We just decided to visit Captiva/Sanibel for a week in early January. Lots of places are booked up of course. We have 2 daughters, 8 and 12--trying to decide if we%26#39;d be better off at a resort such as Casa Ybel than a quaint cottage since it%26#39;s Jan and might be chilly...esp at night.
If cost is no object, where would you recommend for upscale charm directly on the beach (or as close as possible?).
South Seas sounds like a nightmare. Several of the inns look sweet but might be a little smallish feeling or less private?
Thanks much
OceanA6
captiva question
Tough question, but I%26#39;d take a compromise and stay at Sunset Captiva. There are a few beachfront houses there, but the bulk are off beach and a short walk. Check out ResortQuest and look for units 1, 3, 4 and maybe 8 b- all show availability. They are free standing homes that function like condos. All show availability. There%26#39;s a community pool and tennis and walk to some restaurants and a few shops in the village.
www.resortquestcaptiva.com/rental/alpha.html
Also RoyalShell and units 5,6 and 7 listed under their Privates Homes.
Off beach, I really like the looks of unit #13 thru AMRC at www.captiva-island.com
As for beachfront houses, SUnset Too thru VIP [no pool]. Also Saba Winds and Nirvana thru AMRC. Both have pools. Last would be Beach Sweet Beach thru Royal Shell, but it sits across the street from the beach and has a road on two sides that carries all the traffic in and out of the village - it%26#39;s near the road.
As for beach view condos - Captiva Shores units - the townhouse style ones are duplexes and have more privacy. Buildings 7 and 8. Units in Blg 6 are traditional apartment style ones. 1 to 5 are bayside. AMRC and Royal Shell have the beachfront units. Same road as the one that goes past Beach Sweet beach, but the condos only have them along side and have a deeper setback. AMRC%26#39;s 7A unfortunately has little availability in Jan.
If you rent at South Seas and choose to use an agency, the best way to get a good unit, you will lose resort privileges, but will have the beach and local condo pool. There are some beautiful units on the resort. Take a look, but know what you DON%26#39;T get renting that way! It is very unfortunate the management hasn%26#39;t straightened out their issues and continue to causes guests problems. It%26#39;s got potential to be an outstanding place to stay if they could just get things like housekeeping under control.
captiva question
F.Y.I., we stayed at SSR last June, booked throught the resort, and our experience was fine. It is on a GORGOEUS stretch of beach, and we stayed in the beach villas. If you rented throught a private owner and picked a nice unit as suggested by Tourmaline, and, as she said, you know what you dont get, you should be fine. If you stay in the beach villas you have access to their smaller pool, which is along the path to the beach. You would not have access to the resort%26#39;s ';fancy'; pool complex, but that%26#39;s no loss IMHO as those pools are woefully small and overcrowded. We only went 1 day and were perfectly happy with the beach villa pool. All of the staff were friendly and responsive. I know experiences there can vary wildly after reading reviews both before and after our trip, but with the right unit you could have an awesome time there.
We chatted with other families at the beach villa pool who were renting privately and they were having a terrific time with their families. I wanted to cry when I realized I was paying WAY more than them for the same unit, all for the use of pools we weren%26#39;t using, just because I booked through the resort and they picked the VBRO route. Hope this helps!
Me, again! Just paid attention to price not being an object, so another thought. If I was going to Captiva and price was no object, I would rent a private house on the Gulf with a private pool! Check the website of American Realty of Captiva, www.captiva-island.com, for some really awesome houses. They are a well-reputed rental company serving Captiva. When on the home page, click ';rentals';. Some super-sweet, budget busting choices included: Nirvana,
Surfcomber, and Suits Us. If you just won the lotto and want to bring extended family =), check Seastar and Bali Hi!
South Seas is probaby the most upscale resort if money is no object. Especially if you don%26#39;t want to leave the resort much. If you would like to do a lot of bikining and exploring however it is pretty removed from the Sanibel past of ';Captiva/ Sanibel';.
On Sanibel for more upscale you could consider Tortuga Beach- run by Hilton Vacations and Sanibel Cottages. Our own Pointe Santo is on the upscale side of the continuum and should be actrive but not too crowded in January. And I know that Casa Ybel has some mixed reviews but we enjoyed our stay there.
All I mentioned are beachfront.
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