Off the beaten path Sanibel?

Looking for a not-too-touristy location for two adults for a few days%26#39; respite in January. Hoping to do some hiking, beach walking, enjoying nature and decent vegetarian food. Also hoping to keep expenses down. Is there such a thing as Sanibel off the beaten path? Or is it all pretty touristy? If so, does anyone have any other recommendations?

Thanks!

Off the beaten path Sanibel?

To truly get off the beaten path, try Everglades City area. There are some fishing camp cottages available. Colder but also well off the beaten path is Cedar Key north of Tampa. If you don%26#39;t mind being boat access only, there are a few rooms up at North Captiva Island Club. Bryan would know and he visits the Captiva forum every few days.

On Sanibel and across from Ding Darling are three options, Tropical Winds, West End Paradise and Periwinkle Cottages. That%26#39;s about as %26#39;off the beaten track%26#39; very small Sanibel offers. West End location well away from condos.

For a condo off the beaten track, Blind Pass Condos would be the choice.

Sanibel si small and only 40% of the island is developed, but it%26#39;s very civilized and nothing is ever far from anything on an island only 14 miles long.

Off the beaten path Sanibel?

I love Sanibel and the whole place feels off the beaten track for me. It is different from mainland Florida. When Tourmaline says 40% of the island is developed, she means ';developed'; by Sanibel standards- there are no high rise buildings or high density anything.

Sanibel has lots of good vegetarian and even vegan food. If you decide to go there, post a question here about where to find it and I%26#39;ll give you several suggestions.

Ann

Everglades City and Cedar Key are definitely off the beaten track, but I would recommend neither to out-of-state tourists. Cedar Key is ok if you really like salt-water fishing, there is nothing else to do there (IMHO). Everglades City is even less civilized, but also probably only of interest for fishing.

I would agree that Sanibel Island is off the beaten path

See, now %26#39;off the beaten track%26#39; to me is Dominical in Costa Rica. LOL Good thing we all see it a bit differently.

My husband and I stayed at the Blue Dolphin Cottages this Nov. and found it very laid back and relaxing. It was very quiet there and we did a lot of beach walking. It is a very pretty location and we felt the price was very good.

Hi,

Sanibel and Captiva are definitely off the beaten track though whether you will find it touristy or not would be another matter in peak season. Everything is very natural with beautiful beaches to walk and plenty of choice for eating out, though again you may find Q%26#39;s.That%26#39;s lines to you over there.

Everglades City as Tourmaline mentions is very much off the beaten track and IMHO is very much worth a visit though not too much in the way of accomodation down there.Check the C of C website.

Even though there is little to see in the %26#39;City%26#39; it is a good jumping off spot and ideally placed for a multitude of wildlife spotting areas with various types of tours available. Shark valley is a relatively short drive away.

There are also a good few restaurants to choose from.

Chokoloskee, just down the road from EC has camping sites along with (I believe) some efficiencies and a marina if you have a boat?

Also there is the Big Cypress National Preserve in the same area with many outdoor activities on offer as well. Google that for info.

Hope this helps.

Thanks so much everyone. All very, very helpful. If I do decide to go with Sanibel, do you have any thoughts about where on the island is best to stay? I%26#39;ve heard that part of it is quite built up with condos, and I%26#39;d like to be as far away from that as possible. But also spend as little money as possible, alas, in high season.

Thank you again!

As Tour said, Blind Pass condos would be a good choice. They are away from everything.

The least expensive on beach option would be the basic cottages and efficiencies at Blue Dolphin. They also have a great West Gulf location.

Then you could try Tropical Winds, well up on the west end and away from the condos. On the same %26#39;U%26#39; shaped streets are West End Paradise and Periwinkle Cottages.

Expensive but well removed are Castaways Cottages. Personally, I think them over priced, but the location can%26#39;t be beat.

Others to check would be Shalimar Cottages [on beach, and White Caps - though they rent either thru owners or agencies and are pretty pricey.

If you don%26#39;t mind roughing it, there are camp sites at Periwinkle Park [mid-island on the east end].

One other option is Tropical [also called Nan Lani] up on Captiva. These bayfront cottages are a 5 minute walk to the beach on the edge of tiny Captiva Village. I%26#39;ve stayed in that area and it%26#39;s very quiet, but you can walk to restaurants and stuff. Available thru AMRC at www.captiva-island.com Just click on Map at the bottom of the page and look for Tropical along the top right. There is one available thru Royal Shell under Nani Lani.

Unfortunately, most of the cottages and less expensive places to stay are in busy areas.

I would add that any property on West Gulf Drive and points west might be considered ';off the beaten path'; by many. This is the part of the island most accessible to the conservation lands and refuges.

Also although many parts of the island are ';built up with condos';, the combination of setbacks and building height restrictions (no high rises) contributes to atmosphere that avoids the typical Florida tourist beach resort aesthetic.

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