Short Trip to Florida: Fort Myers, Sanibel & Captiva

Winter is rough for me. My “February Feeds Famine” post explains my lack of sun troubles. I was desperate for a SUN filled get away but only had 3 days. I found a cheap flight from Long Island to Ft. Myers on Frontier airline. Frontier compares to a school bus. You can get from point A to point B but you will not have any of the modern conveniences found on a coach bus. There are no TV’s, only rows 1-3 have seats that recline, all food and beverages cost extra, you pay for any bag past a purse or small backpack, and if you want to choose your seat you will have to pay.

Check out my travel essentials HERE.

We decided to rent a car in Ft. Myers since it was such a short trip and we wanted to be able to get from place to place quickly. We rented from FOX which is found off site. There ended up being many options right at the airport so if you rent a car check which ones have offices right at baggage claim.

From Fox rental we drove to Ft. Myers Beach which is different from downtown Ft. Myers. Fort Myers Beach is a town on Estero Island, off the southwest coast of Florida. A long, sandy beach facing the Gulf of Mexico. “Time Square” shopping center has stores and restaurants. We stayed at the Pink Shell Beach Resort and Marina which has been voted as the Top Florida Resort for four years in a row.

Pink Shell is a 7-minute walk from Bowditch Point Park and 2 miles from the 60-acre Matanzas Pass Preserve. Airy rooms and bright villas with Gulf views and contemporary decor feature screened-in patios and kitchenettes with granite countertops, plus cable TV and free Wi-Fi. Villas add kitchens, washer/dryers and pull-out sofas.

In addition to beach access, a marina and water-sports equipment rentals, amenities include a spa (fee) and a fitness center. A lagoon-style pool with a waterfall is among the 3 heated pools. There’s a daily breakfast buffet (fee), a kids’ camp and a poolside bar/grill. There is an activities list that details the daily schedule:

We woke up early and tried for the kayak tour but Ranger Rob was out sick! So disappointing but it lead to another great find. We signed up for the guided mangrove kayaking tour with Captiva Adventure Tours and Rentals. The meeting point was ‘Tween Water Island Resort & Spa”. With traffic it was about an hour drive from Ft. Myers Beach. There are bathrooms, a bar which serves food, and water filling stations (always a bonus). Adventure Tours provided water proof phone carriers and had a lock box to keep our keys and other valuables.

For extra kayaking comfort, bring along your personal items in a waterproof bag. Click HERE for environmentally friendly sunscreen.

We ended up being the only ones on the tour so we had our own private guide! Our guide was very informative about the local ecosystem and wildlife. We kayaked at our own pace for about an hour and a half. We saw herons, a bald eagle, ospreys, red mangroves, black mangroves, mangrove crabs, and manatees!

We decided to use the rest of the day to explore Captiva and Sanibel on our journey back. We ate at the Murky Duck in Captiva. There are tables near the beach with a bar or seating inside. The little town in Captiva is super cute with some stores and food and access to the beach.

We drove for about 25 minutes to Bowman’s Beach in Sanibel. This beach has picnic areas with barbecue grills, trails, showers and restrooms. Parking is available for $5 per hour. A five minute walk from the parking lot to the beach makes this beach feel isolated even though it is probably the most popular on Sanibel. You can walk for several miles on unobstructed white sand beaches covered in shells. The shoreline at Bowman’s Beach is undeveloped and surrounded by nature. Sunset was BEAUTIFUL with birds diving for fish and dolphins swimming by.

The next day was dedicated to the Pink Shell Resort and it’s beach. Check out time is 11am but you are given a day pass to use for the remainder of the day to give you access to all of the resort amenities. The Pink Shell offers a buffet breakfast which we took full advantage of. We played some ping pong (I won) and went to the beach. The beach offers umbrellas, chairs, water, balls to throw around, and drink service. The walk to Time Square is about 15-20 minutes on the beach. We walked along the beach into town and ate at a restaurant right near the pier. Time square has many restaurants with outdoor seating and live music. There is a trolley that runs between Time Square and the hotels located on Ft. Myers Beach. It runs every 15 minutes.

On the drive to Ft. Myers we stopped at Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf. Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf courses feature 18 Holes of adventure style golf in which you’ll navigate through caves, pirate ships, waterfalls and live alligators! Each Smugglers location has an Educational American Alligator Exhibit which are home to 20-30 American Alligators! At Smugglers Cove you can feed our alligators using cane fishing poles for a unique and fun experience. Smugglers Cove was voted “Best Mini Golf in Florida” five years in a row!

We had an early morning flight so we headed closer to the airport after mini-golf. Next stop- Fort Myers Brewing Company. This place is hard to find since it’s hidden in an industrial looking parking lot. Keep looking! We had just missed the food truck and we had just found out that it was spring training in Ft. Myers which means EVERY SINGLE HOTEL WAS BOOKED!! We spent the time at the brewing company calling literally every hotel & motel in a forty mile radius. The bartenders were very helpful in trying to help us with the lesser known hotels in the area but we had no success.

There was ONE room available at the Motel6 30 minutes away. We opened the door, turned on the light and saw roaches scatter everywhere! I didn’t even step in. The only option now was to sleep in the rental car parking lot. We arrived at 12:30am and there was still someone there! We were able to get back to the airport to find it closed except for the waiting area. We pulled two benches together and slept the best we could until 5:00am.

We did not purchase seats on Frontier. On the way to Ft. Myers we were able to sit next to each other but on the return we were not. An arm to sleep on would have definitely been helpful on the return flight! I think for my next trip to the Ft. Myers area I will stay on Captiva Island. The “downtown” Captiva area has some cute spots to eat and chillax along with great beaches.