Traveling to Sanibel in June. Our family includes a 4-year old. I've looked at condos on the Internet at Pointe Santo, Casa Ybel, Blind Pass and Loggerhead Cay. Is there anyone who is familiar with the locations of these and the grounds (i.e., which one is the best choice)? Is the higher price at Casa Ybel worth it -- for the kid's program, all condos facing Gulf, etc? Is one part of the island a better place to stay than another? One last question - are the resorts like Sanibel Inn, Seaside Inn or Sanibel Island Beach Resort better than staying at a condo? Please help!

I'm no expert on Sanibel, but I did stay at the Casa Ybel. It is quite nice and well located -- but I don't know if it's worth whatever they're charging these days.

try Ocean's Reach condominiums. We had 5 of us in a 2bdrm. unit on the top floor for a week last Xmas and it was wonderful! Great view of the ocean. We could even see dolphins from the patio. A nice pool too. Also fun to rent bikes and explore the island that way. Ocean's Reach only rents Sat. to Sat. I believe. Have a great trip. Sanibel is beautiful!

Thanks for the info. Even though it costs more, Casa Ybel still looks like a good bet.

I'm not sure about Pointe Santo,(is that on the bay side near the lighthouse?) but assume it is a condo like most of the others. The big price difference for Case Ybel is that is a full service resort hotel, not a condo, with daily maid service and a lot of other "resort" ammenities. If those things are important to you, then go for it, but if a regular larger condo is more to your liking, dealing with weekly maid service rather than daily, then I'd go for the condo situation. I used to have friends who lived permanently at Loggerhead Cay and I thought it was a wonderful apartment.

I can give you the scoop on Blind Pass condos. We were there last May/June. The cost was lower than any other condo we looked at, probably because if you look at an overhead of Blind Pass you'll see that none of the units are "oceanside" or even "oceanview. Instead, there is a path that leads over a bridge and down to the beach. You've seen that bridge if you've been to Blind Pass' Internet site.

We had a GREAT unit- a 2BR/2.5BA townhouse unit on the second and third floors. I swear that the woners, bless their hearts, thought of everything you could possibly need at the beach and stocked it in their unit. We had available to us: beach chairs, pails, swim toys like noodles and arm bands, games, puzzles, VCR with some great tapes etc. The condo assoc itself has tennis courts, a big pool, and a sauna available to guests, as well as free use of kayaks and canoes.

Location is north of the Ding Darling Wildlife Sanctuary on the gulf side of the island. The beach area is Bowman's Beach and it's known as a great shelling area.

Hi Julie, My husband and I now own a vacation home in Fort Myers, right across the causeway from Sanibel. Our first stay was at Loggerhead Cay and had a nice ocean view condo. They're right on the beach and there's a pool too. Whatever you do, don't miss eating at Gramma Dots at the Sanibel Marina. Very casual, GREAT fried oyster sandwiches and the setting is idyllic! Have a great time, we love Sanibel.