Planning a vacation to Sanibel Island, Captiva Florida and want to know where to stay, things to do and where to eat? Read this post!
We are home.
Home from a family dream vacation that FAR exceeded any expectations we had going into it.
Home from the Sea Shell Capital of the world.
Home from Sanibel & Captiva…and already wanting to plan our return trip.
Oh friend –
I can’t wait to tell you all about it.
And judging from my inbox busting with your questions about all the things – you want to know too.
In short?
This vacation was our best family vacation ever.
In this post, I will share details about the two different places we stayed, where we ate, the fun things we did, what we loved and so much more.
So?
If you want to hear my best tips on planning your vacation to Sanibel or Captiva Island – you are in the right place.
This post is for you.
Let’s start at the very beginning with the facts.
This vacation was originally planned for last February and like many of you, we decided to postpone the trip.
I am so glad – because this getaway came at the perfect time for all of us.
Our vacation spanned one week, Saturday to Saturday from February 19th-26th.
We split our trip between two different places. Checking in on Saturday to Tween Waters Island Resort & Spa on Captiva and then checking into a beach cottage at the Island Inn in Sanibel on Tuesday.
More than a few times, we were told by the locals that “we picked a good week” because Sanibel was experiencing higher than normal temperatures than usual…making for 77-82 degree days, perfect for dips in the Gulf and closing out our evenings in the pool.
Not too hot, not too cold.
Now that we covered the when and the weather, let’s break down all the things!
What You Need To Know About Planning a Vacation to Sanibel Island & Captiva, Florida
Tips on what to pack & picking up groceries upon arrival
At risk of stating the obvious, swimsuits, flip flops, sun dresses, shorts and tanks are at the top of the packing list.
Before we left, I picked up this new crochet suit top and bottom from Target for myself.
Eve practically lived in this super comfy white ruffle cover up skirt (also available in black). Maci and Livvy wore these matching swim suits almost every other day because they were so comfortable and we ordered this adorable coverup with pom pom trim for Livvy. Another favorite bathing suit of Maci’s was this ribbed stripe bikini set.
After we locked down the bathing suit and coverup situation…
Mu Mom ordered these shelling bags from Amazon which were the perfect size for everyone to have their own bag for collecting ALL of the shells. (Don’t worry, we will discuss the incredible shelling towards the end of this post.)
Highly recommend packing these shelling bags as they were so helpful when wading in the water or walking along the shore to collect your shell treasures.
We also packed plastic zip-lock bags to put the shells in for their plane ride home, after soaking them overnight in a bucket of Clorox. 🙂
One thing we did not pack, were water shoes or aqua socks.
After our first day in Captiva and walking on the sand or wading in the water with all the shells, my Mom and Eve both quickly decided they would prefer a pair of sand shoes to help soften the feel of shells underfoot. We bought our water shoes at the Tween Waters Marina store, however you may want to order and pack them ahead of time. I was fine without them…I guess it depends on how delicate your tootsies are. 🙂
We also packed an entire small suitcase of SNACKS.
Have you met our girls?
They are snackers – can’t take a car ride…let alone a vacation without a snack. 🙂
Packing a small suit case with snacks was really helpful to cut down the cost of buying everything foodwise on the island.
Can you guess what we filled the suitcase up with on the way back home, after all of the snacks were gone?
Yep…you guessed it.
SHELLS.
After we landed in Fort Myers and picked up our rental car, we were ready for the 45 minute car ride from the Southwest Florida airport to drive to our destination of Sanibel & Captiva Islands.
Before we crossed the causeway connecting Fort Myers to Sanibel, we stopped at the Publix Super Market and stocked up on all the non-perishable food items that we couldn’t pack in our suitcase. We also picked up deli subs made to order on the spot, inside Publix, which was perfect for hungry bellies. (Love you honey. 🙂
This quick pit stop before driving directly to our destination had been recommended to Shawn and I when we first traveled to Sanibel in 2010 and it was just as good advice to take advantage of on this trip 12 years later with our family.
There is a beer and liquor store next store to the Publix Super Market also which made for an easy quick one stop shop before heading over the bridge into Sanibel.
We spent the first half of our vacation at Tween Waters Inn on Captiva.
Tween Waters has had the honor of hosting famous guests over the years, including President Roosevelt for whom the channel of water behind the Inn is named for. It is nestled in “between” the Pine Island Sound Bay waters and the Gulf waters, so that you can experience the best of both worlds
We stayed in a guest suite in the “Coconut” building and our second floor room looked out across Captiva Drive towards the beach and Gulf waters…it was perfect.
In the picture above, our room was the top floor, second from the left.
