Ok, I've been to Ft.Lauderdale in November and really enjoyed myself. We had a great time. Would definitely go again. I was checking out other areas of Florida for the same time and The Sanibel Harbour Resort caught my attention. This hotel resort looks very nice!! I'm wondering is it a lot to do in this area? I believe it's in Ft.Myers. How does this compare to the Ft.Lauderdale area in the way of restaurants, entertainment and shopping. We are in our early 30's not big partygoers but like nice jazz clubs ,relaxation, nice beaches. Would we be disappointed in this location compared to the Ft.Lauderdale area? I also was checking out the Naples area. How does this area compare to Ft.Lauderdale?
Thanks!

I don't think you can compare Sanibel Harbor resort to Fort Lauderdale.
1. tiny population in Fort Myers compared to Fort Lauderdale.
2. no beach for Sanibel Harbor Resort
3. shopping opportunities limited.

In favor of my area ( I live in Ft. Myers)
1. much more peaceful than Ft. L (some think boring)
2. natural beauty of Pine Island Sound and the National Marine Sanctuary (Charlotte Harbor)
3. Developing a better entertainment are. Great new jazz club on Sanibel: Ellingtons.

Do a search here on Naples. Many many posts on shopping, restaurants, etc. Perhaps more to your liking.

Fort Myers/Sanibel/Captiva is a family resort area with a midwestern feel. LMF

Would you consider Sanibel more of a country type setting. Also there is no beach at the Sanibel Harbor Beach Resort?

I stayed at Sanibel and the beaches I stayed at and drove to were really pretty "remote" feeling. You have to drive a ways to get to the area where dining and entertainment are (close to where you come in to the island), so it was relaxing in that way. Is that what you mean by "country"? We could walk for a long ways without seeing many people on the beaches. But we had a house and not a resort. One thing was we had alot of bugs on the beach when we were there in June, it was quite annoying, but that can happen anywhere on the water depending on the way the wind shifts, etc.

Janny, have you tried Miami and Key West? Where are you traveling from?

I'm flying from Detroit. I thought about Key West, but it looks like it's in a country setting? Someone whose been told me that too. Haven't considered Miami. Any other ideas? Just looking for something comparable to
Ft. Lauderdale. Don't want to go somewhere new and be disappointed.

Oh I forgot to add, I want to stay in a nice hotel on the beach.

I stayed at the Sanibel Harbour Resort and it is very nice. However, it is NOT on the beach. It is on the river just before you get to the toll booth for Sanibel Island. I thought it was a nice, romantic hotel (but I was NOT with a b/f...boo hoo!) All the rooms in the main hotel face the pool and water. You can watch the sunset from the lounge.

The beaches in Sanibel are not as nice as the east coast of Florida, but you can enjoy them for shelling and check out the lighthouse on the island.

While it's not the beach, it's got a similar feel. You can head over to the beach on Sanibel whenever you want.

Have you considered finding a hotel on Sanibel Island or Captiva? That way you won't have to pay as many tolls.

Naples Naples Naples! Nice beaches, excellent restaurants, great shopping, arts scene. It has much more to offer away from the beach than Sanibel/Captiva and the restaurants are infinitely better. Like Ft Lauderdale, it's upscale. I've stayed at the Registry there, and there is a Ritz as well. Both are separated from their beaches by an area of mangroves, but that was not a deterent.

Sanibel is much quieter and although I hear good things about Sanibel Harbour Resort, I would not recommend staying there as you indicated beaches are important to you. It is not on Sanibel, but on the mainland just before the causeway. The beach there is not the Gulf, rather a backwater area and getting to the Gulf entails driving over the causeway with its $3 toll...or $3 the last time we went over--I heard it is going up.

I'd rule out Key West too because it lacks beaches, with the exception of one so-so beach, away from the main area where the majority of people stay and play.

Marco Island has a big beautiful beach. Much better than the east coast beaches.It is very quiet in the summer. Jan, Feb and March really packed and traffic is bad. Not as bad as the east coast or Ft Lauderdale.No toll bridges like Sanibel.

Sanibel and Captiva are absolutely beautiful islands. They both are very small with not much to do other then shell, swim, enjoy wildlife and relax. Most places close at 10 - there is little to no nightlife. Noseeums (sp?) get real bad during dusk so bring bug spray. Excellent park there called J. Ding Darling. Plenty of dolphins that will swim within feet of you. There is an ordinance that no building can be taller then the tallest tree. It very much feels like the caribbean - atleast to me.

If you decide on Sanibel I would look into staying either on Sanibel or Captiva to make it more enjoyable.

I know this is a stupid question, but are there lots of birds on Sanibel Island or Naples. I was in the bookstore this evening, and read a book on Sanibel/Capitva and it mentioned tons of those exotic flamingo looking birds. I am terrified of those things. Is this true?

Janny I've lived in Naples for over 27 years. I've never seen a bird in the wild that looked like a flamingo. There are some large cranes or egrets. They are considered beautiful and certainly nothing to be frightened of. We also have large pelicans. One of the most eerie things in my memory is a day in very early spring when my sprinklers were on in the yard and suddenly thousands and thousands of robins (no, I'm not exaggerating) landed in my yard. They were obviously migrating back north. They were bathing and drinking in the fresh water from the sprinklers apparently having flown for miles over salt water.

The Birds, Patrick! Scary indeed, those robins. Similarly frightening are the starlings/grackles, or whatever they are, coming into the marina at sunset in the winter. Hundreds and hundreds of them at once, landing on the tops of masts, windvanes, shrouds, spreaders...anywhere they can get a foothold, and it sounds just like the movie--very, very creepy. Not Sanibel, Janny, St Pete, and unfortunately, they eat red berries before they arrive, then leave them in some form on departure. Gives new meaning to the term "poop deck".

In 7 years living here I've seen 1 flamingo in the wild. We were so excited we came back and photographed him, then called Busch Gardens to see if they'd lost some in a storm! They think it was a chick that was blown up here from a preserve during Andrew..they've had periodic sightings of this lone flamingo. I've never seen one in Sanibel, and don't recall roseates, though there are some heron...who are very much afraid of you too!

Roseate Spoonbills look so much like flamigos most of our guests confuse them. I'd be willing to bet our 401K that you couldn't get closer than 5 yds to one before he flees in fear. Tri-colored night herons or egrets might let you get within 5 feet before they fly off, on this property anyway, which is a preserve so they are tamer. We have one that comes to our koi pond for dinner daily, named Fred. Then there's the snowy egret who sits on the edge of the bait trough in the marina hoping someone will open the lid so he can get his shrimp. These birds have no desire to be anywhere near you, ever, Janny--they've come for dinner and dinner isn't you!

That guide book listed the birds because most people are pretty excited about the opportunity to see them. It was not a warning.