My friend and I want to take our babies on a nice, affordable beach trip in the fall. We're thinking Captiva or Sanibel Island. Neither of us have been, but the beach looks nice, and it seems relatively easy to get to from Dallas. We want a condo on the beach with a pool. Does anyone have recommendations?
I think we're going to save Captiva for another time when the kids or older. It sounds like a great place to visit but maybe not for crawling babies. My friend and I could both use a little get away, so we have decided to take a trip without the babies. We're going to California since we'd like to go in July and won't have to worry about hurricane season there. Thanks again for your advice and suggestions!
No recommendations here but we have had friends go to that area and love it.
We go to San Destin for family beach time at Hilton Gold Resort and Spa and LOVE it.
FUN time is at South Beach in Miami!! No children is best for South Beach. Very open minded party area
I absolutely love Sanibel/Captiva! However, what I love really is the fine dining coupled with a beach vacation. It is expensive! Once on the island, there is no grocery store, so you will have to go over the bridge (toll $) to get cheap food/snacks. The beach is small.... The water is shallow so you can enjoy the water with little ones. I don't think it is condusive to family vacation. We have friend with a house there which makes it attractive to us.
I think u should go to Destin! Awesome white sand beach, lots of familiar restaurants, grocery, outlet mall, movie theater. You can rent for cheap! water is gorgeous! go to vacation rental by owner to find a place to stay (vrbo.com)
Have fun!
We lived on and taught school on Marco Island(near Naples and not far from Sanibel)for 8 years. The Marriott there is very child and mom friendly and has lots to do. The beaches are wonderful. It is an easy trip to Ft Myers and about 45 min. drive to the island. If you go, don't miss driving into Naples for the zoo (Carribean Gardens) and the wonderful shopping!
My husband and I got married on Captiva Island at South Seas Resort. It is a beautiful resort. We were very happy with the beach and the accomodations. http://www.southseas.com
If you go, you have to have dinner at the Bubble Room. A cute restaurant.... http://www.bubbleroomrestaurant.com/bubble.html
It's expensive. You might want to look further north, Sarasota - can still be somewhat expensive, Clear Water or St. Pete might be more along the lines you are looking at. All are on the Gulf with powdery sand beaches and would mean flying into Tampa if you're flying.
I went there last year and I am going again this year. Last year when I went my youngest was 1 and still crawling. What you need to know about Sanibel is that the beaches have a LOT of shells. It was very difficult to manage my little one since he wanted to craw everywhere and the shells were horrible on his knees! It is definitely a place you need watershoes for. So if your babies are walking and go for that, it is fine. If they are crawling, I would skip until they are older.
A., visit www.TravelBugVentures.com, "book travel" and then "villas/condos", then search for your destination by state! Also, you are invited to register as a Preferred Customer to receive email notices on exclusive vacation deals! Have a wonderful trip!
Our family has been to Sanibel Island four times over the years as a family vacation. It was wonderful and the kids loved it. It is the "sea shell" capital of this part of the world . We would go up and down the shore picking up wonderful shells, nice beaches and good food! A warning, when you first go into the water shuffle your feet...my husband jumped in and scared a sting ray and he got stung first thing! We still had a great time. You will love it!
N. C
Affordable Dental $19.95 a mo.
Dental & Health $39.95 a mo.
http://www.mybenefitsplus.com/ncarson
I lived for six years in Fort Myers, Florida and strolled the beaches on Sanibel, Captiva and Fort Myers Beach many times. Sanibel is quieter than Fort Myers Beach and Captiva is even quieter still. If you are looking for seclusion, shelling and quiet down time, choose Sanibel or Captiva. If you want to walk the beach front shops, have a choice of restaurants within walking distance, etc., choose Fort Myers Beach. I'm sure VRBO has some good offerings on any of the three islands.
My family went to Sanibel every year when I was growing up. The last time I was there was about 10 year ago, before hubby and kids. My family loved it, but it depends upon what you are looking for. It is isolated--only one causeway back to the mainland. There is a grocery store there, but it is also more expensive than on the mainland. My family always wanted a get away in nature. There are no highrises, relatively few stores, bars, etc, and lots of parks and natural areas. If your idea of a good time is going for a nature walk, a swim, a bike ride, and a boat ride, then this is the place to go. If you want shopping, an amusement park, and some bars, this is NOT the place for you. Beaches are gorgeous--and yes, with a lot of shells, so the point about kids needing water shoes is right on, but little ones love to collect shells!
You will pay a bit more for accomodation and groceries on Sanibel, but in my experience, if you pay to stay in a nicer condo, you save a lot of money by eating in and staying on property for a lot of your entertainment. Fall should be low season, so I bet you can find a deal. There are lots of condo complexes right on the beach, so I'd look into several. We stayed at a couple of different ones, I don't remember names, but most every place there is nice. Look for a complex with the ammenities you will use, but not the ones you won't--e.g. pool, tennis, golf, shuffelboard, bikes for guest use, etc. Whatever you decide, enjoy your vacation!
I grew up in South Florida, and we went to Sanibel Island every year on vacation! Lots of wonderful memories of seeing sting rays and collecting beautiful shells.
Sanible/Captiva are beautiful and the beaches are very nice...but they are expensive! If you want to go to Florida, maybe consider Destin. It is really pretty too, and much less expensive. (If you are thinking about driving, it is also a lot closer!) We took a family trip there last summer with our 7mo old and had a great time! It is a very family friendly destination.
Beaches are beautiful!!!! It is very secluded and I would find a resort that you never really had to leave because there is not a lot to do. I love Captiva Island and plan on taking my son there this summer.
We went to Sanibel last year and stayed at the Sanibel Inn. It was nice, clean, had a fridge and a pool and was right on the beach. There are LOTS of shells so beach shoes are a must. We stopped in Fort Myers and picked up a few groceries before we headed over the bridge. There is a grocery store on the island but it is expensive. There's a great pizza place called Island Pizza and Pasta or something like that. The pizza was wonderful and they had great salads. We hit the Bubble Room on Captiva and we weren't impressed. It is unique but we thought it was dirty and the food wasn't very good.
We didn't see any jellyfish except an old dead one on the beach. We did see dolphins and some manatees when we went on a boat ride off Captiva. If you are driving, you may want to check out some of the other recommendations. It would be a very long drive from Dallas. We flew to Ft. Myers and rented a car.
We loved Sanibel and want to go back soon.
