harbor Resort & Spa is wonderful and South Seas Plantation on Captiva is amazing (I lived and worked at the resort once upon a time). The *only* negative thing I could say is that Sanibel & Captiva have both changed a *lot* since the hurricanes last year. DH & I were down there a few months ago (stayed out on Sanibel for a couple of days) and did some driving around the islands. South Seas was closed and had been for quite awhile for renovations/cleanup and I'm not sure about Sanibel Harbor. Much of the vegetation had been washed away on certain parts of the islands and many homes were under construction. Still completely worth it to stay there for a couple days as it was relaxing and still beautiful, just not the same as it was.

[RobynScott]

DH and I are considering Sanibel for a possible "babymoon" in late April / early May. Any additional thoughts?

Also, any chance we could squeeze a day or two in Orlando into a one week trip with Sanibel? (DH really wants to go to Disney)

What about Destin?

Thanks for any help!

[HeatherFL]

Well, Destin would be a bit further to Disney. Sanibel is about 3 1/2 hours from Disney (give or take, depending on traffic.) Destin is about 6 1/2 hours from Disney. So if you want to do an overnight stay, I'd stay in Sanibel and then go into Lake Buena Vista (Orlando) or split up your trip.

I think both places are great place for a Babymoon. Relaxing, pretty, some good eats and beautiful beaches. :)

~H.

[cari2]

We are thinking of going to Sanibel for a quick getaway. What is typical weather for April? thanks

[dreamgirly]

If you're driving, Destin is way far out of the way. If you are flying, Destin is still way far out of the way. :) It is beautiful though! Sanibel is south from Orlando while Destin is northwest, and like Heather said about 6.5 hrs away.

If you end up going to Destin, I can help with suggestions. But if I were taking this trip from Philly, I would go to Sanibel since it's so much closer. I was also going to suggest Amelia Island, near JAX, but it's on the Atlantic and (the water is) typically much colder than the Gulf. Good luck choosing! :)

[RobynScott]

Thanks dreamgirly! If we do Florida, I'm pretty sure we'll do Sanibel.

Any additional recommendations for where to stay in Sanibel / Captiva?

At this point we are deciding between Vegas and Sanibel for our babymoon - going late April / early May.

Thanks for any and all advice!

[Kasia216]

We went to Sanibel for Christmas/New Years for the 1st time and LOVED it. We wanted a place that was child friendly as my son was 18 months old. The beach was nice and filled with seashells. The ocean was also great as the water was very clam/not rough and perfect for swimming. It was also fairly clean. We stayed at the Sundial Beach Resort in a beachfront condo. The hotel was fine and we found our room to be very clean. The property sits right on the beach which was key for us. We ate out most evenings and for the most part the food was good. Some restaurants worth noting - Lazy Flamingo, Grandma Dots and Island Cow were just some that I can remember. We drove to Captiva one evening as we wanted to catch the sunset and eat at the Mucky Duck. Captivas was just as nice as Sanibel. The other highlight that I thought i would mention is the island has wonderful bike paths that literally go for miles so if you like to bike, you'll be in heaven. We hit wonderful weather for that time of year - 70's/80's and mostly sunny (think we had 1 clouy day - no rain). Hope that's helpful - we will most certainly return.

Few pictures:

Pic of resort:
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a294/cheryl216/Florida7.jpg

Enjoying a bike ride:
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a294/cheryl216/Florida8.jpg

On the beach:
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a294/cheryl216/Florida5.jpg

[beetle]

I grew up in SW Florida and spent long weekends at Captiva's South Seas Plantation for years. It is really beautiful there, and so relaxing. As a PP mentioned, the hurricane that came through a couple years ago really did a number on that area, so I'm not sure how quickly it's been able to recover.

There's a fun little restaurant on Sanibel called the Bubble Room. It's been a long time, but I remember good food, reasonable prices and fun ambiance. There was a toy train that ran on a track up near the ceiling.

And for a comparison of Captiva and Sanibel (which are just divided by a small waterway): Captiva tends to be a bit more up-scale, with a true resort setting and very clean, restricted-access beaches. Sanibel tends to be a little more traditional Florida touristy, with lots of tacky little shops and more public-access beaches. A lot of Sanibel is older and more like what you might have found on a Florida vacation 50 years ago. (There are plenty of nice places to stay - don't mean to imply that it's run-down.) Of course, a lot of that may have changed with the hurricane, but that's how it was when I lived in that area.

ETA: I would say Sanibel is the quirkier of the two locations.

[Chris~n~Jen]

Hey Robyn!

I live just outside of Sanibel/Captiva Island. If we're going to go to the beach we always head to Captiva. We love to spend the day eating lunch at the Mucky Duck and then spending the rest of the day at the beach right there. Also easy access to the bar for refreshing. Not that you will be doing much of that on a babymoon but maybe for DH. ;)

If your looking for someplace calm and relaxing either island is perfect. The water on the gulf coast is much calmer and we love walking through the water looking for seashells. Personally I would stay in Sanibel and just drive over to Captiva to visit it. Like someone else posted there is more going on in Sanibel. I think it would make a perfect babymoon location. Although I think I would get bored staying there the entire week, but it really depends on what you are looking to do. If you want to ljust ounge on the beach, walk through little shops, and eat at funky little bistros the whole time then this is the place.

Disney will be much more involved and action packed. I think it would be nice to head to Disney overnight first and then head to Sanibel to relax the rest of the time. Like others have said it's about 3 1/2 hour drive.

Have fun!