Captiva Island--A Well-Tended Paradise

To immerse yourself in the magic of Captiva, experience the ocean. One can walk for miles on the beach scouting for shells and watching the birds. There are many places to rent boats and water toys of all descriptions.

Quick Tips:

Buy everything you need on the mainland. While Captiva has lots of gift-type shops, prices are high and practical items are hard to find.

Best Way To Get Around:

Captiva is small and it's easy to get around on a bicycle. If you stay at South Seas Plantation (a large resort that covers the north half of the island) a free trolley will take you everywhere you want to go.

South Seas Plantation Resort has everything you could ask for from an island vacation. It''s elegant, yet informal and friendly. The beaches are glorious and the grounds are beautiful--we hardly saw even a faded flower blossom.

South Seas covers more than 300 acres on the north end of Captiva Island. There are lots of things to do within the resort grounds: There are many bars and restaurants, a beautiful 9-hole golf course which is right next to the Gulf of Mexico, bicycle and watercraft rentals of all kinds. You can rent a power boat, canoe or kayak, take a day cruise, or learn to sail.

Accomodations at South Seas range from hotel rooms to rental condos and houses. We stayed in the Harborview Rooms, which is a hotel-type building overlooking the marina. Our hotel room was spacious, with two queen-sized beds and an enormous bathroom/dressing room. Sliding glass doors led to a private balcony. We enjoyed having breakfast overlooking the marina.

I can only think of one negative thing to point out about South Seas--there seem to be a few needless rules. One afternoon we were caught in a sudden downpour and went running for cover in the nearest restaurant, Cap''n Al''s. We ordered a couple of drinks to pass the time until the rain stopped, and asked to sit at a table. At 2:30 in the afternoon the restaurant was almost deserted, but we were told we had to sit at the bar unless we ordered food.

Overall, though, we had a wonderful stay enjoying the great beaches and the friendly staff. I can''t imagine anyone being dissatisfied with South Seas Resort.

Chadwick's is on the grounds of the South Seas Plantation Resort. It offers a different type of all-you-can eat buffet each night.

On the night we visited, the theme was seafood. Seafood usually doesn't lend itself well to a buffet--it suffers from sitting out for a long time, and tends to be overcooked. However, most of Chadwick's seafood was really good. The soup was a creamy lobster bisque. The cold seafood bar had several kinds of smoked fish, poached salmon, peel-and-eat shrimp, king crab legs, and excellent mussels and clams.

The hot food was predictably less than stellar, but not bad. There were deep-dried grouper and shrimp, oysters Rockfeller, and several fish preparations with different sauces. Although the fish tasted very fresh, it was overcooked and tough from sitting in a steam table for too long.

There was also a salad bar, which we didn't sample. We did try some desserts from the dessert bar, and wished we hadn't. Nothing was bad, but nothing was special, either. The key lime pie was too sweet and over-firm. The coconut cake didn't taste much like coconut and was a little dry. If I had it to do over again, I would have skipped dessert and gone back for more mussels.

Chadwick's wine list is not extensive, but quite reasonably priced (unlike many things on Captiva).

The atmosphere is casual. There is live (and loud) music in the bar on weekends. If you want to skip the band, make a reservation before 7:30. The band was just starting when we left at around 9.

The Mucky Duck has acquired a reputation as a "must-do" on Captiva. So, we dutifully went there for lunch on our first day on the island. In retrospect, I can't say how it became so famous. It's right on the beach, but you really can't see the beach from the restaurant. It's ostensibly a "British Pub", but the decor looks more like a rural Midwestern supper club with pine paneling and lots of beer signs.

The food wasn't bad, but it wasn't fantastic either. The menu is divided between American-style food with some seafood specialties, and British items such as steak pies. We tried the fried oyster sandwich and the grouper sandwich. A large selection of beer (British and American) is available. Prices are reasonable.

We walked by the Mucky Duck at Happy Hour and noticed that they have live entertainment (a Jimmy Buffett soundalike) on the beachfront patio.

I would go back for a quick, inexpensive lunch, but I certainly wouldn't call this a "destination" restaurant.

Captiva's famous beaches more than live up to their reputation. The wide, white sugar sand beaches are littered with shells and the beaches are rimmed with beautiful mature palm trees. You can walk the entire length of the island on the beach, past modest cottages and multimillion dollar homes.

Birds of all kinds are plentiful. Species that are considered endangered in many parts of the country are common here. You'll see herons and egrets wading the shoreline and ospreys gliding overhead.

Most large shells that wash up are already broken, but it's quite easy to find good small specimens. Shelling is best in the early morning, particularly after a storm. Shells seem most plentiful at the northern tip of Captiva, where a strong current runs through the narrow channel between Captiva and North Captiva.

South Seas Resort has a complete boat rental service for power boats, canoes, kayaks, sailboats, and jetskis. If you've always dreamed of skippering a sailboat, they have a sailing school. Or, if you just want to enjoy the ride while someone else drives, you can sign up for one of many short cruises.