We picked this inflatable inner tube and shell nets up at the super sweet Marina gift shop, where they brew complimentary coffee every morning and share the tides and sunset times. Perfect for popping into when you wake up as you head over to the beach to see what the waves have washed up that morning.
Just past this small sand path, is where the girls LOVED playing volleyball on the beach and where we all played a family volleyball game…even Granmda = SO fun!!
We also rented an umbrella and two chairs for $25 one day. ($5 for each additional chair).
On the other side of our building at Tween Waters, is the Pine Island Sound and specifically, the Roosevelt channel.
In the morning, you can catch the manatees sunning themselves here, at the Marina docks which was SO cool!
In the picture above Livvy is wearing her new coverup from Amazon and Eve is wearing hew new favorite beach coverup skirt from Target.
Livvy loved watching the manatees..which led to this purchase. 🙂
Livvy is wearing this blue sun dress from Target…she LOVED this dress and wore it multiple times as it was super comfortable for her.
The pool scene was definitely more lively here at Tween Waters VS the quieter cottage we stayed at Island Inn, in Sanibel.
You can choose to lounge by the family pool or adult pool and the pool staffers are more than happy to start you a tab and bring you beverages and food upon request.
There are also two hot tubs which were also a big hit. Eve apparently snapped this photo while she was lounging and I am glad she did, because I forgot to take a photo!
In other exciting news…this is also the place where all three of our girls fell in love with ordering Pina Coladas & Strawberry Daiquiri’s! Virgin of course! 🙂
The long story short?
We loved staying on Captiva and really experiencing this much smaller island and all that it had to offer.
When we wanted to go to dinner, we used the Tween Waters car service for $2 a person to take us where we wanted to go, anywhere within a 2 mile range. This amenity made evenings so easy and carefree, not having to worry about finding parking and knowing where to go if we drove ourselves.
Our guest suite in the Coconut building had two Queen beds and a pullout sofa bed, screened in porch and a small kitchen, which we used to make lunches and drinks. 🙂
All to say?
TWO BIG Thumbs up for Tween Waters!
We stayed at the Island Inn on Sanibel for the second half of our trip. (Tuesday-Saturday)
You can actually see a little tour of the beach cottage we stayed in at the Island Inn here in my Instagram stories. I have it and much more saved to this highlight, sharing all the videos of our vacation in Sanibel & Captiva.
We stayed in the Matthews Beach Cottage, which sleeps 6 people total and was just the right size for Shawn, myself, our 3 daughters and my Mom. The cottage had a larger kitchen and dining area, living room and two bathrooms which was just what we needed!
We snapped this picture, right outside of our cottage, just before loading into the car and leaving for the airport.
#justonemoreshell
You can see the Gulf waters just beyond our shoulders, as the Matthews Cottage is just a few short steps away from a shellers beach paradise. 🙂
We ate dinner out 6 of the 7 nights we were on vacation.
We did love that we had the option to cook dinner if we wanted and we opted to do just that one night for a more relaxing evening.
Shawn made tacos and we sat around the dining table and chatted about which location we liked better.
The verdcit?
It was HARD to decide!
The Island Inn is also a historic Inn…a large property that offers private beach cottages as well as newer and older guest suites. All situated around a kidney bean shaped pool that was a much quieter scene…which we all kind of loved.
Shuffle board was also a big hit, located between the beach and the pool.
Unlike, Tween Waters we did not have to rent the umbrellas or chairs on the beach…but we did have to pay for bike rentals, and paddle boarding -all on property. (I’ll share more on that farther down in this post.)
As we expected, the shelling was BETTER on Sanibel!
This is a scene of the beach, just steps away from our beach cottage at sunrise at the Island Inn.
The overall vibe of the Island Inn was exactly what we were looking for…laid back, quiet, brew your pot of coffee in your cottage kitchen, and head out the door to soak in the beauty of the beach just a few feet away.
We also loved the amazing and famous restaurant, Traditions On The Beach, that is located right on the Island Inn property. With live music and a dance floor…we loved it so much – we ate dinner there twice!!
Fun Fact
Livvy lit up the dance floor and the microphone, making our last night of vacation an EPIC finish, one that we will always remember!
If you make your way to Sanibel – make a reservation for Friday night to see the talented Marvilla Marzán who sings at Traditions every Friday night and was kind enough to invite Livvy to sing with her!
Which leads me to…the restaurants we experienced!
Restaurants & where to eat on Sanibel & Captiva
Our very first night on Captiva, we took advantage of keeping it low key, as we were a bit tired from a very early wake-up call.
