Captivated by Captiva

Captiva Island is well known to have incrediable seashells to satisfy any beach comber's heart, and the sunsets are amazing.

This is the perfect vacation destination if you want to just relax and unwind with your significant other or family.

Quick Tips:

Grocery shop in Fort Myers. The one, tiny grocery store on the island has very inflated rates. Many families visiting Captiva are renting a house and shopping there (Captive Market, right?).

Best Way To Get Around:

Bike and Car (depending on which of the kids is with you!)

The house we rented was eclectic with great paintings on the walls, and it had all the convenient ammenities for a very comfortable stay. Still, while the house was fairly nice, it was not exceptionally large. The renter is paying a premium for a house's location on the island more than anything else, and no rental homes on Captiva are the Ritz Carlton. Make sure, however, that you do get a house right on the beach like we did. If you rent a house in-land, you will be stuck with a longer-than-comfortable walk or bike-ride to the beach as there is NO beach parking. This is especially important if you are vacationing with kids as they are not the best at carrying all of their paraphenalia for any distance at all! We always enjoy staying in a house when on Captiva. Feels more like a home.

You go to this restaurant for the wild decor---the choo-choo train running around the bar, the wait staff dressed up like Bubble Scouts (similar to boyscouts and girlscouts). Kids LOVE the fun atmosphere. The food for adults, on the other hand, is not so hot. The only thing that I would really recommend is the Coconut Cake. It's a huge hunk of cake with TONS of icing that will make a delicious impression. The cake and the happy faces on the kids make the restaurant worth visiting even though the overpriced entrees are a bit bland.

The food here is excellent though the menu is limited. While the entrees are fairly healthy, you can still get some 'bikini-guilt' from the dessert menu. Take out is available which is a great option when you have kids.

Renting a boat when you're at the ocean seems to me par for the course. It is especially fun at Captiva Island because you can motor out to the other, obscure islands where shelling is the best. The kids were in heaven, sticking their hands in the ocean spray and marveling at the graceful beauty of a dolphin family that was kind enough to escort us on our trip. Plus we had even more privacy, our own music, our own space in the water.... As for the rental process itself? Quick and easy with no hassle at all.

What an adventure for kids of all ages! My three kids had a blast paddling beside otters and dodging the tree crabs in the mangroves. It is a unique way to see some of the natural beauty of the island. Word to the wise: If canoeing with little ones, be prepared to get a workout. It's hard work, and my kids pooped out about halfway through. The payoff? This was certainly much cheaper than renting a boat with a motor, better exercise, and the naps later were wonderfully deep (Ahh! The blissful sounds of silence when traveling with family!).

Captiva is such a wonderful place for families. The beach is never swarming with people. It is especially pleasant to sit on the beach and know that you won't have to suffer through someone's loud radio or raucous behavior. The beaches are postcard perfect with white sands and sea oats. For the naturalist, the island is home to many different animals. The sky is filled with pelicans and egrets. Endangered sea turtles call Captiva home. The local conservation society fiercely protects this Captiva resident. You can look, but not touch. In addition to birds and fish the island is home to otters, alligators and the occasional racoon, to mention a few. There are a fair amount of kids as well as older singles. It is a nice mix. It is expensive, but well worth it. I considered not writing about Captiva. I wanted to keep this wonderful secret place to myself, but some secrets are worth telling. This is the place we go to almost every year in the summer for vacation.