Hi, we will be visiting Fort Myers and Sanibel area this weekend and were wondering what beachfront restaurant and bars come highly recommended - both on Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel/Captiva.

We will only be able to get away for a few days, and I would love to spend every meal/evening out on the beach...so any ideas would be very helpful.

Thanks.

The only place I've eaten on the beach in Sanibel or Captiva is the Mucky Duck. Food was just so so, but the views were incredible. I wonder though, if it is even open now--or better still, does it exist, or if you can get that far out on Captiva if it does?

I hope you'll do a trip report when you get back. Everything I hear about Sanibel and Captiva is discouraging, and that it won't be the same in our lifetimes!

Here are 3 terrific restaurants we ate at this summer. I am not sure about the exact names of them but you can figure it out. In Captiva....The Green Flash...very excellent. In Ft myers Beach....The Pier and The Bridge. The Bridge is very excellent. It is tricky to find, you have to make a turn under the bridge when leaving Ft Myers Beach. Ask someone for directions.

The Mucky Duck is still on Captiva, and yes you can get there, and I do believe it is open. I was out there about a month after Charley hit, just to see Sanibel and Captiva with a friend from the north, who had never been there. Then, it looked like a bomb had hit and there was so much debris around, but the clean up is going well. The vegatation is growing back and many stores are open and wanting business, but the big Australian pines are gone (they were NOT native here anyway), so the canopy is no longer there.

The Mucky Duck is good, and teh Ft Myers Beach restaruants mentioned are okay too (food is so-so, but they have the atmosphere you have described).

Not sure if this is still there due to damage, but RC Otters is a fun funky restaurant with outdoor live entertainment. great atmosphere, though be advised that it is verrrrry casual...and order 2 drinks at a time because service is not so great. Food is so-so but lots to choose from at the most reasonable prices on the island. This is located down the street from Mucky Duck.

Across the street from that is Key Lime Bistro, my personal favorite for brunch. Great food any time of day, great service. Fun atmosphere, good bar area. Rarely overcrowded.

Pretty much any beachfront restaurant on Sanibel will be a safe bet for excellent food and service. The only one I was ever disappointed in was the Mad Hatter. Good food and service but the atmosphere was straaaaaange.

Green Flash is excellent on Captiva if it's still there.

The locals hang out at the Lazy Flamingo at the bar. Not beachfront, but certanly a lively hangout.

have fun!

Be sure to go shelling at Blind Pass!