Passing through Sanibel/Captiva area with my husband and two kids for one-night in July. Want to enjoy the beach and a nice dinner. Plan to check out both spots so a central location would be good. Most accommodations sound like condos with one-week minimums. Would love to be on the beach if possible and affordable. Do hotels have private beaches or must we consider proximity of public beach to hotel? Any suggestion for a place to stay?

You could try the Holiday Inn there...it does not have an ocean view but backs right onto the beach. We stayed there 2 and it was fine for 1 night.

The Holiday Inn looked like a nice location. We had dinner at this location (the kids would love it if they are fairly young). The beach is adjacent to the property and they have a nice pool/patio bar area.

Another nice restaurant was The Seafood Factory on the Corner of Periwinkle Way and Tarpon Bay Road on your way to Captiva. The food was delicious and the servers were very nice.

The two bedroom units at Casa Ybel have a minimum stay, but one bedroom units do not. The one bedrooms have two queen beds plus a sleep sofa in the living room so accomodate a small family easily. All units face the beach, are nicely furnished and are centrally located. We've enjoyed several long weekend stays there.

How can you "pass through" Sanibel? It is a long stretch from the mainland over the bridge and to get from Captiva from Sanibel is a 12 mile trek along a 2-lane, usually busy road. If you are passing through the general area via Interstate, I would suggest staying at Vanderbilt Beach at the lovely hotel there. The adjacent beach is a nature reserve and it's stunning. There are plenty of restaurants and thing s to do in nearby Naples. Just a thought.