Sanibel Island Vacation

When you find yourself in of a warm weather break, and the spirit of adventure takes hold of your imagination, why not change your course and go for a Sanibel Island vacation.  It will only take some forty-five minutes to reach this barrier island.  Sanibel Island is located near the southwest Florida coast by Fort Myers.  A causeway road leading to the island can be accessed for a $6.00 toll.
Sanibel Island is 4 miles in width and 12 miles in length, Sanibel Island is unique with a distinctive orientation geographically.  It is for this reason that its beaches are always filled with seashells.  Visitors all over the world come to hunt for those special seashells and enjoy the beautiful beaches.  A visit to this island is not complete without checking out the products being sold at the various seashell dealers.
The population is roughly 5,600 in number, which increases quadruple during the tourist season.   People take advantage of the Sanibel Island vacation specifically to escape the extreme cold weather during winter.  Sanibel Island is blessed to keep around 75 degrees as its average temperature.  The migration of visitors from the north during the cold weather earns them the label ‘snowbirds’ from the locals.
Over half of the island is a wildlife refuge, with the locals keeping the land rich of the natural resources for wildlife preservation.  Natural, breathtaking beaches occupy all over 17 miles of this island and bike trails account for 26 miles.
When you find yourself gazing over lovely, blue green waters, with pelicans soaring overhead, your adventurous spirit served you well by taking you to Sanibel Island Vacation.
Casual and laid back is the rule for a Sanibel Island vacation. You wont have any trouble find shops and restaurants.. Known all over the world for its fabulous beaches, people come over this place to enjoy its protected wildlife, its seashells and to dine in the numerous notable Sanibel Islands restaurants.

A small, colorful restaurant, which can be found inside the Periwinkle Shopping Center, is the Blue Giraffe.  This is a very convenient place of dining comfort  after shopping for the entire day.   The menu offers food that can be easily prepared such as wraps, deli sandwiches, burritos and burgers.  It can also be counted on for complicated meals of seafood, pasta and beef.

The Dolce Vita is among the pricey, upscale Sanibel Islands restaurants.   Piano music is played live to add to the sophistication while one enjoys pricey entrees of seafood, steaks and Mediterranean specialties.  Parking is plenty and the service is impeccable.

Another restaurant lined along the Periwinkle way at Sanibel is a seafood restaurant called Gasparilla’s.  Pasta, pizza, fresh catches of fish and seafood, and steaks can be enjoyed at reasonable prices ranging from $11 to $25. Instead of bread, expect boiled peanuts to be served while waiting for the main entrée.

If kids’ enjoyment is a priority, The Hungry Heron should be the choice.  With over 250 choices in the menu, the food is made to especially cater to the children.  The restaurant has modern equipments and facilities, including staff well trained to handle children’s food whims. A Sanibel vacation can definitely be enriched by exploring the different, exciting meals offered by Sanibel Island restaurants.  .

Enjoying the Sanibel Island’s exceptional sunsets, rare seashells and beach sandcastles will not be possible without having an accommodation to suit your taste and budget.  No need for worry though, as there are more than enough Sanibel Island rentals for you to choose from.

The Birck House offers enchanting waterviews from its sliding glass doors and wide screened porches.  You can leisurely take a walk to beach using its private beach path.
This cozy home is located in the Gulf Pines Subdivision and can accommodate up to six persons with its three bedrooms.  Key amenities include a cable TV, washer and dryer, an outdoor shower and a centralized ai rconditioning system.  Depending on the season, this place can be rented from $1,000 to $1,500 a week.

For high-end accommodation, you can check out the Caribbean style decorated cottages of the Caille Jacmel.  A bike path through the Algiers Road allows you to walk to the beach for a short 10 minutes.   It has well maintained amenities and the luxury can be enjoyed at rates ranging from $3,500 to $5,750.00 per month.

For more affordable yet elegant accommodations, you may go to Syl and Joe’s Sanibel adjacent to the Ding Darling Wildlife Preserve.  For as little as $795 a week rental, this condominium has two bedroom and bath units which can be considered ‘fully loaded’.  It is similarly equipped with the amenities that will make your vacation a memorable one.

Careful preparation by choosing the best deal from one of the Sanibel Island rentals seals the fun. Take your best pick.

Sanibel Island offers its visitors several types of rentals to custom fit your vacation stay on the west coast of Florida. Sanibel Island is the kind of place where you can relax and just get away from the big city rat race. While there are nice hotel type properties on Sanibel Island, many homes, condos and cottages are available for the longer-term visitor. For many that what Sanibel Island becomes is a winter home away from home. Sanibel Island Rentals properties span a full spectrum of options and amenities, from quaint to extravagant.

Most private residences require a minimum stay of one week and some as much a s a month, but Sanibel Island rentals are flexible and you should not have much difficulty securing your place in paradise. Prices will vary on the time of year , but are always within the budget of even the most thrifty vacationer.

Sanibel Island should not be confused with some of the other Florida Resort areas. Sanibel Island is not South beach and residents just as soon keep it that way. The pace is much slower, the congestion much less and you will feel the small town friendliness the moment you arrive on Sanibel.

