Marco Island's best kept secrets

I believe I had the best view of Marco Beach from my 10th floor corner unit at The Charter Club of Marco Beach. When we first arrived at the resort and opened the sliding doors to the unscreened balcony I knew I would spend most of my time right there relaxing. Since my wife is a sunbather, she was just an elevator ride away from the white sandy beach while I sat on the balcony and took in the panoramic views. At night if you are lucky enough you can catch a spectacular view of a passing thunderstorm and watch it fade away as the thunder rolls over the Gulf of Mexico and seems to travel on forever. Our two teenagers that went along took no time at all to meet new friends and spend the week sharing adventures. Although the resort has many activities for all ages, take the opportunity to explore the island and the everglades. Can it get better than this? Let's find out!

Quick Tips:

The resort has Hobie sail boats and canoes which you can take out for free and lessons are available. For a quicker way to enjoy the water try renting a jetski and skim across the water at 40 mph. But the best way to take in all the views is to experience parasailing. When I was up in the air by myself I felt like I was at peace with the world looking down watching dolphins and huge turtles in the water. I was able to take off and land without ever getting wet.

Another great adventure is to take an airboat ride in the Everglades. We went to a place called Speedy Johnsons and took an hour long ride through marsh, mangrove trees and watched the guide touch the underside of an alligators jaw. For the fishermen, the resort offers deep sea fishing with a local charter boat captain, which I highly recommend. The cost is reasonable and there will be plenty of fish to catch.

Best Way To Get Around:

You do need a car to take in what the island has to offer, but most of your time will be barefoot walking in the sand.

Best Things Nearby:
There are all kinds of restaurants nearby from pizza to fine dining. Across the street is a huge water sports store for all you aquatic needs. My favorite things to do are deep sea fishing, air boat rides, and renting a pontoon boat for a day's excursion.

Best Things About the Resort:
Beach front property! All the rooms face the ocean. There are no screens on the porches to obstruct your view which very few places allow. I have been to others where the screen was just in my way. At night, a thunderstorm can turn your stay into an amazing spectacle to watch. The pool was warm and never seemed crowded. After a day's catch at sea, I cooked my fish on the resorts gas grill.

Resort Experience:
I was on the top floor corner unit and the views from the balcony were spectacular both day and night. The kitchen had all the appliances of home so it was very adequate for our needs. The second bedroom had plenty of room for two people to enjoy. The living room furniture was very comfortable and movie rentals at the resort came in useful. The view from the master bedroom double sliding glass doors was indescribable. You could just lie there and watch the sunset or watch the boats go out to sea.

The resort had plenty of scheduled activities for all ages to partake. The staff was very friendly and helpful. There were huge turtles nesting at night so lights had to be dim at 9pm. One of the nests hatched while we were there but we did not get to see it. This is a fabulous resort.

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Excellent
• Amenities: Excellent
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent

By far the best place to eat seafood is at the Snook Inn. They have expanded their seating area to accommodate for more people. Thursday and Friday night are all the seafood you can eat. It costs about $20 to stuff yourself as needed. The inn has boat slips for boats to dock for a meal.

There are other restaurants that we like to visit also. The Sand Bar offers plenty of food at reasonable prices from $6 to $15. It has a friendly small bar atmosphere where you can watch TV or play pool. There are plenty of fast food places like McDonalds, Burger King, Subway, and pizzerias. Put all this together and you can eat on a budget and still have money left over for those quaint dinners for two. We like to take a boat rental to Goodland and eat at their places too.