I read the posts and still need to ask a few Florida questions.How far south do we have to drive on Gulf side to get nice weather in mid to late Feb? Is there any nice area left that is not extremely commercial and crowded? I guess that is asking a lot, huh?

I like Boca Grande. It's far enough south that it should be warm and fits two of your other requirements...it's not terribly commercial, nor is it crowded. That said, we lived close enough that our trips there were always day trips, so I can't be any help with lodging.

I would agree about Boca Grande. And while Sanibel may be pretty developed, it's happened in a very "non commercial" way. And you can still find a remote beach there. The main drag -- Periwinkle Way will be crowded, but that's about it for the island.

There are no weather guarantees, but I'd say you need to get south of Sarasota to improve your chances for warmer weather.

And I agree with Patrick about Sanibel (and Captiva) and how they've developed. They are far removed from the tacky Clearwater Beach, Ft Myers Beach etc development, and have the added advantage of more dining choices than Boca Grande.

Thirding what Neo and OO say about Sanibel: if you're going to have development, that's the way to do it.

Will dogs be allowed on the beaches of boca? Are there alligators there?

Can anyone give a personal reaction to a place in Fort Myers called Cottages of paradise point?

maribethp, there are no alligators in the gulf or on beaches normally. They are in the everglades and in fresh water lakes further inland. Can't tell you about dogs.

No knowledge of Cottages, either.

maribethp, you could try calling the Boca Grande chamber of commerce about whether dogs are allowed on the beaches - 941.964.0568

There are alligators on Sanibel on a refuge call "J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Sanibel, FL" and people have sighted many a gator while driving,walking, or biking there. Sanibel is a beautiful island but, on occasion, you can encounter various reptiles.

What about the palm trees? It seems to show on pictures online that some beaches in the gulf have palms and others do not? Can anyone tell me a nice palm tree lined beach area or areas?

Boca Grande and Gasparilla Island IIRC have iguanas. Some areas have bigger lizards and big snakes dumped by "pet" owners which are now breeding, but in 6 winters in Florida I never saw one(okay, it was Naples where they probably could not have afforded the real estate at the time). Alligators are everywhere in fresh water (golf course, drainage ditches around malls, etc).

For warmth, the rule of thumb is below the Peace River, but that was written by people in Punta Gorda. I would want to be in Fort Myers or below.

Helpful posters, please keep in mind. I do like palm trees and dislike reptiles. I have spent a lot of time on vrbo, but seem to need a more specific locale to search than Naples, because a lot of other names like Paradise Island come up, same for Sanibel and Captiva, so where are the nice beaches? thank you.

Beach Reviews: from my experience, with comments on ambience, etc:

Punta Gorda: limited beach access

Pine Island: no beaches except for hotel guests and property owners.

Captiva Island, sugar sand but awfully far out there, limited lodging choices, and a long way to a grocery store at 35 mph (enforced).

Sanibel Island, lovely natural beaches in laid back atmosphere but sometimes subject to Red Tide which litters beach with dead fish and stings your eyes.

Ft Myers Beach, nice beaches, carnival atmosphere, heavy traffic.

Lovers Key State Park, absolutely gorgeous beaches, limited lodging choices immediately adjacent and lots of traffic to get elsewhere.

Bonita Beach, less pricy than further south, good beaches, access somewhat limited. Barefoot Beach is fantastic, though you have to drive through a gated community to get there, and the residents of the gated community don't make it obvious that you can!

Vanderbilt Beach from Delnor Wiggins State Park to Clam Pass, (North Naples)has fabulous beaches. Some facilities (Ritz Carlton, Pelican Bay) restricted to guests/property owners but the beach itself is public.

Naples, Clam Pass to end, fabulous,
start to finish, with upscale town just behind it.

Marco Island, good beaches, lots of high rises, some beaches restricted to property owners and renters, if I recall correctly. Marco, like Sanibel and Captiva is a long way from the airport, in time if not in miles, and it lacks the upscale shopping and restaurants of Naples.

Folks, this is shorthand, and it is MY opinion. Do not immediately dump on me because I didn't like your favorite place as much as you did. The OP wasn't happy with what she got for information, so this is pretty much a summary of what there is that doesn't have reptiles and does have reliable warm weather.

Thank you so much to the last and to all helpful posters. One last thing. I am looking for a cottage on the beach. Is that possible anywhere that you have described with good beaches? I scoured vrbo, amy other search better? taking two pups along.

Ackislander, a great assessment and description of the beaches.

Regarding the palm trees. Palm trees do not grow "ON" the beaches, and are not native to Florida to begin with. Along most beaches in SW Florida there will be palm trees planted by whatever development is along the beach -- the trees are most likely to line their boundary line between their lawns and the beach itself. If you have an image of a palm tree rising out of the sand a few yards from the water, you need to get rid of that image.

And if you think you are remotely likely to see an alligator while at the beach, the chances are remote to none. But I'd suggest you not go golfing -- there are tons of them in the fresh water "lakes" and water holes of golf courses.

And looking for a "private" cottage on a beach, I think of Bonita Beach -- no big hotels or motels on the beach, pretty much all houses and cottages -- some for rent.

They are in process of exterminating the iguanas on Boca Grande. When I was there in July, there were far fewer iguanas than usual. There are still some but nowhere as many.

I would vote for either Boca Grande or Sanibel Island. Agree that Sanibel has more restaurants. It also has the advantage of being slightly farther south so you may see warmer weather.

T'ween Waters on Captiva has some cottages. A little two lane road separates them from the beach, however. http://www.tween-waters.com/Accommodations.cfm#cottage

When we've stayed in the area, we've stayed on Sanibel at Casa Ybel. They are condos, tallest building two stories, all have screened porches overlooking the Gulf. Palm trees between the buildings and beach.

There are numerous little cottages on Anna Maria Island, and that is not highly developed either. Down side--it's north of Sarasota. Weather could be cool...or it could be beautiful.

OMG- those places are glorious. We are a notch down on the income level here, so are looking for a place to rent, cute, comfy, quiet, nice location, for about, say 3-4K for 2 weeks. Thanks so much for the suggestions, though.Also, remember the doggy thing. We really want them with us on this vacation.

Just found Signal Inn on Sanibel and it bragged about its own resident gator.