We absolutely love Jug Creek for its fresh local seafood, beach atmosphere, and exceptional staff…read more It is always worth the hour-long drive to visit your restaurant for lunch or dinner. We also appreciate the live music you offer, but we wanted to share some feedback regarding the specific entertainment. Among our group, we often joke about "remembering your ABCs"--Anyone But Clive. While we enjoy the outdoorsy island vibe of Jug Creek, Clive's style of 1970s geriatric lounge music and frequent vocal shifts from falsetto to deeper tones feel a bit out of place for the setting. We wanted to share this perspective as loyal customers who want to see Jug Creek continue to thrive. We love everything else about the destination and look forward to our next visit.

Inspiring to see this place recover from hurricanes and include local fishermen. This place MUST…read morebe preserved and protected. Always brings a smile to my face to step into the property. It's like walking through a time portal to the 1930s. Spectacular teamwork, fun and friendly staff. It's entertaining to see everybody the works there, lives nearby and visit to feel so welcome. Jug Creek gives people a place and opportunity to unwind and relax. The music is top notch and different than the same old Jimmy Buffet songs that play like a broken record around here. Joe, the highly respected Fish Monger, deserves all the success in building his dream. Please take the opportunity to support Jug Creek and local fishermen. It's more than an obscure pirate title or scruffy clothes and scuffed mullet boots. It's worth the drive (maybe carpool because parking is tight).

Pineland Marina is a full service Marina offering a two car boat ramp. When you launch at Pineland…read moreyou are convenient to numerous islands such as Cayo Costa, Useppa, Upper Captiva and Boca Grande. The Marina also offers fishing charters and ferry services. Cost is $15 to launch your boat and or park. My only complaint would be that the ramp gets backed up during season on the weekends.

We went to the marina to purchase a ferry ticket to an island on Sunday Nov 21st. The man at the…read morecounter was so rude! All I wanted was a ticket to the ferry and I wasn't sure of the island name as we were referred there by our hotel. He rattled off a few island names and told me to go to the boat dock next door and when I said there was no one there he said oh well he didn't know what they were doing then.. visiting from another state I really found the man's actions disappointing. I would recommend everyone go somewhere else to get a ferry ticket anywhere. He was a real jerk.

We stayed here at the marina for an evening with our boat. We arrived after 5 and parked without…read moreassistance in our assigned spot. The water was calm and we were right by Cass Key restaurant. The marina location was out of the way but worth the drive on the water. The restaurant had great food and live music. The bathroom and showers were clean. Laundry facilities were available too at a reasonable price. I took a walk in the morning and the area was very nice. I didn't give it 5 stars because.... In the morning we waited to leave as as waited for a Dockmaster but no one arrived. We went on our way and called later to pay our bill.

We recently stopped here for fuel. I was impressed with the dock master's efficiency and knowledge…read moreof the area. Marine gas rates here were higher than competitors'.

Tarpon Lodge & Restaurant is our date night location. So much charm! Indoor / outdoor dining in a…read morebuilding dating back to 1926, screen door out to the beautiful grounds, amazing food and wine menus and finally the SUNSETS! The menu focuses on locally sourced ingredients, served with Pine Island flare. The service staff is knowledgeable, attentive without being intrusive and always smiling. They really make you feel welcome and part of the family. Plenty of on-site, free parking. Make sure to plan your visit to walk the grounds and take in a sunset. Regardless of where you are in the cape or surrounding area, Tarpon Lodge restaurant is worth the drive. Cheers!

Unbelievable to witness this place rebound time and again, storm after storm, flood after flood…read more Not to mention the incredible amount of responsibility placed upon this family run hospitality business. Anyone looking to support a quiet waterfront community should certainly consider this gem. Parking in navigation can sometimes be tricky. So consider utilizing the paid parking and security offered by the Pineland Marina Safe Harbor next-door. The twisty windy Road past the historic post office, the Randall research center, and all the grounds of this archaeological treasure trove is worth the drive. But I would not encourage anybody to bike or walk due to limited unsafe pathways and frequent flooding. But once you find your sweet parking spot and don't have to worry about anything. Have lunch at the tarpon Lodge and then walk all through the community of pineland and gaze upon this country club-esque neighborhood that is anchored by an abandoned golf course. Local wildlife is rebounding in this potential preserve. Bird watches especially have opportunities to check rare sightings off of their ornithology list. Including spring time elusives like the Chuck Wills Widow nightjar, white pelicans, juvenile bald eagles looking for their life mates, pileated woodpeckers and so much more. And if you're lucky and you play your cards right, a local might give you a couple fishing tips and some secret spots. So always have a fishing pole and bait ready.