We wound up staying on the grounds of Tween Waters and grabbing a quick bite at the Crows Nest. All to say, the food and service were great….the ambiance was lacking. In general, I don’t love the dimly lit pub scene – but that’s just me.
However, we didn’t really mind, because we were tired and ready for jammies!
Looking back, I would go to The Old Captiva House for dinner, which is also located on the Tween Waters Property, adjacent to The Crows Nest and is VERY nice…a more formal dining experience with modern and fresh decor!
- We wound up eating breakfast at The Old Captiva House at Tween Waters the next morning and it was both delicious and beautiful! I loved the decor! Hello shiplap and pretty pictures!
2. The Mucky Duck on Captiva is where we dined for our 2nd night, utilizing Tween Waters car service to drop us off and pick us up, due to limited parking. (They do not take reservations.)
We enjoyed a cocktail outside at the picnic tables while waiting for a table inside.
The Mucky Duck is also a great place to catch a Captiva Sunset, if you are not staying on Captiva and you are driving over from Sanibel just for dinner and a sunset. Shawn and I did just that when we first came to the island in 2010.
Here is a throwback to our first Captiva sunset in 2010 right after Eve (pictured above) was born!
And below are two pictures of Shawn standing in front of The Mucky Duck…one from 2010 and one from last week!
I love a fun throwback!
While this restaurant is super fun and famous. We did not actually eat dinner at the Bubble Room for two reasons.
1 – it is more expensive and 2 – the menu options are not particularly “kid-friendly.”
We did however, walk over to the Bubble Room right after having dinner at The Mucky Duck (it is right down the street) and the hostess invited us to walk through the restaurant to experience the eclectic decor.
After touring the restaurant and enjoying each unique corner, we ordered 4 slices of cake to go home with us. The Bubble Room is famous for their desserts and their “orange crunch cake” and now we know why!
SO YUMMY!!!
4. Boops By The Bubble Room – This is the small for ice cream parlor where we ordered our desserts from the Bubble Room to go the night before and we biked back there the next day for ice cream!
We did not have reservations for The Sunset Grill, which is located in “Santiva” a cute name for the most Western end of Sanibel just before crossing the bridge to go on Captiva. We were fortunate enough to land a table for 6 as walk-in’s which apparently is tough to do. This unassuming restaurant from the outside is knock your socks off delicious!
After nearly licking our plates clean and being wowed by the friendly wait staff, we all agree – we were super lucky to have found this gem to enjoy our last evening on Captiva!
6. Doc Ford’s
We enjoyed a delicious family-friendly dining experience at Doc Ford’s during our 2nd night in Sanibel. While you can make reservations, we did not and had a 30 minute wait for a table.
We passed the time enjoying drinks outside!
It was WORTH the wait! 🙂
This is the restaurant that is located on the same property as where we were staying at the Island Inn. We loved this restaurant so much, we ate their twice!
The inviting lobby is decorated with showcases of shells and a bookcase of binders offering visitors the chance to step back in time to enjoy the history of both the Inn and the people who make up the unique history of Sanibel. The restaurant also offers a cozy fireside lounge area and bar. Not to mention incredible entertainment and the dance floor which we took full advantage of!
See my Instagram stories for videos of our dance floor experiences at Traditions On The Beach!
When on Sanibel – one must try custard…and ice-cream…and all the yummy things!
This photo says it all!
Things to do while vacationing on Sanibel & Captiva
1. Soak in a Captiva sunset!
Everything they say about a Captiva sunset is 100% true. They are simply take your breath away stunning.
No picture will ever do it justice.
Planning to purposefully soak in the sunset by arriving to the beach 15 minutes prior to sunset is really something you want to add to your “things to do” list.
Most nights as we stared at the glistening water, whether on Captiva or Sanibel…the dolphins would show off as if they were the encore act to the setting sun.
Watching the sun go down every night was truly a treat.
(Side note – I received multiple requests for Eve’s outfit…she ordered it here.)
2. Wake up early for a Sanibel Sunrise!
One of my favorite things to do during this entire week-long vacation was to wake up 30 minutes before the sunrise and walk from our beach cottage at the Island Inn and walk South towards where the sun would eventually rise.
It was so beautiful and always surprised me at just how may other people were on the beach waiting to watch the water wake up with the world. (This is also the best time to find shells.)
3. Ride bikes around the island
There are bike paths all around Sanibel and a wide shoulder on Captiva.
Our bikes were complimentary at Tween Waters which we took advantage of and rode the entire island of Captiva. We rode all the way to what is called “Lands End” where Captiva island ends near the South Seas Island Resort and all the way to the other end of Captiva called Blind Pass, which is the bridge where Captiva and Sanibel connect.
