Sanibel and Captiva Islands are located on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Both islands are relatively small , laid back and great places to visit. Sanibel Island is connected to mainland Florida by a short causeway, and Captiva Island is connected to Sanibel Island by a short bridge.
We stayed on East Gulf Drive, which turned out to be a terrific location. Our rental had a large heated swimming pool just below our balcony, and the Gulf, with its white sandy beach, was just steps beyond the pool. We also had access to bikes (to navigate the island’s 22 miles of paved trails), stand up paddle boards and kayaks. And, of course, chairs and towels were also provided.
There are several beaches on Sanibel. In my opinion, Lighthouse Beach and Bowman’s Beach are the best locations for shelling. In addition, toward the end of West Gulf Drive, Beach Access #6 has a secluded swath of sand with a jackpot of shells. It is said that Sanibel is the shell capital of the world as a result of the way the barrier island sits.
Tarpon Bay Beach has the prettiest water. Blind Pass Beach has dangerous undercurrents so you shouldn’t swim there but it is a great place to view the sunset.
I was told that Sanibel has about 50 restaurants. Lighthouse Café serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, and I can attest to the fact that breakfast is truly delicious–we had our morning meal there several times during our stay! We had lots of wonderful local seafood. At Doc Ford’s Rum Bar and Grill, the Yucatan shrimp, in a dressing of butter, garlic, Colombian chilies, cilantro and key lime juice, was awesome, as was the banana leaf snapper! At Cip’s Place, the fresh catch of the day was pan sautéed with a lobster citrus butter and was really tasty. Gramma Dot’s, at the marina, had very good Cajun fish and chips, though not the type of chips you might imagine! We liked the Italian fare at Matzilunas. Also enjoyed Mad Hatters. For your ice cream fix, Pinnochio’s Italian Ice Cream hit the spot; the adjoining Geppetto’s had good take-out Italian sandwiches and other tasty treats–suitable for taking to the beach!
The J. N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge has a 4.5 mile trail to drive, bike, or hike–you can also canoe along one side of it. The refuge is part of the largest undeveloped mangrove ecosystem in the US, and it’s famous for its migratory bird populations–so interesting!
Captiva is mostly residential, with old homes nestled in trees along the main road. Andy Rosse Street is the original remnant from the old fishing village–named for a 90 year old fisherman. There a couple of restaurants–The Mucky Duck serves English pub food with a spectacular view of the Gulf; Key Lime Bistro has live music on the patio; The Bubble Room is a quirky place with ok food but the orange crunch cake baked by the restaurant is really good!
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