Week-long Winter Break in Marco Island, FL

The Surf Club Resort, aka Surf Club of Marco, is located right on the beach, which is a great plus since almost all beaches on Marco Island are private. The ocean temperature here is definitely below what one would get in the Florida sout-east - clearly, the Golf Stream cannot reach here :-) Weather was great with temperatures in the low 80s, one cloudy day otherwise sunny.

The outdoor pool is heated and thus allows for late swimming after the air temperatures cool off. It is open till 10 PM.

The 2-bedroom suite is very spacious with a separate kitchen, dining, and living room area. The kitchen was fully equipped, however, only empty salt and pepper dispensers provided. The $2 set from Wal-Mart fixed that. The units do not have their own washer and dryer. There is a room with those on each floor. Trash goes to trash room's chute, which is also on each floor.

Our top-floor corner unit did not have the jacuzzi. One bath was shower only and the other had a regular tub. The corner uits have one tiny balcony facing the ocean and a large one facing sideways (south in our case). There is a Hilton Hotel to the south with a utility building with huge A/C fans on the roof, which were constantly clicking on and off and were very noisy. If you close the balcony doors and have your own A/C on, not a big deal. With us preferring the natural ventilation, it was a little annoying.

The resort does not provide cribs / play pens for kids. They put us in touch with a rental place though. Aside for the additional $50 payment, it was worry free - the crib was waiting for us and we left it there.

The resort personnel was 50/50. The lady at the front desk was very pleasant to deal with and very helpful. The man on the other hand was not so outgoing. He did what asked for but that was about it.

Everything was clean and in working order, even though one could tell not exactly new. The balcony doors could definitely used a bit of lubrication. The decor was nice, we especially liked the Florida-themed paintings on the walls and the animal charts in rooms and public areas. Also, after first being introduced to the outside of the building (for obvious reasons), the interior was a very nice surprise. Not that the exterior is bad, the interior was simply that much better.

We did not use the tennis courts but they looked very well maintained. We did use the provided gas grills and those could definitely use some maintenance - it was a bit of a challenge to get them going and only some burners worked.

We would definitely return to this resort, even though we would not dwell on it and be also willing to try alternatives.

Are you into collecting shells? You came to the right spot on the Marco Island beach! I had high expectations since I read about it on the Internet ahead of the arrival but never expected the shells to be abundant in millions! No kidding!!

It does pay to do some research ahead of time. Your shelling success will depend on tides. There are two low and two high tides each day and they vary in magnitude. All of that can be found on the Internet. Low tide, the stronger the better, will be your best opportunity with several rows of shells left on the beach for you to collect, ranging from tiny ones to large ones. However, except for the strongest high tide, you will always leave with something.

Keep in mind live shells are illegal to collect on Marco Island so you will need to take only the empty ones, which will eliminate a lot of selection. Still, you will have plenty left of many different varieties.

We just lucked out and the first morning on the beach was the lowest tide for the whole month of December. Unreal! Have fun :-)

No need to go or drive anywhere far to see many different birds or even the regular morning visitor of the shoreline - a dolphin. Just step out of your hotel and take a walk along the beach. If you go during low tide, you can combine birdwatching with shelling. During high tide, birdwatching may be the better bet. Don't want to get your shoes wet? Watch the tide, it move quite quick and you may end up surrounded by water if you do not pay attention :-)

What birds can you see? Plethora of brown pelicans, black skimmers, royal terns, sanderlings, and even some egrets.

Are you interested in photography or bird watching? Head east on San Marco Rd toward Rte 41, cross the Goodland Bay bridge and park just past it on the right. Try to be there for sunrise. The flatness of the terrain allows the sun to be visible very low and thus very large. It will sit right abover the water. If it is a bit hazy that can further magnify the fireball. As a bonus, you can see hawks, vultures, egrets, and herons looking for breakfast.

The location is actually not on Marco Island, but rather in Everglades City:

- http://www.airboateverglades.com/contact.htm

They offer a variety of airboat tours. We took the 1-hour tour into the heart of the mangroves and enjoyed it thoroughly. They did a private tour just for us and it seemed that is a norm for them.

Aside for enjoying a fast airboat ride through the narrow passages we also saw a few alligators both on land and in the water, great blue herons, and brown pelicans. Once octually joined us on our boat for a short ride.

Not cheap, but I'd definitely recommend it.

THis one was difficult to place on the map or provide addess for snce it is in the middle of nowhere.

Driving from Marco Island on 92 and then right on 41, you will drive past Collier-Seminole State Park on your right. Pass it and go for about 8 more miles. When you go by Port of the Island Marina you are getting close. The boardwalk will be on your left. It's free.

We did not visit the Indian Village, only spent about an hour on the adjacent boardwalk. It was well worth it and I wish we made it there a bit sooner. Many different birds can be seen all around the boardwalk, especially at the viewing area at the end overlooking a small lake. We saw two Great Blue Herons, two White Egrets, a Wood Stork, and several alligators, small and large!

Here is a decent area map that has the Big Cypress Bend placed on Rte. 41: http://home.nps.gov/applications/Parks/bicy/ppmaps/BICYmap1.pdf.

Very family friendly place. Even our two wild girls did not cause much of a comotion here. The outside deck on the water definitely helped! You can even walk down the stairs and be right by the water - just watch out, there is not much of a railing separating you from the water.

We always find our way to Joe's at least once while in Florida and always enjoy the great seafood and informal experience. Everybody is friendly and attentive.

Yes, it may get noisy since there is a small aircraft airport just across the water and they will be right overhead. On the other hand, you may have fun watching them.

I'd give the Zoo three stars but the "somewhat recommend" description of two stars fits better. In summary, I liked the Zoo but its price was rather steep for what is there (at almost $20 adult and $12 for children above 3). They reason it is more expensive because you get to see botanical gardens and the Zoo in a single package. It is still pricey and I believe Miami Zoo or West Palm Beach Zoo are a better value.

However, that is not to say we did not enjoy our time at the Zoo. There are several shows a day to attend. You can also see alligator feeding. One of the attractions is a boat ride on their pond that various animals can e viewed from on the different small islands.

We also saw a wood stork showing off on one of their dead trees along with a woodpecker, which seemed to be visiting rather than at home.

Again, a nice Zoo if its price were more in line with "competition".

This was our second time at this place and again enjoyable both for the adults and the kids. They offer buggy rides, airboat rides, and shows. The buggy ride is the best part. An hour on a swamp friendly "monster truck" will take you to the woods to see the vegetation and possibly spot some wild animals. They also keep a wide variety of semi-wild animals to see in their natural habitat, which is the safari part of the experience.

The airboat tour was also enjoyable but second to the buggy ride and to another airboat tour we took at Everglades City.

Theirs also a nice boardwalk by the chickees that is free to enjoy and you can spot wild birds and the occassional alligator there too.

Wondering why this is on my Marco Island journal? Yes, it is quite a drive but I think it is worth it. Whether you're staying on the East Coast or West Coast of Florida, you will have to take a drive anyway.

Visit http://www.seminoletribe.com/safari/ for more info.