All the water activities like fishing, snorkeling, and shelling make Sanibel Island an enjoyable destination for singles, couples or families. The native wildlife makes bird watching and enjoying nature the way it was intended an additional benefit.

The Gulf waters are warm, crystal clear and relaxing. You can expect long, peaceful walks on the beach, while searching for shells and breathing in the Florida fresh air. The evening will provide sunsets that inspire artist and photographers to try and reproduce them.

Whether you choose a resort or a Sanibel Island rental property for your vacation, it will be an experience you will always remember and never stop talking about

The unspoiled waters surrounding Sanibel and Captiva Islands provide excellent opportunities for fishermen of all skill levels. This region has some of the best back county fishing in the state with miles of mangrove shoreline countless oyster bars and acres of sea grass beds that attract an abundance of saltwater species. Among these species are redfish, snook, trout and Tarpon.

Just north of Sanibel Island is world-renowned Boca Grand Pass. During the months of April through July Tarpon participate in their annual spawning migration. Here you can see Ten Thousand Tarpon swimming through the pass waiting for that unsuspecting crab or mullet that will disappear down the silver kings throat. Sanibel professional fishing guides will stalk schools of Tarpon swimming up and down the beach throwing live pass crabs or anchor and fish dead hearing off the bottom. While fishing for Tarpon it is not uncommon to run across a big Hammerhead or Bull shark waiting for a hooked Tarpon for easy prey. In May of 2006 Bucky Dennis caught a World Record 14 ½ ft 1,280-pound hammerhead shark in Boca Grand Pass.

For light tackle and fly fisherman, you cant beat throwing to a tailing red in crystal clear water and watching it take your offering and darting away once it realizes it has been hooked. Florida Snook fishing can be found at the mouths of the creeks in the winter waiting for an offering or cruising on the oyster beds and beaches during the summer. Trout have made a tremendous come back since the red tide of 2003. You can find large “GATOR” trout at ambush points such as mangrove creek mouths or potholes all through out this region. It’s no wonder so many fishermen come to Sanibel and Captiva Islands to obtain a West Coast Grand Slam (1 snook, 1 redfish and 1 trout in 1 day).
If you don’t have a boat don’t worry you can visit JN Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge Here you can fish Tarpon Bay, Memorial Wildlife Drive or Hardworking Bayou by either wading or from a kayak. There are over 2,800 acres of Wilderness area that is a non-motorized zone. This allows the grass flats to remain undisturbed from prop scars and heavy boat traffic.Although there are no coral reefs Lee County has over 19 artificial reefs such as Pace’s Place, Belton Johnson, Blandas, or the ARC to name a few (Artificial Reefs). Here you can find some of the best grouper fishing in the state – black grouper (gag) and red grouper mixed in with other reef habitants such as tripletail, tarpon, cobia, spanish mackerel, king mackerel, barracuda, jack crevalle, amberjack, permit and numerous kinds of snapper.
Once you have experienced the heart throbbing feeling of stalking Tarpon down the beach or holding your breath in anticipation of the monster red about to take your bait you will never want to leave the area of Sanibel and Captiva Islands.

Written by , Sean Cooley

Sanibel and Captive Islands are notably among the best in the world for shelling due to the abundance and variety of shells that are always available on both islands. The Islands are actually made out of shells. Shells that are fully intact are frequently found all over the islands. The reason shells are so plentiful is over the course of thousands of years, Mother Nature and her tidal currents have created a natural scoop stretching out into the Gulf of Mexico entrapping seashells imported from the Caribbean and other southern seas. An abundance of both varieties are available on the islands.

Gastropods and Bivalves are the two major varieties of seashells. Soft-tissued animals called mollusks occupy them and grow within the shell creating the variety of sizes within each type. The Gastropod is singled shelled and includes species such as conchs and whelks. Bivalves, are two-hinged shells such as clams, cockles and scallops. The mollusks that occupy these shells build their shells by secreting a liquid that hardens around them. Before the liquid hardens, special glands in the mollusk create color pigments in the liquid producing the striking variety of color within the shell as it hardens. This process re-occurs as the animal grows.

People come from all over the world to shell on Sanibel and Captiva Islands. They parade along the shores doubled over with buckets and shovels in hand in a stance dubbed as the Sanibel Stoop. One of our favorite places to shell on the Islands is the pass that divides Sanibel from Captiva on Sanibel-Captiva Road. Located on both the Sanibel and Captiva side of the Blind Pass Bridge, this beach is popular with both shellers and fishermen. It’s a beautiful pass with strong currents so shells are always plentiful. Caution is the order of the day though, especially with little ones, as signs posted warn against swimming because of the swift currents that flow through the pass.

There are a variety of resources available on the islands regarding shelling and where to go, but we have found that the best resources are the locals that live on the islands. They can direct you to small out of the way, lesser known areas that offer peace and serenity for those seeking tranquility and serenity.

As you plan your Sanibel Island vacation, be sure to include your pail and shovel, beach shoes and suntan lotion, to find some of the most beautiful shells in the world. And remember, shells that are still occupied by the amazing creatures that dwell within are strictly off limits.