My husband & I are planning a 4-day midweek vacation to either Marco Island or Ft. Myers/Sanibel Island the week of April 9, which for many kids is Spring Break. We are leaving our children at home with my folks, so do not necessarily want a place that will be overun with kids (although we wouldn't rule it out if the accommodations were superb). Should we choose Marco or Sanibel? Resort/hotel suggestions welcome, too.

Both locations are adult orientated. The drawback with Sanibel is limited lodging options outside of the South Sea Plantation. Marco has three oceanfront properties. The best is the Marriott, then the Hilton, then the Radisson. I think you might be able to find a better deal at Marco. I've used the Priceline service and secured some pretty good deals on Marco. Feel free to e-mail me for specifics on bidding for a room if you've never used that service or other specific questions about area attractions or restaurants.

Robin, I have been to Marco Island and Ft Myers Beach. I was not overly impressed with either location, as I am from the northwest coast of Florida and feel the water and beaches are just as lovely. That said, I found some very reasonable condos in Ft. Myers druing the month of June. Doubt you could get those great rates in April. I haven't been to Sanibel/Captiva, but have heard it is the much prettier than Ft Myers or Marco Island.

Robin, I agree with Billybob's 3rd place
rating for Radisson. However, we rank Hilton #1 & Marriott #2 for the following reasons. First, Hilton is closer to the beach. Second, Marriott
is huge....we prefer smaller hotels.
Third, You can get a pretty nice Jr. Suite @ Hilton with a lovely patio
whereas @ Marriott the rooms are very small. Fourth, Hilton just feels better!
This, of course, is a matter of personal
pref. & you may prefer Marriott! We stay
@ Hilton but stroll down to Marriott's
beach bar ( Quinns) in the evening. We also sometimes go to Marriott for dinner. Hope this helps! Have a great 'getaway'! ( Hilton is also a nice place to return to sometime with your kids!
We did that last year! Have fun!)

Thanks everyone for your help. Billybob, I'll take you up on your offer for advice on bidding for a room on Priceline. (I've never used it for anything.) You can respond here. Our travel agent found a package for 4 nites at the Marco Hilton & car for $1300 (I've excluded the air). Seems like a lot but, then again, it IS the Hilton & it's peak season. Do you all think I could do better? Is there a less expensive but still nice hotel on Marco Island...maybe a short walk from the beach? Thx! Robin

As a long time resident of Naples, I would normally choose Sanibel over Marco Island for its beauty any time. But if you plan to do anything other than sit on the beach at your hotel, then I'd suggest for that very busy week in April you'd be better off going to Marco -- unless you enjoy sitting in traffic for endless hours on Sanibel which is a guaranteed daily traffic jam during April.

Sanibel is the only choice. Look up the Shalimar Resort. Individual cottages, right on the beach. They have a web site. Yes the traffic is bad but learn the back streets. Stop at the tourist location just off the causeway. Lots of good resutrants, and don't forget the shell museum and "Ding" Darling wildlife refuge. Have a good time.

Contrary to another post, there are scads of places to stay on Sanibel. South Seas is on Captiva, and though the two islands are nearly one in the same, there certainly are an abundance of good places other than South Seas. We usually stay at Casa Ybel, right on the water, 1 BR (they have 2BR as well), LR, DR, kitchen, big screened porches overlooking the Gulf. Also look into 'Tween Waters or Beachview Cottages for availability as well.

Yes, there are many options on Sanibel, and it's gorgeous there. I started pricing out Sanibel during the kids spring break but ran into problems because most condos only rent by the week. We waited it out until the "season" had just ended, and paid half of what we would have in March/April.

I suppose it depends on what you prefer. Marco Island is highrise, and Sanibel has laws restricting building heights and lights at night to help protect the wildlife. The laws about taking live (shell) specimens on Sanibel are strict also.

I loved the suggestion that although traffic is bad, "learn the back streets". I defy anyone to explain how to get from mid island Sanibel to Captiva or to Bowman's Beach or off the island or to the lighthouse area by back streets. There are no connecting ones, and it is necessary to get onto Periwinkle Way to go to any of those areas. Or have they built new roads on Sanibel in the last two months that I am unaware of?

Neither location is "island tropical." In my opinion, Sanibel is characterized by smaller properties, cottages, condos, etc. Marco, on the other hand, has three large, highrise, beachfront hotels. (The only "chain" hotel I can recall on Sanibel is a Holiday Inn). Several of the others on Sanibel, including the Sanibel Inn, are owned by the same people that run the South Seas Plantation on Captiva.

At present, the lowest "retail" prices available for Marco's three hotels in early April is around $250.00 per night, so your travel agent package sounds about right...but still a lot of $$$.

