mud

We are planning a florida vacation in late July and are trying to decide between the Sanibel/Captive area and the Anna Maria Island/Longboat Key area. We are late 40's, no kids (on this trip anyway)and are looking for good beaches, good food, good shopping and nice accomodations with a pool.Interesting architecture/historic tours would be a plus too. Went to Charleston and then on to Isle of Palms a couple of years ago. Charleston was great but IOP was so-so. We went to Key West last year and had a great time there. One of the nice things about Key West was that we did not need a car and could walk or bike to all the places we wanted to see. I guess we are looking for Key West with a beach. Do such a place exist?
Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Jim

Tandoori_Girl

I love Anna Maria with its beautiful beaches and unspoiled quaint town but I don't think it's what you're looking for this trip. It is much more residential than Sanibel/Captiva. Many of the houses are for rent, of course, but there is very limited shopping. What there is is spread intermittently along Pine Street (I think that's the name), or here and there on other streets. There are few restaurants. This might seem a detriment to you but the people of Anna Maria don't want it to be anything else, and it won't be.

I would suggest that you stay on Captiva or Sanibel but keep in mind that these two islands are very different from Key West, and light years removed from Charleston. These are island towns. I love to stay in Captiva but if you are there for more than 3 days you will need to drive in for some Sanibel diversion, and a car trip to Ft. Myers for tourist-type diversions. This is a very low-key area, tiny, with not as much to do as Key West. I suggest you check some past threads on the two cities for more info.

DeborahB

Sanibel is one of my favorite places in the world. You can rent a bike (or bring your own) and get around most of the town with your bike. The beaches are clean and beautiful with plenty of shells. There isn't much nightlife but the daytime is usually so busy that by nightfall your ready for bed.

mud

Tandoori_Girl, thank you for your response. I have read your posts before and they are very helpful.
My wife and I have just started to travel and are by no means experienced travelers. We had so much fun in Key West that we might unjustly use it as a comparison for other places. We stayed at the Marquesa and loved the ability to be 'touristy' on Duval or secluded back at the hotel. Not having to drive was great too. Anna Maria and Sanibel looked nice via the web but it's always nice to hear from people who have first hand knowlege. Perhaps it's not what we are looking for. I would appreciate suggestions for other destinations. Again, thanks for your input.

Jim

tgordo

Never been to Anna Maria but I can vouch highly for Sanibel. It's got everything you're looking for...miles of white beaches, tons of good restaurants, shopping for the rainy days, several golf and tennis options if you're into that and miles of bike paths. There is some historic interest...lighthouse, Ding Darling Preserve, Schoolhouse Playhouse. I believe there is a boat tour day trip of a historic island to the north but I don't recall the name of it. You could even throw in a night at Key West using the high speed shuttle that runs from Ft. Myers.

LN

You could possibly fall in love with Longboat Key. Most of the island is devoted to low rise buildings so that the views are spectacular and many of us love to sit on the beach with a glass of wine at sunset.

The sand is like white talcum powder, the beaches are wide, and the sand is easy to walk on in even the hottest weather.

There's great shopping at St Armands Circle where there are so many unusual shops and great restaurants. You'd be hard pressed to not find something to your liking.

Many rent condos but certain resorts like The Colony rent by the day or week. Other good condo rentals would be The Diplomat, Veranda Beach, Turtle Crawl Inn, and for a hotel there's the Hilton on a beautiful gulf front location.

As to restaurants there's Harry's, Euphemia Haye, Dry Dock, Salty Dog, and Beach Bistro all with good food some pricey some reasonable.

Tandoori_Girl

mud (and don't take that personally), don't mistake my message. I think you'd love Captiva/Sanibel and I highly recommend it. And what I recommend is that you stay in Captiva and go island hopping over to Sanibel. You'll find different restaurants and a different sort of feel at Sanibel. Then, for an architecture/history fix, head to the mainland to Ft. Myers to check out the Ford-Edison complex. You will need your car for that. And you will need your car to get from Captiva to Sanibel, or vice versa, as you would if you went from Marathon to Key West.

