Romantic Sanibel Getaway

Can anyone please recommend places to stay on the beach in Sanibel for a romantic long weekend getaway?

Romantic Sanibel Getaway

You may want to begin your search by checking out ';Song of the Sea'; at the website below.

www.sanibelcollection.com/song_of_the_sea/

Romantic Sanibel Getaway

I second that motion.

I agree that SOTS is one of the romantic gems on Sanibel.

You ought also to check out Captiva properties.

Just 10 minutes up the San-Cap Road and a different (somewhat0 ambiance.

Short-term, i.e. ';get away'; rentals are more available on Captiva, whereas stays at most beachfronts on Sanibel require a week.

Sanibel hotels (such as ';Song';) and resorts (such as Sundial) excluded, of course, since they are not in condo associations.

Clarification: Captiva is more like a 20+ minute drive from the Sanibel end of the causeway and can be longer depending on time of day, week or year.

Lovely island as well. See:

tripadvisor.com/Travel-g34616-c49694/Sanibel鈥?/a>

Clarification:

I wrote 10 minutes up the San-Cap Road, not from the Sanibel landfall of the causeway. There is a significant difference since San-Cap Road starts at the end of Periwinkle Way where it meets Tarpon Bay Road.

Indeed, many of the Sanibel options (not SOTS, BTW) are well up-island and would require driving to near where San-Cap Raod starts anyway.

While I am a huge Captiva fan, I have to say there are only 3 places to get nightly rentals that have beachfront accommodations:

South Seas Resort - a huge sprawling resort and beachfront condos called Beach Villas. Quality varies. A full service resort - but not all normal hotel/resort services are available, like room service.

Jensen%26#39;s - cottages and condos, just a few, on a prime beachfront location. Not a resort, no services and no pool or tennis. Just self-service cottages nicely decorated and maintained. Possibly the most romantic spot around. The Jensen family is very well known for their hospitality to their guests - who like to manage for themselves.

Tween Waters Inn - a very compact resort that sits on the bayside on Captiva and the beach is directly across Captiva Drive. Some rooms are Gulf view, but they will be on the road. Cottages as well. Get a renovated room. Good restaurant - Old Captiva House. Historic inn - or as historic as it gets.

Reiterated Updated Clarification:

Some Sanibel attractions Lighthouse Beach, Grandma Dots, Lighthouse Cafe et al) are five minutes further from Captiva than the causeway entrance and the majority of restaurants, shops and bike paths are mostly concentrated 5-10 minutes east and south of SanCap%26#39;s origen.

So we can say that Captiva is a 10 - 30 minute drive from Sanibel%26#39;s attractions.

It%26#39;s no biggie, but if someone really wants to stay on Sanibel, they should know the lay of the land...

MSC is right about the times. Given that the speed limit on Captiva is VERY LOW, and it%26#39;s about 7 miles from Blind Pass to Tarpon Bay Rd, I%26#39;d say 15-20 minutes is about average, longer of you%26#39;re on South Seas property, shorter if you%26#39;re only going to Ding Darling or Doc Ford%26#39;s. I allow about 30-45 minutes to get from Captiva Village to the Causeway.

It%26#39;s not the distance, it%26#39;s the low speed limits and stopping for pedestrians and such.

Clarification of the clarification:

Not to put too fine a point on it, but the slow speeds and stopping for people are what make Sanibel/Captiva the humane islands that attract people. Miami Beach, they ain%26#39;t.

And to say that most of Sanibel%26#39;s attractions are south of Causeway Road is to ignore the biggest of all, Ding Darling NWR, then there%26#39;s CROW, and the Shell Museum, the Santiva Lazy Flamingo, Mad Hatter, Bubble Room, Mucky Duck, etc. Even Redfish Blufish moved to Tarpon Bay Road, about 200 hundred yards from where San-Cap Road starts.

And some of the best beaches on the islands start at Tarpon Bay and go out-island to Bowman%26#39;s, Turner and South Seas.

As for traffic, if you are there at high season, you will be bumper-to-bu,ber at some day periods on Periwinkle anywhere southeast of Tarpon Bay Road.

I%26#39;m no TA expert, but I am on Sanibel frequently, year around. I%26#39;m not just blowing smoke. Although we had some of that on the island today, said he in sick humor.

Revised %26amp; Corrected Update on the Reiterated Clarification:

Mucky Duck and Bubble Room are on Captiva- as was Red Fish/ Blue Fish until it moved Off Captiva onto Sanibel.

And now for something completely different............

Shrinkerman: Check out Song of the Sea!