Go to Priceline.com, enter Marco Island, dates of your stay, etc. You'll be asked to select the quality of hotel. Select 4 star. Submit a bid of $95. (If asked to re-submit using a higher amount, ignore this and stick with your original bid.) You'll have to enter some personal info, credit card info, e-mail address etc. Within an hour of bidding, you'll receive an e-mail message if your bid was accepted and at what resort.

Things to remember. If your bid is accepted, there's no turning back, no refunds. If you don't make the trip, the money is gone. If they reject the $95 bid, your credit card will not be charged and you can re-bid again in 7 days. E-mail me with further questions. This is definately your best bet if you want a nice place at a price. Since you're not going for several months, you have numerous re-bidding opportunities. You can always reserve a room the normal way and then cancel should you have success with Priceline. I've used the service 25+ times and have generally been very happy with the results.

Forget about marco Island and sanibel, pretty but not worth the crowds! Go to Boca Grande on Gasparilla island, or up to the panhandle, beautiful beaches in destin FL.

Deb, Where would you stay in Boca Grande, if you didn't want to pay the $$$$ of the Gasparilla Inn? Have you ever stayed in any of the condos?

We've gone a couple of times just for the day, done some bike riding and rollerblading and enjoyed it. Beaches we went to were very narrow with signs of plenty of beach erosion there, as elsewhere on the barrier islands. It's a cute little downtown but not a heck of a lot going on if that's what the tourist is interested in!!

Thx Billybob for the Priceline info. We got a pretty decent deal for air/hotel/car from the travel agent, at the Marco Island Radisson. So we went with that. But I think I'll try Priceline for our next trip, which may be DisneyWorld with the kids later this year. And thx to everyone for all the advice. Keep it comin'...e.g., good restaurants in Marco Island or Naples? Sights not to be missed? But remember, we're only there three days!

Forget FM and SI, go to
Sarasots FLA. Its the only
place to go in FLA.
Trust me. Stay that the Hilton.
Its fine and close to all the
great night spots.
Don't forget to go jetskiing on
Siesta Key.

Robin, ask about Naples' restaurants. Although at least one new one opens here every week, I'm pretty well up on most of them. Type of food? Budget? Atmosphere?

Sanibel Island. There are dozens of resorts directly on the beach. April, may & sept. Oct. are actually dead times here. The winter visitors (snowbirds) are home & school is in session. We normally get very few springbreakers & they goto Ft.Myers Beach. Yes the traffic is terrible on Periwinkle way around the normal rush our traffic anywhere in the world. I don't know where you are traveling from but the Ft.myers airport is easier to get in&out than Naples. Hilton Grand Vacations & several others manage properties all over the island. Check them out, I don't know of a bad one & you'll love the restaurants in the area.If I can help you E-mail me direct. I'm retired & don't work or own intrest in anything.

Patrick (& others)--Regarding Marco/Naples restaurants...since it's just my hubby & me (no kids this time!), we may want to hit some trendy "in" places or romantic places, although we'd definitely want some casual and fun ones, too. We like all types of cuisine. Maybe some $$$$ ones & some not so pricey. Also, how far from Marco to Naples? Are there good restaurants both places? Anything close to the Radisson? Thx.

I have eaten many times on Marco but have yet to find a restaurant that I would rate much above mediocre, although I have heard good things about a rather pricey place called Merrit's Island House (or something like that?)In regards to Naples (about 25 to 40 minute drive from Marco) I suggest the following:
Campiello: my favorite, contemporary trendy Italian with great courtyard atmosphere and a smell from the wood oven and grill that will draw you from two blocks away.
Tommy Bahamas: very casual, sometimes Carribean music, outdoor dining and surprisingly good food -- a chicken quesadillo to die for.
Pazzo: trendy contemporary Italian bistro with really good food. Ask for Doug T. for fun and good service. Tell him Patrick from Fodor's sent you.
Chops: owned by Pazzo -- also good food and trendy atmosphere. Strange mixture of sushi starters and great aged steaks, hence the name with a double meaning "chops" shown with chopsticks.
Mangrove Cafe: contemporary carribean or what is sometimes called
"floribbean."
Yabba: a very casual carribean with a very popular bar--half inside, half outside, right at the Sugden Community Theatre.
McCabes Irish Pub: very authentic, with interior brought over from Ireland. OK food, great beer or Guiness and lively atmosphere. Also next to the Sugden.
All of the above are in the heart of "Olde Naples". The first two are on 3rd Street South and the rest are on 5th Avenue South.

Thx Patrick! I've printed out your list to take with me. Ironically, there's a big story in this Sunday's NY Times Travel section on....Naples! (Several of the restaurants you mentioned were listed.)Go to www.nytimes.com if you'd like to read it.