Capitva or Sanibel?
 

My sister and I are planning a well deserved, truly relaxing, and low key beach vacation. Some friends and I rented a condo on Sanibel a few years ago and we thoroughly enjoyed our vacation. On that vacation, I didn't really have the opportunity to explore Captiva, but have heard it's very nice and even more relaxing than Sanibel? Recommendations?

Also, we're planning to go in late August or early September, is this a good time to visit? Also, the year we went to Sanibel, I noticed a LOT of seaweed on the beach... is this normal on both Sanibel and Captiva?

Thank you for responses.


1.

The "seaweed" or red algae (not to be confused with red tide) is a major problem recently on Sanibel/Captiva -- MAJOR.

Topping

Thank you, NeoPatrick.

Can Patrick (or anyone else) elaborate on the red algae/seaweed? Does it smell, or is it just a nuisance?

We are planning a Sanibel visit next spring break.

It does smell, but it is not toxic like the red tide. It is mainly a nuisance, both on the beach where at its worst it can mound up to a foot or more high, and in the water itself, where its difficult to wade through.

It comes and goes. I haven't heard in the past few weeks if it is present or not.

We just got back from a weekend at the Ginn Hammock beach resort. It is 30 minutes south of St Augustine which is a great little town with fun shopping. The resort was amazing and very reasonable for all it included. They have a fantastic spa too. It's worth checking out. We flew direct to Daytona and drove 30 minutes north. www.hammockbeach.com

Here is a website to check for red tide http://research.myfwc.com/features/v...e.asp?id=12373

We love Captiva because we find it completely relaxing. We stay at the Tween Waters Inn. It is right on the Gulf (across a small street with very little traffic) We stay in a Gulf View Efficency, but thre are other accommodations to choose from. The resort has been recently renovated. There is a beautiful pool with a fun pool bar and friendly people, and they serve delicious food. We fly into Ft. Myers and rent a car (a convertible) and drive to Captiva - about 30 min or so. Since the room has a big fridge, we stock up on water, beer, wine etc at the grocery story that's on the way. At Tween a huge breakfast buffet is included in your stay. It is very relaxing and very casual. Beach chairs, umberellas and cabannas are on the beach and plenty of towels are for rent for a small fee. There's a marina at Tween, so you can go fishing or take a sea shell trip to uninhabited islands for great shelling. Tween has 2 restaurants Old Captiva House and The Crows Nest which is also a very nice bar. There's plenty of wonderful local restaurants and very reasonable...Red fish Blue fish serves American Tapas, Key Lime Bistro serves very good bistro food, The Bubble Room has ok food but the place is a must see...lots more and most have outdoor seating and live music. We are going back for the 4th time in a year next week. We find it to be very laid back and very low key. No dressing up, just restful and stress free. Tween is different because it has a very friendly resort feel, which is not something you find in a condo or larger resort. They have a website or you can see it on google earth.

Thank you, beachburn2, for the tip on Ginn Hammock Resort. Sounds like a great vacation spot, we'll have to check out the website.

Annabel, your description of Captiva captures exactly what my sister and I are looking for in a relaxing beach vacation, thank you for your input and tips. I especially love the idea of sea shell hunting on the uninhabited island.

Also, thank you for the weblink on the red tide...

I'm so ready to plan our vacation.

Thanks to all for you feedback.

Please note that the red tide site has nothing to do with the current red algae (or seaweed) situation -- a totally different problem.