allison_h

My family is booked at the South Seas Resort on Captiva Island for the week between Christmas and New Year's. When making the reservation, I was told that most of the resort's post-hurricane renovations would be completed by this fall, and several (namely the pools and the beach) would be finished by mid-December.

I am now a little worried about the possibility of them running late with the beach & pool renovations and not having them finished by the time we visit, since with two teenagers, these are the things that matter a lot to us! Should I be concerned about cutting it so close, or do you think we might be OK?

They did say that they were pleased about how well the renovations were coming along, and when I asked them what would not be ready by Christmas, they said they didn't have anything on their list which wouldn't be ready. However, their "grand reopening" is not scheduled officially until Feb. 2006, so I'm wondering...

Any knowledgible input would be most appreciated! Thanks--

Patrick

Here's hoping LilMsFoodie will spot this and answer. I think she has a good handle on the progress at South Seas.

luvtravl

We rented a condo on Sanibel about 3 weeks ago. While we were there, we drove to Captiva, stopped at the South Seas entrance and spoke with the security guard about the status of South Seas. He said it would be sometime after the first of the year before they would be open again. Perhaps we was referring to the Feb "grand reopening" but that was not the impression he gave us.

allison_h

Thanks Patrick and luvtravl--Can anyone else offer an opinion??

Patrick

I'm emailing this to LilMsFoodie in the hopes she can help you out.

DownSouth

What are the cancellation terms in your reservation agreement? I would check that very closely. This hurricane season is predicted to be very active (as usual!). I would proceed with great caution. We visited Perdido Key in the Panhandle last week and were so saddened by the war-zone-like conditions still evident 9 months later. The low-rise condo that we rented for 5+ years no longer exists; we couldn't even locate the land that it stood on because so many landmarks were totally destroyed. It was so devastating to this area as was true to Captiva and Sanibel Islands. How sad!

allison_h

Well, here's my situation...Maybe all you knowledgable Florida people can advise me! As we have 2 teenage girls, one of whom will be a senior in high school next fall, our family wants to take a couple of memorable trips together before she heads off to college. We want to do a trip between Christmas & New Year's, and another during Spring break (Mar. '06). We can't really go until after Christmas Day, but she has to be back in school on Jan. 2, so that leaves us with only about a 6-day vacation (bummer).

I was originally looking into someplace in the Caribbean, but airfares and length of flights from Chicago area are both too high for the amount of time we have to spend. Also, I want the Spring break trip to be really special (Hawaii--Big Island, maybe? but I'll save that for another post!), so we don't want to blow our bank on the Christmas trip. A trip to somewhere in FL would be a quicker flight and less expensive, and probably just as fun.

I have heard the west coast of FL generally has warmer weather in winter. But I know that winter in FL is still winter! So I'm looking for someplace which would stand a good chance of being warmer, so we could go swimming, etc. We've already been to the Keys, so would rather do something different this time.

I was thinking Sanibel or Captiva, which led me to book the South Seas Resort (good sunsets, I hear). But now I'm wondering not only about the renovations at the resort, but the devastation that may still exist on the whole island. Would we be better off in Sanibel (was also considering Casa Ybel)?? Or what other place might be a good bet for us & our girls (ages 17 & 14)?? Maybe Naples?

We're not a family who likes to sit at the beach or pool all day, although those two things are important. We also like activities such as bike riding, horseback riding (not essential for this trip, however), perhaps kayaking or jet skiing, and of course my girls have to have the shopping! Cute and trendy shops are a must.

So please let me know if I should be considering something other than Captiva or Sanibel at this time. (I'm pretty Florida-ignorant!) Thanks a million!

Allison

Oh, by the way--The cancellation penalty for South Seas is only $35 if you cancel more than 14 days ahead, so cancelling isn't really a problem.

luvtravl

If you are not a frequent visitor to the islands, the damage is not so obvious. Much of it has been cleaned up. The Australian pines were devastated but the palm trees fared pretty well. The beaches are still beautiful! If there is a possibility that South Seas renovations will still be underway - you might want to consider a condo on Sanibel. Whatever you do, hope you'll have a wonderful time!!!!

amwosu

I stayed at South Seas once and was disappointed with the place due to the distance from our lovely two bedroom suite to the beach or pool. It is such a large complex that we had to walk a very long way to get to either. The beach wasn't great there either. I'm sure others have had better experiences but this is just take on the resort. I'd chose a smaller, more intimate hotel with the pool just steps from my door.

amwosu

and if I'd proofread my response it would say "this is just one take on the resort"

LilMsFoodie

We've had so much rain that the progress on the resort is even slower than anticipated. The contracts for redecorating are just being let and many owners are on the fence still. All property on SS is owned by individuals and leased or rented a variety of ways...monthly, weekly, nightly, seasonally or not at all.

Roofs are still being done in some of the condos. There was no progress on even starting a pool near the Kings Crown area. There is supposed to be a new restaurant added to this area but I've not seen the plans.

The entire resort is a hard hat area. When I make a site visit you'd think I was visiting NASA, hard hat, badge and guard checks periodically.

As of this week, I'd say it is possible but not probable that South Seas will open for Christmas week. I hope I am wrong.

I'll find my last report and link it for you here.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34626434

I have not been lately as there has been no progress on my particular project. LMF

allison_h

Thanks so much for your valuable insight, LMF. Looks like we'll rethink our plans. Does anyone know if there is any place on either Sanibel or Captiva that would appeal to teens and is not in the midst of renovations? (i.e, someplace with a better-than-average pool, a nice beach, good atmosphere, and not too quiet and boring?) Another question: Is the Gulf even warm enough to swim in during the last week of Dec.? Is there another part of FL that we could be considering? Many thanks for your replies!

Patrick

I've lived in Naples for nearly 30 years and I can tell you that Naples tends to be the warmest in Florida much of the winter (even warmer than Key West, usually). Warm enough to swim in the Gulf? Well, lots of folks do it. We call them "crazy northerners". Weather at Christmas is "iffy". We once had snow flakes(about six of them) on Christmas day here (about 25 years ago and the only "snow" on record). Yet other years we have to close up the house and turn on the air for Christmas dinner as it's too hot. More often that not it will be sunny and in the pleasant 70's.

I'm under oath not to suggest any more people come to Naples, but frankly it does sound like what you're looking for. The girls would have a heyday shopping. Kayacking at the Conservancey on the back bay is a real treat. You can go off into the Everglades and bike the Shark Valley trail if you like. The Corkscrew Sanctuary boardwalk is a real treat. Restaurants to die for.

Most of the beach hotel/resorts are well north of the downtown -- the Ritz, LaPlaya, and the Registry for starters. Or there are places closer to town, but little on the beach except the "downtown" Edgewater Resort and the Naples Beach Hotel and Golf Resort.

allison_h

Patrick, you're a godsend! Yes, it does sound like we'd be a whole lot better off in Naples (plus, we could drive over to Sanibel/Captiva for a day to check it out). I found out today that some close friends of ours w/ 4 teens just bought a place in Naples about a month ago, so apparently the area is well-suited to this age group!

A question: After reading posts, reviews, and checking out web sites, I'm thinking we would really enjoy La Playa Resort. Is there any way to book this, perhaps as a package deal of some kind, through some other source than the resort itself? I'm not sure if the resort is showing any availability. I know it's high, high season, so package deals are probably pretty rare, right? I've only tried Hotwire & Priceline in the past, so am pretty ignorant of the possibilities out there. Anyone?? Thanks--

Allison