White Sands #13
2311 West Gulf Drive,
Sanibel Island, Florida
* Things To Do *
Here's a list of things you can do while staying on Sanibel Island where our Gulf front
condo is in the White Sands
building on West Gulf Drive. Our condo is available for rent by the week, so please click
here to get to that page for more information.
Things to Do:
Captiva/Sanibel Restaurants
Barnacle Phil's, North
Captiva
by boat
Beachview Golf Club -- quite good and reasonable, though
service was spotty
Bean... on Periwinkle. Sanibel's answer to Starbucks.
Bubble Room* on Captiva .. fun atmosphere, bad food, great dessert, big
time wait, pricey
Chadwick's at South Seas Plantation, Captiva pricey
but tasty -- an incredible seafood buffet and Sunday brunch
Cheeburger
Cheeburger on Sanibel (chain)
Dairy Queen ritualistic post-dinner stop
Doc Fords....GREAT food, we loved the place.
Dolce Vita gorgeous,
exquisite food, live entertainment, VERY pricey,noisy
Grandma Dots at
Sanibel Marina. This place regularly wins local food awards but it's not
air-conditioned
Green Flash -- absolutely beautiful view - lunch on a
clear day is best, but food is unimpressive
East End Deli...great cubans
and good sandwiches
Hungry Heron alternative to Bubble Room ... adequate
food, long wait
Island Cow
casual Key West place with outdoor eating
area ... fun, tasty, huge menu ... large portions, good food, huge menu.
Island Pizza... located on Periwinkle. Very good pizza.
Jacaranda - 1223
Periwinkle Way
great for seafood, beef, pasta
Johnny's Pizza...try the
Mama Rosa's Pizza
Key Lime Bistro, Captiva
La Vigne (Italian)... new
to Sanibel on Periwinkle drive next to Island Pizza... a great meal
Lazy
Flamingo -- a favorite. Cozy atmosphere ... priced well ... excellent Mesquite
Grouper and Caesar Salad.
Lighthouse... local favorite for breakfast...
plan on a 30 minute wait ... typical breakfast fare.
Lighthouse Cafι ..
now serving a lovely dinner
Mad Hatter great food, great sunsets, pricey
wonderful service. Very romantic restaurant. European bistro type menu.
Matzaluna-- great atmosphere ... good, reasonable Italian food
intracoastal
waterway
McT's Shrimp House has best mudpie dessert. Skip dinner, just
pick one up for later yuck
Mucky Duck on Captiva -- right on the
beach, prices moderate -- go for the sunset
Pinocchio's -- good dessert
Pippins
for a nice dinner, recently renovated
Portofinos at
Sanibel Inn
R. C. Otters on Captiva -- mixed reviews, live music,
reasonable prices, and great atmosphere
Sanibel Princess for a dinner
cruise-luxurious
Sanibel Steak House is great -- really special
Schnapper's Hots (hotdogs)
Snug Harbor
intracoastal waterway by bridge
Sun Dial's Windows on the Water -- very good
Sunset Grill, near
Blind Pass - steak by the ounce is perfect
Sunshine Cafι on Captiva
superb
Thistle Lodge at Casa Ybel. Service and food is very good but not 4
star. Great views of water
Timbers...great atmosphere...a bit pricey...
mixed reviews on food
Trader's, good food, unusual retail ambience
Tween Waters Cafe -- best key lime pie
Twilight, fine upscale dining
Village Green
CHECK OUT www.cuisine-scene.com.
Bubble Room:
"Bubble" refers to the old bubbling Christmas lights that adorn the inside.
Atmosphere: Fun, kooky, campy; the place is covered with old Christmas
decor, knickknacks,
Food: Quite a variety. Average at best. Not an
outstanding meal; you pay for the atmosphere.
Service: Locals get
preferential treatment for seating... plan on a long wait
Prices: above
average ($20/person for lunch). For 4 people, 2 being kids, $75 for dinner!!
Desserts are the BEST!!!!!!! Their cakes are wonderful, and HUGE (big
enough to share). Try the Orange Cake and the Red Velvet Cake.
Another
opinion held by many: Food is not only not good, it's horrid; service is AWFUL,
parking is atrocious. Overpriced; overrated.
My suggestion: Stop at the
Bubble Room before or after lunch or dinner hour. Tour the restaurant (folks do
it all the time) and buy 1-2 desserts on your way out to take back to your own
place and eat. It will take you several days anyway, they are so large.
Golf
Beachview Golf Club
Web site: http://www.beachviewgolfclub.com
Email:
beachviewgolfclub.com
941-472-2626
1100 Par View Drive
Dunes Golf
& Tennis Club
Web site: http://www.dunesgolfsanibel.com
Email:
Cecilia.Drake@meristar.com
941-472-3355
949 Sandcastle Road
Decks to View Sunset?
Only deck near water on Sanibel or Captiva
would be Grandma Docks on Sanibel . Tween Waters Inn from the Crow's Nest bar
and the restaurant, the Old Captiva House and then out on South Seas Plantation.
