Sanibel Island, anyone?

[Fargoman2]

Just a week after claiming to be "Disneyed out" after 3 consecutive summer trips to WDW, my family is already talking about going back!

But perhaps with a twist this time. We have heard some good things about Sanibel Island and are thinking about adding a couple of nights there. What's that like in the summer? Anyone know of any good places to stay under the category of "affordable high comfort" and not a party hotel?

Is this a good or bad idea to throw into a trip with kids 15, 12 and 5?
Just curious.

 

[tstobb]

The words "affordable" and Sanibel don't go together too well but there are some deals to be had out of "season" (late fall to late spring is considered season and can be extended or shortened depending on the weather up north). It is beautiful and makes for a great break but also consider that if you are doing both and driving, it is between 3 & 5 hours in the car each way.

 

[ttfn3]

I LOVE Sanibel!! We just returned from a fabulous week (our 6th trip to this island). While there are a couple of places where you can make a nightly rental, the best deals are for a week (Sat - Sat). Check out the chamber of commerce website
(www. sanibel-captiva.org) for accomodation info. If you can go for a week, I highly recommend renting from a private owner. There are a bunch to choose from. We like the Sundial Resort - great beach, pools, tiki bar at the main pool, eco center, kids activities, etc. Sanibel is a great place especially for families - great biking paths, awesome restaurants, some shopping and the Beach!! The summer is typical Florida weather. The week we were there in August was nice during the day and the storms moved in late in the afternoon. It cleared up and the nights were great. We had a nice breeze from the ocean so the humidity wasn't too bad. However, the no see ums were pretty bad in the evening. If you remember your bug spray, you'll be okay/ If you want more info, let me know. I'd go back to Sanibel in a heartbeat!!!

 

[krista hampton]

Sanibel Island is great!!! We just spent 5 nights at Disney and then rented a car a drove to Sanibel-Captivia Island and spent 3 nights. It tooks us about 3.5 hours. We had a great time ( mylself, husband, and our 4 year old daughter). Sanibel and Captivia Island is very family oriented. I would even go as far to say it is not a party place. Things close down fairly early in the evening. We we drove in on Wednesday it was about 9:00 and we had a hard to finding something to eat. On Friday you could tell things were picking up--lots of people coming for the week-end. We flew into Orlando and flew home out of Ft Myers!!

If you have any quesions just ask.

 

[Fargoman2]

What are your thoughts about best lodging options for a 3-night stay. (Family of 5, kids 15,12 and 5--I don't tolerate excessive noise/parties well)

Thanks for your help already!

 

[Shells9]

I'm not sure if there are any hotel chains on the island or not (I kind of don't think there are), but whoever suggested renting from a private owner may not have been too far off base. You probably don't want to stay off-island because you won't get the relaxed feel of it, and the $3 toll each time you cross the causeway could add up, too. That helps keep the party level down, I think. Fort Myers Beach, which is nearby, is the party place.

The local newspaper there is at www.news-press.com where you can look for rentals.

Sanibel is a nice place to get away. We live about 20 minutes away and forget to go there!

Oh, and don't forget to do Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge while you are there -- it is a drive through/walk through nature preserve that is really interesting. There is a great play house there, too, that may have a play running.

 

[DisneyHumbug]

I thought there was a Holiday Inn on Sanibel.
It's hard to go for just 3 days because most owners rent by the week.

 

[shortbun]

I've spent lots of time on Sanibel-Captiva. There are some
small inexpensive spots that I am afraid to recommend.
As someone already said-condos rent by the week and most
accomodations there are condos. I liked the West Wind when
we stayed there a long time ago. It's been remodeled since so
it can't be bad. No full time restaurant there. I also loved Tween
Waters resort on Captiva. The have some cottages that don't have to rent for a week-great tennis-a very nice pool area with
wonderful poolside lunchcounter. Great night time restaurant and
a watering hole mostly used by locals I think. I might consider
going another direction if you are really just going to add 3 nights,
Sanibel is a long drive. We love north Daytona and south around
Ponce Inlet for a quick beach add on. I'll try to find hotel names
and come back and add them-we stay at condos of friends most
of the time and they don't rent them. I don't want to confuse you;
I like Sanibel better but it's worth more than 2 days and 3 nights.
Even Sarasota would be fun for a 3 night add on. Cheap and clean in Sarasota: Half Moon Beach Club(or it was a couple of years ago) Lots of hotels on the beach at Siesta Key and Lido
Beach near St. ARmand's Key for restaurants and shopping.
u didn't ask for this other info-sorry if it's worthless to u

 

[LisaRay]

We looked into staying here for a week this past summer. there is a holiday inn and a best western.
we were gonna go with the holiday inn because of the kids eat free. however we ended up with going to marco island with a great rate at the marriott.

 

[ttfn3]

I bought a travel guide to Sanibel when we were on the island a couple of weeks ago - so let me see what it says about accomodations. I know there is a Holiday Inn on the beach but I would think it would be a tight squeeze for 5 people. There is also a Best Western. It looks like the places in the book are prett much the same as on the chamber of commerce website. There are a number of places that you can link to and it will give you daily rental rates. I would also suggest that you contact the local rental agencies listed on the chamber website and see if they have a owner that may be willing to rent a condo on a daily basis. I know for a fact that we rented a unit at Sundial from I believe Sanibel Holiday for 10 days once and they were able to get the extra days on a daily basis. So, if you're traveling during off season they may be able to do this. It won't be cheap but it will be cheaper than renting directly with the resorts.

If you want cheap, you may want to consider staying off the island and driving over on a daily basis. My SIL did this for a few days and they stayed at a new Country Inn located over the causeway. It will cost you $3 to get on the island.

I will warn you that three days is not enough. In fact, a week is pretty short if you really love the beach. And it is a drive from Disney (3+ hours). So, you may want to consider going somewhere closer. We actually stayed on Sand Key (near Clearwater) for three days after a week at Disney last year. We stayed at the Radisson Sand Key - which was a 1 BR suite with separate bedroom and living area with pull out couch.

Good luck!! If you do go to Sanibel - my insider tip is to go to the Perwinkle Trailer Park/Campground. They have a bird aviary with an impressive collection of parrots, ducks, etc. They also have lemurs and iguanas. (Oh, and don't miss looking for shells at sunrise on the beach. It's awesome!) I have more tips, so if you go and are interested, let me know.