Key West has crammed everything into one spot whereas things are a bit more spread out in Sanibel and Captiva. And for that beach experience, they far surpass what you'll find in the keys in terms of sand, shells, and interacting with the waves. It is a great experience!

I like to stay at Tween Waters Inn in Captiva.

Tandoori_Girl

Other suggestions would be Siesta Key, Long Boat, Venice Beach, St. Augustine.

help

I'm no expert but been to both many times and love them..but they are not Key West..you would have to drive and nightlife is not too much fun..not to my finding anyway..Ft Myers Beach might offer more..as staying on the beach and walking to rests and nightlife places..Sandbar on Anna Maria and the Beach/house have daytime entertainment..but really don't know of any night/time..

help

ps..might I suggest ST Beach or Clearwater...at least there is a great beach and rests and entertainment...you would have to drive but the place is great and you could be central and walk on the beach to some places...and T Girl,Joan and OO could probably assist you....

help

sorry meant ST PETE BEACH...

Jayne11159

Mud,
The ambiance varies widely among all the places you have mentioned. For example AMI is a rustic, old-style beach community with small hotels,inexpensive (but good) restaurants, no highrises and not much shopping. It's my favorite and I think have the best beaches, but I live just across the bridge! LBK is very upscale, but you have many lodging choices in many prices ranges and atmosphere. Restaurants are more expensive, but if you stay on the south side you'll have fun shopping and eating on St. Armands. Venice and Siesta beaches are off the beaten path, more limited restaurants (on the beach side) and little shopping. IMHO, Sanibel and Captiva are like a blend of AMI and LBK.

It all depends on your personal taste. I suggest doing a search here listing the areas you've mentioned. There have been many conversations about AMI, LBK etc.

OliveOyl

My vote would go to the Longboat/Anna Maria combination, although as a family we've enjoyed several vacations in Sanibel as well. You will need a car at either of these areas, however, as they aren't as compact as KW.

You mentioned "good beaches, good food, good shopping, nice accomodations, and architecture/historic tours" and all those are available in LBK/Anna Maria area. Both areas have nice beaches, but Longboat has a much better dining and shopping selection than Captiva/Sanibel. The historic tour for that area, which we've done several times when we have guests, is the John and Mable Ringling complex. It includes an art museum, circus museum, and tour of the Ringling's elegant home on the edge of Sarasota Bay which has just undergone a multi-million dollar renovation. There's a fairly decent restaurant for lunch on the grounds as well. It is a looong day.

You can stay in Anna Maria and drive to Longboat/Sarasota for the dining and shopping or just stay in Longboat and drive to Anna Maria to poke around the little town and residential area. It's a beautiful drive and one we don't think twice about making. Although it's quicker for us to get from Tampa to Sarasota via interstate, we normally get off at Bradenton, drive out to Anna Maria and drive the length of the barrier islands to St Armands Circle for lunch or just fun shopping, then continue on a bit more to Selby Gardens, where, although I enjoy the gardens, the real draw for me and for many, is the incredible orchid greenhouse. You may not have apprecitated orchids before going, but you will leave a believer. My patio and the trees around our casita, now decorated with baskets of hanging orchids are a living testimonial to that!

What it boils down to in my decision between the two is the better dining and shopping in Longboat. I don't think either location is a hotbed of night time activities like KW is.

I'm curious as to why you didn't like IOP? Was it the hard packed sand? Narrow beach? The fact that you had to go into Charleston because there wasn't much in the way of shopping and dining out there? That might give me more of a clue as to which area is the best fit for you, or if there is another, better, choice yet.

'Course if you really want a slew of dining choices, shopping and architecture, as well as nightlife, have you thought about South Beach?

Tandoori_Girl

ps, I went to Clearwater a couple of weeks ago and was underwhelmed by the whole experience. I loved where I stayed (Clearwater Beach Hotel) but the shopping was pathetic, the restaurants marginal.

St. Petes' beaches, Treasure Island, Indian Rocks, all have limited places to walk. They want a walking community. I still say Captiva and Sanibel, or maybe Siesta Key for them. Longboat does not have much in the way of areas to walk around unless you take your car to St. Armands and there's not much there either.