Casa Ybel, maybe?
Snorkeling on Sanibel?
Water is too cloudy. No
reefs to break the surf, so the sand makes the water murky. Also, with no reefs
for protection, there are no colorful fish to see anyway.
Another view:
We just went on Adventure Tour's Snorkeling and Shelling Excursion. It was
great! It was not like snorkeling in the islands, but we did see sting rays, and
some other fish. The fun part of it was having the snorkle gear on to find great
shells! We were at Caya Costa and then the to Barnacle Phil's on North Captiva
for lunch. We saw tons of dolphins! $55 from 9-3pm. Lunch extra. The boat left
from Port Sanibel Marina in Ft. Myers.
FAQs
Q: What is there to
do on the Islands?
A: Shelling, bicycling, swimming, tennis, golf, fishing,
racquetball, canoeing and kayaking, fitness club, movie theater, live theaters,
art galleries, nature hiking, shopping and just plain relaxing.
Q: Where can
we ride bicycles?
A: Sanibel has 26 miles of bike paths.
Q: What hours
are the shops open?
A: Mostly 10:00 AM and to 8:00 PM.
Q: Where can we
park for beach access?
A: Parking is available for $1 per hour at four
different places on Sanibel: Lighthouse and Fishing Pier, Gulfside City Park,
Tarpon Bay Road Parking Lot and Bowman's Beach. Turner's Beach on Captiva Island
is free.
Sanibel Attractions
www.coconet.com/sanibel-captiva/
Boating aboard the Ms. Captiva with Captain Dennis, a real sea captain and
naturalist and knew every dolphin, tarpon, egret, heron, shell, etc. in the area
... even given swim with manatees if the season is right.
C.R.O.W. -- Care
and Rehabilitation of Wildlife - 3883 San-Cap Road. Veterinary hospital for
rehabilitation of ill, injured and orphaned native wildlife. Tours 11 am
Mon-Fri, 1 pm Sunday, no tours Saturday. $3.
Ding Darling Wildlife
Preserve -- One Wildlife Drive (off San-Cap Road). Open daily 9am to sunset,
closed Fridays. 5,000-acre sanctuary offers hiking, biking and canoe trails.
5-mile wildlife drive is $5 for cars, $1 for bikers and hikers. 200 species of
birds, alligators, turtles, river otters, armadillos. Take a canoe trip right
past the gators! We took the two-hour tram tour (Tarpon Bay) for $8; it was
great and VERY informative.
Everglades ecotour of bird watching and
wildlife photography of alligators, panthers, manatees, reptiles in southwest
Florida's Big Cypress preserve and Everglades outback . Full day of nature by
riverboat, hiking, airboats and van exploration with highly trained guides.
Departs daily from Sanibel, Ft. Myers Beach and Naples/Marco
Karaoke at
Bungalow - only Wednesday nights
Key West day trip
cruise takes 4 hours
each way and you only spend 4.5 hours in Key West. You risk bad weather and
seasickness. Suggest you stay overnight in Key West -- much to see and do there.
Sanibel Lighthouse - East end of Periwinkle Way. First lit in August 1884.
Since 1950, the U.S. Coast Guard property at the lighthouse has been a wildlife
refuge.
Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Center - Mile Marker 1, San-Cap Road.
Hours: 8:30am-3pm Mon-Fri during the summer, 8:30am-4pm Mon-Sat during winter
months. A not-for-profit organization dedicated to conserving the island's
natural resources. Walking trails, exhibits, marine touch tank, native plant
nursery, nature store. Nominal admission fee.
Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum
- 3075 San-Cap Road. Only one of its kind in U.S. Exhibits devoted to shells in
art and history, shell habitats, rare specimens, fossil shells.
Turner
Beach between Sanibel and Captiva
much better shells
Water taxi to
Cabbage Key
Sanibel Kids' Stuff
Visit the lighthouse early in
morning when water is clear for snorkeling
Take a boat ride and watch for
dolphins
Rent bicycles ... island is covered with paths
Drive
through Ding Darling at sunset. Wear mosquito repellent and take your camera.
Shop at Jerry's Grocery... the parrot will talk to you.
Wake up
really early and walk the beach, you might see dolphins.
Collect shells
but don't save the starfish ... they really stink when they die. Best shelling
is Bowman Beach. Also great shelling on Cayo Costa, an island only reachable by
boat.
Drive to Everglades City one day. Take an airboat ride. Eat lunch. A
historic little city
Within Walking distance of White Sands
Off of Sanibel Island on the mainland(Fort Myers)
On the Mainland, a bit further away (the closer ones are listed firt)
Other Websites for lists of area Activities
The activities above are just a few of many. Here is a link to other online guides:
Merchants of John's Pass
Call us at (614) 792-2593 to rent our beautiful Gulf front
condo in the White Sands building on Sanibel Island.
Other Helpful Links:
David Ulstad
E-mail: dculstad@aol.com
Last Modified: April 11, 2006
copyright 2006 David Ulstad