Above is a picture of Eve and Livvy standing on the bike path of the Blind Pass Bridge that connects Sanibel & Captiva.
Spend a day or afternoon at Blind Pass & Turner Beach
If you research where the best shelling is on Sanibel, many online sites will tell you that Turner Beach and Blind Pass are the best places to find shells. In 2010, when Shawn and I first vacationed on Sanibel, we found this to be absolutely true.
During our vacation last week, we packed up a cooler and brought a picnic lunch to Turner Beach, which is located on Captiva, right before you cross over the Blind Pass Bridge to Sanibel.
While we had a lot of fun making a day out of it, we found the shelling not to be all that impressive.
Still a great place to spend a few hours exploring another treasure trove of the islands!
Visit the Shell Museum
While staying on Sanibel, we decided to combine our bike ride excursion with a trip to the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum.
The museum is two floors and offers touch pools where you are able to reach in and touch live mollusks as well as the Great Hall of Shells which boasts record breaking sized shells that our girls found to be very impressive!
Ride a paddle board or kayak into the Gulf
Eve and Maci tried paddle boarding for the first time while we stayed at Island Inn and loved it so much, they rented them two days in a row!
Livvy was just happy to take part as a passenger, while her big sister did all the work!
Eventually, I gave paddle boarding a try too for the first time – it is easier than it looks, but once you get the hand of it – it is so relaxing and fun!
Book a half-day or full-day Cruise with Captiva Cruises
On the day we were checking out of Tween Waters and checking into Island Inn we decided to book a half-day shelling cruise online with Captiva Cruises out of McCarthy’s Marina on Captiva.
The shelling cruise is a boat ride of 30 minutes each way with 2 hours of shelling on Cayo Costa State Park.
Not only was the boat ride SO fun as they offered all of the children to take a turn playing Captain, they also shared historical information about the islands during the cruise to the state park which we found to be so interesting!
Even better than the cruise?
The state park destination is the location where we found our 4 sand dollars in the water!!
I would be lying if I told you I didn’t dive down for one of those sand dollars and jumped up with excitement when I came up with one! The water was SO CLEAR at the state park, we were able to walk through the water and actually spot each sand dollar from above the water, laying on the ocean floor!
Highly recommend taking a Captiva Cruise!!
Shelling Tips
I found that just before or during sunrise is the best time for collecting shells on the beach in Sanibel.
We found most of our “keepers” IN THE WATER, just past the edge of the water, there is usually a slight drop-off where the bigger shells like to collect.
Evie found this very RARE Junonia shell in the morning, while wading IN the water at our beach while staying at the Island Inn.
Even after spending an afternoon at Blind Pass and Turner Beach and also waking up to see the sunrise at the Sanibel Lighthouse to check the shell situation washing up there…we still found the best shells to be in the water at our very own beach, while staying at Island Inn, especially at low tide in the morning.
In summary:
We LOVED LOVED LOVED our family vacation to Sanibel Island & Captiva!
We are dreaming of when we can book a return trip as each and every one of us came home with a heart full of memories…and some of us came home with a suitcase full of shells. 🙂
For now –
We will hold these memories close to our hearts of letting the sunrise and sunsets dictate where we needed to be and when…while enjoying the blessing of soaking each in with our very favorite people by our sides…
I hope you found this vacation recap to be helpful in your own planning to the Sea Shell Capital of the World…also known as paradise this side of heaven in my opinion. 🙂
Living on a prayer,
Heather
Thank you God.
Thank you for the blessing of vacations and time spent with the people we love.
My heart is truly overwhelmed by the blessings of this restorative and beautiful week spent soaking in your beauty of sun and surf and the spending of time with the gift of family.
Thank you for your overwhelming goodness.
Amen.
*Affiliate links for the clothing and vacation items are used in this post at no additional cost to you.
What a beautiful vacation…I loved every moment sharing it through your stories, too. Making memories…perfect!
Thank you Leslie! It was truly such a special time – we will each remember this sliver of time and savor it for years to come. X, Heather
Ahhh-Dear Heather -as always- your writing,detailed descriptions and pictures are just perfect! What a wonderful vacation-I’m so jealous.! So happy that you all had a Fabulous time with everlasting memories! Made me smile to read every last bit! XO
Aw thank you so much Laurie!!! It was SUCH a special time away for our family. We are SO thankful to have had the opportunity to get away and be refreshed by the warm sun!! Can’t wait for the weather to turn here in Maryland! Thanks so much for reading and commenting! XO, Heather
Heather has said all there is to say….it was a trip was just perfect!
Thank YOU Mom for making this trip possible – we loved every moment!!!! XOXO