LN

T Girl

I don't mean to start anything but I cannot help but wonder if you haven't confused Longboat Key with somewhere else, perhaps Bradenton beach.

Longboat Key has a marvelous walking environment and you can walk the entire 12 miles , cross City Island, Bird Key, and head into Sarasota which certain walking clubs on the islands now do.

Longboat Key is a very family-oriented community of primarily low-rise condos and private homes. There are some high rises on the south end within the Key Club. It's pretty known for some really good restaurants, not too much nightlife, but great walking, biking, and beaches. When you couple it with what's available at St Armands and in Sarasota you have a great combination - one which drew us to buy 7 years ago.

I sincerely hope you'll come back and visit Longboat Key and perhaps you'll come to like it as we do.

Tandoori_Girl

LN, the Muds want to walk or bike wherever they go. When I've stayed at Longboat, I did not have a bike with me but it was not the sort of place that I thought I could walk anywhere other than the beach. I had to jump in my car. It is, as the name says, a long key and to walk the length of it is quite a feat so I don't think they'd be walking to St. Armands.

I used to stay at the SaLu there. Have you been there long? It was a great place and may still be there but under a different name. I liked Longboat Key when it didn't have so many high-rises. The beaches are fantastic though. And I like some of the restaurants on the bay side, in particular.

Jayne11159

You can bike almost the whole length of LBK on their sidewalk system. While true that you can't walk the whole stretch of LBK beaches there are certainly stretches that are long enough for a lengthy walk--just be sure to inquire when you select your hotel, or better yet confirm it with the LBK chamber. Wicker Inn is one of our favs on LBK, just check the each conditions. Technically you could do the walk LN describes, but that would be extrememly ambitious in July!!!

OO did a good job describing the cultural/historical sights. Add Mote Marine to that list as well. After taking in their amazing sea life exhibits you can take the "Mote Boat" which is a wonderfully informative tour of our waters. I would also add the South Florida Museum in Bradenton. It's a natural history museum that chronicles this area of Florida since prehistoric time. They recently completed a multi-million dollar renovation. It's named as one of the top small museums in the country by the Smithsonian (the SFM loans THEM pieces for their exhibits!) Their Tallant collection is an incredible display of gold artifacts, pottery and other antiquities excavated in FL. For me the largest draw of that museum is Snooty their wonderful 56 year old West Indian Manatee. I worked at the Museum for years and still miss my "Snooty kisses!

mud

Thanks to all for great info and sorry for this late response. After lots of surfing and research, we are considering staying at Siesta Key and making road trips to Longboat, Captive, St Armands, etc. It seems that some driving will be necessary to to make all this work, but we're concerned that there might not be enough to do at some of the other locations. Can you recommend any nice beach front accomodations on Siesta Key similar to the Marquesa (small inn, private, personal service, etc.) I know I've beat this thing to death, but I'm suffering from information overload and having trouble making a decision. Again, thanks to all.

mud

I meant to reply to OliveOyl regarding IOP on my last post but forgot. I think our IOP trip was one of those trips that just did not work out. We stayed at the Sea Side Inn and the accomodiations were just 'OK'. The weather was cloudy both days and next door was a resturant/bar filled with college kids. The shopping and resturants were very limited. It's possible that we missed the 'good' parts of IOP or that we were expecting something that this area is not. As I mentioned previously, we are new to traveling and our fist trip to Key West was a blast. We're having a hard time duplicaing the enjoyment of that trip. No offense to IOP as everyones interests are different, however Charleston was great.

Tandoori_Girl

Hello Muds. I'm glad you've decided on LBKey. It is a great place. And there is lots to do. The Ringling Museum is fabulous and Marie Selby Gardens is terrific, don't miss either. The whole area is a beautiful one.

You will not want those bikes in mid-day. It is blazing down here already. Florida's weather is one reason we are all so car-oriented in Florida -- that blast of AC in your car on a hot day is always welcome.