me

Trying to take a wholesome spring break trip with my family. Never been to Sanibel Island before. Hoping for a Spring Break that is a peaceful, beach retreat. Input on this time of year there and lodging, etc. would be appreciated.

Sue

Sanibel/Captiva are very good places for a family vacation, as there is no hotel strip or other cheap hotel area which attracts the college spring break crowd. The islands have very strict zoning rules regarding set back from the beach and roads which make the islands seem very quiet and green even though there are a lot of people on them.

Other posters on this site complain about that the number of shells on the beach inhibits walking; however, finding good shells is what Sanibel is known for. The water is calm and shallow quite a ways out, which is good if you have small children. You can often see dolphins swimming in the sea. You can take boat tours to see dolphins and manatees as well.

Run a search here for hotels, there are several large operations which offers 2 bedrooms units with kitchens which might be better for a family. There are also timeshares to rent. South Seas Planation (actually on Captiva) is a very nice resort. Sundial is another large popular resort There are many others.

The islands are flat and great for biking. The Ding Darling nature preserve is a great place to ride bikes and see wildlife. There are other bike paths over all the island. You can rent bikes usually at your hotel or bring your own. There are also several good shopping centers and a myriad of restaurants. I don't belive there is a McDonalds or other fast food restaurant on the islands -- something locals take pride in.

You should probably start with a search on the web for the chamber of commerce or visitors center for Sanibel/Captiva which will provide a description of the range of lodging and restaurants.

Cheryl

Ditto what Sue said. Check out www.sanibel-captiva.org for all kinds of info., including accommodations.

Kathy

My husband and I went to Sanibel for our anniversay in August, 2002 and had a wonderful time. We even discussed what a wonderful place it would be to have a family vacation with our adult children.

As was stated in another reply, there is no McDonalds; however, that was the beauty of the island. Very non-commerical, relaxing and beautiful.
Although we did not rent bikes, there are great bike paths that are "family-friendly."

And yes, there are shells. But what great fun we had looking for them. That is one thing Sanibel is all about. We had good luck finding nice shells at the beach next to the Lighthouse. Make sure you get there early-at daybreak-to find the nicest shells. Then I'd recommend you stop back by The Lighthouse Cafe for breakfast.

We stayed at The Casa Ybel Resort
which was a little pricey but very nice. There were other less expensive places which offered nice accomodations.

Enjoy your trip.

Eva

Sanibel's Chamber of Commerce near Causeway has tons of info on Sanibel-Captiva. Worth stopping in for that. Also be sure to go to Bowman Beach off Sanibel-Captiva Rd., it is well marked. Great beach, great shelling.

JAG

Hi everyone, we went down to Sanibel in 11/02 for a week. My parents were staying for 2 months and we decided to visit (me and my 2 children 8 & 11) they loved it. We flew Spirit, they only fly into Ft. Myers in the late afternoon once a day so by the time we got to SandPointe (condo) it was dark but we went down and looked for shells with a flashlight. The kids looked for different shells every day while we visited. The kids liked going to Jerry's which has stores and a grocery store, they have different birds outside by the stores in cages. We also rented bikes and rode the entire island. When we did Ding Darlings we drove by car but wished we had rode bikes. My kids loved Sanibel and would go back again anytime. My son is trying to find away to go with Grandmom on this Thursday and staying the month with her, but he has to go to school. We also ate breakfast down by the lighthouse it might even be called the lighthouse rest. (it was yellow) they had a really good breakfast.