Gulf Coast

It's on the intercoastal waterway with the dolphins or shelling during the day and relaxing in a comfortable 3-bedroom condo with screened lanai in the evening! What a life. Then there was the heated pool. What a way to live. How unfortunate we were only on vacation! Yet it was snowing up north where we lived. And we were having a great time in Florida - on the Gulf Coast.

Quick Tips:

You need a car in Bonita Springs as the beach is about 5-10 minutes away. Marco Island and Sanibel are in opposite directions, but nearby. Rental of a pontoon (about for 4 hours) was certainly worth the money. We had dolphins swimming beside the boat. We went up the intercoastal waterway to the restaurant where we entered from the dock and sat where we could see boats pulling in and out as the owners came to dine. My son was impressed with the "banana" boat! Before going to the beach, go to a Wal-mart or one of the specialty shops and get a shell net (for scooping up shells before they reach the beach). A little mesh bag would be helful, too, for rinsing off sand and storing shells. It will also limit the number of shells the kids can take with them. Happy shelling!

Best Way To Get Around:

Bonita Springs is a bit off the beaten path so we needed a car. However, a bicycle would have been great to have along, both in Bonita and in Sanibel. If you are traveling only to Sanibel, you might be able to do without a car. However, each beach was different and to see it all, you need wheels unless you have fins and can swim!

Best Things Nearby:
First we went to Bonita Beach, just minutes away, and found seashells. Then off we went to Marco Island, south of Bonita Springs. Marco was a good shelling site. The next day we went to Sanibel and Captiva Islands. Again the shelling was very good, particularly on Sanibel. Sanibel was very laid back. Sanibel would be a nice trip for an entire week.

We rented a pontoon boat very reasonably out of Bonita Springs and went up the intercoastal waterway to a nice little restaurant with a dock near Ft. Myers. Imagine our surprise when my six year old grandson spotted dolphins cavorting in the wake of our boat! Not just one but several! That was exciting! They were with us for about five minutes on the way up and just for a minute or two on the way back. And I forgot to put my camera on the boat - oh, no!

There were surf shops and restaurants all around in Bonita Springs, and yet our timeshare home was off the beaten path and very quiet. We enjoyed seeing the palm trees ringed with Christmas lights - so different from our Christmas trees in the north.

Best Things About the Resort:
Imagine our surprise to have expected a two bedroom timeshare and to have three bedrooms instead. It was great with our family. We also had a sofabed. There was also a lovely, screened lanai. We could see the fence of the pool from the lanai. The kitchen was huge and it had a separate dining room. We used the table as we made Christmas ornaments (which we forgot when we hung them on the palm tree).

There were two bathrooms and large closets. I loved my walk-in closet and private bath off the master suite. Pool was heated and we were able to swim even though the weather had taken a cold front from a storm up north. Parking was under awnings and sidewalks to the parking area were lined with blooming plants - at Christmas! It was quiet and relaxing when we stayed to relax.

Resort Experience:
At Christmas the weather was about 80 degrees. The pool at the timeshare was heated nicely. We met a lovely couple from the Netherlands and let them use one of our life jackets for their baby so they could safely let him in the water. Our own were swimmers or had lifejackets on. Then the adults could relax at the pool without being right by each little one every second.

Many people rode bicycles around the little lanes and quiet streets nearby and we saw a number of joggers out in the mornings. This unit would have made a comfortable place for year round living. It was like being at a resort and so near the Gulf. Each grandchild collected a large bag of seashells and a couple had horseshoe crabs (dried out). We had a really nice time. With a timeshare exchange, it was very reasonable staying there - about $500 for the week for us, kids, and grandkids.

• Unit Type: 3 Bedroom
• Activities: Not Available
• Amenities: Excellent
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Very Good
• Service: Very Good