Madeira Beach

[DisneyDetective]

Hi DISers,

I'm looking to book my Gran & Papa a stay for about 4-5 days at Madeira Beach but i've read reviews etc that the area has become quite tacky.

If this is so, are there other place/areas that are nicer along the Gulf Coast?

Thank You

 

[RumpleMom]

I have stayed on Sanibel Island on the Gulf Coast. It is an island over a causeway from Fort Meyers. Sanibel Island is THE place to look for beautiful seashells. The phrase is that everyone does the "Sanibel Stoop". Picture looking down at the sand looking for the next beautiful seashell with your feet in the very gentle surf.

The island is very laid back and definitely not tacky. It has the Ding Darling Nature Preserve which is a very interesting area for birding, but we were there in the summer, and the weather was too hot to see many birds.

We enjoyed the Jacaranda restaurant which is on restaurant.com.

The closest airport is Fort Meyers, but we flew into Tampa and drove a rental car about 3 hours to save money.

It is a very quiet island. The only chain restaurant on the island is Dairy Queen, which has been there for 30 years.

We rented a timeshare from someone on TUG.