Caveat Emptor - Extremely Disappointing Experience with Tropic Star (Pine Island, FL)…read moreIf you're considering booking a "private nature tour" with Tropic Star, I strongly suggest you think twice. On March 23rd, my group paid $350 for what was clearly marketed as a private, multi-hour nature tour experience: lunch at Cabbage Key followed by a relaxing nature cruise with stop at Cayo Costa, wildlife viewing, dolphins, and a scenic return to the dock around 2-2:30 PM. What we got instead felt like a complete bait-and-switch. The ride to Cabbage Key was rushed, and after lunch, we were picked up at 1:00 PM only to be sped straight back to the dock at full throttle--arriving before 1:30 PM. No nature tour. No stops. No wildlife. No relaxation. Just a high-speed return trip where we were bracing ourselves on coolers and folding chairs instead of enjoying anything remotely close to what was promised. Prior to leaving the dock, my friend heard Captain Steve had multiple other groups scheduled and needed to rush back. So much for a "private" experience. It was clear our trip was cut short to accommodate their overbooking and miscommunication from staff. Customer service was just as frustrating. After multiple attempts to get a response from Vincent, the owner, we finally received a generic apology with "We have a great reputation and it's rare that I get confronted with any negativity and I sincerely apologize. We have not been able to run our big boats since Hurricane Ian 3 years ago. We're doing our best to accommodate some passengers with our smaller boats" and a vague offer for "free passage next time." When I asked for clarification--no response. I then requested a full refund to resolve the issue privately and avoid posting a review... and completely ignored. At this point, it's not just about a bad tour--it's about misleading advertising, poor communication, and zero accountability. Save your money and your time. There are plenty of reputable operators in the area who actually deliver what they promise.

What a great crew, what a great experience. The vote was comfortable and easily accessible. Finding…read morethe place was a little bit of a challenge. However, when you make the reservation they do fill you in on the GPS coordinates, and tell you that they are not necessarily correct. I would definitely do this again but I would spend all day at the beach I would not bother to go to the restaurant on the itinerary.

We always rent from Monroe Canal Marina because their service is fantastic every time. Our recent…read moretwo‑day rental of the Hurricane Deckboat 22' on May 24, 2026 was smooth, timely, and the boat was in great shape. Friendly staff, easy process -- highly recommend!

We rented a boat for the day. She ran like a top. They provided maps and GPS. Great location for…read morefishing or a boat day. We saw dolphins and collected a few shells. This was our second rental and they are good people.

My brothers and I fish a lot. We wanted to book a charter to learn the fishing way, way offshore…read more We booked John for an offshore charter and could not have been happier. John is incredibly knowledgeable of the area and the fishing. As good a fisherman as my brothers and I are, our experience and knowledge paled compared to John. He is a true professional. He has excellent equipment and knows how to use it. He will tailor the trip to what you and your party want to do, and their capabilities. He is also very willing to teach you how to fish the area. He was very free with advice on how to fish and what to do. The other thing about John is that he is a gentleman and a conservationist. He knows that the well being of the area is very dependent on the health of the ocean and the fishery. He plays by the rules. He cares. I highly recommend if you want a charter-anything from a 1/2 day of easy inshore fishing-or a full day rugged offshore trip, book with John. You will be very pleased.

This was an incredible experience. I would recommend Diamond Fishing Charter to anyone looking for…read morea fantastic off shore fishing adventure in south western Florida. We left from the Four Winds Pine Island Marina. The boat was clean, fast, and comfortable for the trip out to deeper waters. We had un unlimited supply of water and access to a cooler. But the best part of the deal is the Captain. John Diamond, owner/operator and third generation native. He knows his stuff. I had never fished off shore and he had me catching fish within minutes. My fiancé has fished with more crowded commercial tourist charters before and he had the best experience of his life! He was able to land two huge Goliath Grouper (which after numerous pics we returned to the sea) and loved it. Between us we caught 20 yellow tail snapper and a couple of Almaco Jacks. The captain cleaned, skinned, and filleted our catch and bagged them up for us. We will so be back. Best 6 hours of our VaCa!

Spent the day with Captain Robin on a boat tour where we asked to see dolphins and manatees. We…read morewere not disappointed! We found a pod of dolphins pretty quickly and had them following us for quite awhile. The manatee cove was empty, except for some jumping fish, so he took us out to a sandbar to look for sand dollars. While at the sandbar he spotted a manatee so we boarded the boat to get a closer look. All in all a great day on the water! I would highly recommend Captain Robin.

We rented a boat during a recent visit to North Captiva. Boats and Fun made the process easy and…read moreprovided great support via instructions and a laminated map book of the area. Captain Andrew who assisted us throughout the process recommended several stops and places to check out, which made our day even better. He also told us about dolphin alley and how to potentially get them to play in our wake, which resulted in 10+ minutes of dolphins playing in the wake of our boat. One of the coolest things I've ever experienced! The boat looked like it was brand new and it ran great. Definitely a recommended option during a stay in Captiva.