We spent last week on Sanibel Island, in South Florida. Sanibel is about an hour north of Marco Island, where we vacationed a couple of times previously.
Sanibel and Captiva Islands, connected by a causeway, are not at all commercial. When the bridge connecting the islands to the mainland was completed in the 1960's, a movement followed to preserve the island. There are only two fast food restaurants on the island - a very old Dairy Queen and a Subway - and tall structures were forbidden. There are many other protections in place which have kept wildlife secure. For example, on our property, we saw several rabbits, as well as a large tortoise that, according to other guests, will eat from your hand.
As the lack of commercial development indicates, these islands are very quiet and even more so when one visits during the off season, like we did. (High season is December to March.) Of course, we like quiet, and the trio loved it as well. Sanibel is very nice, but Captiva, with its fabled "Millionaire Row," is decidedly upscale. Given that demographic, there are many good restaurants from which to choose.
Sanibel Island is routinely listed as one of the best shelling beaches in the United States, and tops the national lists as well. Although residents of Marco Island had assured us that their shells were just as impressive, we remained skeptical, and therefore, had to get our "Sanibel stoop" on for ourselves and check out their unique offerings. Being totally objective, we found the Sanibel beaches to be superior (e.g., clear water, clean beaches) to those of Marco, although that could be attributable to the time of year we visited. As for the shelling, Grace's Marco Island collection is vastly superior to her findings from Sanibel. Sorry, Sanibel.
A further note on beaches, Sanibel's were gorgeous - stunning, even - but the beaches of Captiva were so brilliantly beautiful that they looked like a postcard. I have not been to the South of France, but Captiva's beaches must surely rival those. The downside to Captiva is there appeared to be only one place to stay, unless you are in the market to rent a mansion for the week.
As for us and how we spent our time, we really tried to take it easy, having been under the weather immediately prior to the trip. We adapted to "island time" immediately and let go of the need to be busy. George purchased a frisbee within the first five minutes of being on the island, and he spent a good portion of his time perfecting his form. Lauren picked up a volleyball, and the girls spent their time working on their volleyball skills.
The oversized floats were perfect for navigating a gentle rip tide that was moving trio safely down the shore.
Again, the many preservation measures afforded to Sanibel create a safe environment for wildlife. Grace got to see lots of different birds during our stay.
Again, there are no high-rise buildings... just lots of residences nestled in the mangroves.
George liked to keep his frisbee sand-free, which led to lots of rinsing.
George nailed the perfect glide.
Skip also taught him the art of throwing the frisbee and having it return, like a boomerang.
There weren't an abundance of seagulls. Maybe the pelicans kept them contained.
There are many creatures in the water here. Lots of stingrays (Skip accidentally stepped on a few), and hundreds of sand dollars. Skip didn't disclose anything else, or I probably would have curtailed swimming with the creatures. I only know about the stingray first hand because one was caught and the barb removed a few feet from my chair.
Grace brought me this adorable baby sand dollar, not realizing that it was alive. We photographed it, and then safely returned him to his habitat. I can certainly appreciate sea life from afar, but up close, it gives me the willies.
We would alternate between the ocean and pool each day and would swim until just before dusk. While present during daytime hours, the island breeze calms at night (a weather pattern that is peculiar to certain times of the year), and when the breeze calms, "no-see-ums" are ever-present. I mean, they will cover you. After the first night and a quick internet search to confirm that this is, indeed, a peculiarity to the island, we picked up a can of Off Deep Woods, with Deet (40%!), but often opted to go inside before the near invisible bugs make their presence known. This was an endearing quirk that we did not experience on Marco.
The trio often read on the screened in deck, overlooking the ocean, while we cooked.
The next three were taken on Captiva... gorgeous.
In our rush to get packed and leave, we made it to the beach with multiple bathing suits, but Lauren only had one rash guard shirt, while Grace had none. She wore one of mine, as a rash dress, for the week. That was a relatively small hiccup in light of packing/leaving while sick. We planned to pick up a couple of new shirts, but we never got around to it because of all the swimming and beaching. I promise they have more than two suits.
We went out a few times, and George was especially proud of fixing his own hair on those nights.
Without the exception of three other kids and a couple of adults, the trio had the pool to themselves. They enjoyed making friends but also having plenty of space to play. The adults we met included identical sisters (adults) who had been coming to the island for decades. In addition to being an informative local resource, the girls were fascinated, telling them that they are "nocturnal" as opposed to identical. Although they are sometimes nocturnal, they are actually fraternal.
Until next time, Sanibel.
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