We consider Captiva our home for the summer. We've been coming since my firstborn was in my belly,…read moreand she's about to be 9! Every time we come, it's a different experience, good or bad, but somehow it always ends up being great, amazing!!. If that makes sense. This place is a true getaway. The breathtaking views, being steps from the sand, the resort water park (which was SO much fun!), golf cart rides, arcade, the beach, pools, and just having so much to do make it such an incredible place for families. There's truly something for everyone. The restaurants are really good, and of course the kids loved getting ice cream at Scoops and Slices. And the customer service is just as special as the place itself. We had a small hiccup this trip, and that's when we had the pleasure of meeting Chrissy at the front desk. I was really disappointed that our reservation and room weren't up to par, but I called and she took immediate action. She not only took care of the issue, she genuinely helped make our stay better. She was so kind to my family and went above and beyond to make sure we were taken care of. She is incredible. I only hope that when we come back next summer, we get the pleasure of having Chrissy there again, honestly, It's people like her who make us love this place so much. The amenities here are priceless, but more than anything, we love the feeling this place gives us. It's truly the best place we've stayed in all of Florida. It doesn't just feel like a vacation, it feels cozy, warm, and familiar, almost like we're with family. Captiva really has become our summer home, and every year we make more memories here as a family. We already can't wait for next summer!

Rooms are very dated and in need of repair. Toilet did not flush properly, shower fixtures loose,…read moremoldy grout. Just after taking a shower, and walking across the wood floor, noticed bottom of my feet were black as I was putting my shoes on. Floors were filthy. I don't think the sliding glass door locked either. With the room fee and taxes and all the other "fees" room was close to $700. Outrageous for the quality. View was the back of the pool house. Not appealing.

Amazing resort with everything you need on property! Fine dining? Check. Casual pool bar? Check…read more Umbrella service? Check. Daily maid service? Check. Pizza parlor for late night eats? Check. Spa for relaxing? Check. We rented a golf cart for a couple of days to see some sights too far away for walking, but other than that, we didn't leave the property! No need to, when everything is right there! Everyone on staff was incredibly friendly. Room was nice & clean with a beautiful ocean view! The Captiva vibe is very low key, natural, and stress free. Loved this place - can't wait for a return visit!

Though small inside this Ship Yard restaurant was full of bar life, music and very upbeat in…read moregeneral this sunday night in beautiful Captiva Island. Do not ask for tap please it taste like a very strong well water-really poor instead have the Italian Panna bottle you wont regret. I had the grilled grouper platter with pico & vegetables, another order were the fat breaded shrimp with fries and sauce. The she crab soup starter was creamy and delicious tasting as well a grouper reuben sandwich on Rye bread though it fell apart from the thousand island dressing and slaw inside. Finished off with a shared large brownie sundae, chocolate fudge, 2 scoops vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. 4-4.5 star rate.

This is something I've never had to do but due to the lack of response from their management, I'd…read morefigure I'd make this post public. But, sadly the roaches are more responsive than the management/staff. After 2 emails and no response. The location is phenomenal but the actual conditions of the "Gardenia Suite" were very poor. The bathroom had signs of mold and mildew, corners of the bathroom were deteriorated due to moisture and soft and plaster was falling. The actual shower had a mix of grout that had broken off and sand from a prior guest. Every morning, I'd be greeted with a roach in the common area/kitchen. I can understand being close to the beach and pests can be an issue but over a short weekend stay, it was about 5-6 roaches that I had to dispose of. Location was amazing but the actual inn was disappointing.

been staying here for a few years now. Usually twice a year. Love it. The staff is friendly. The…read morerestaurants (RC Otters, Key Lime Bistro) never dissapoint. Oh, and check out Sunshine seafood.

My wife and I had a really relaxing and peaceful visit at Periwinkle Cottages. The cottage itself…read morewas cool, clean and comfortable. It had clean linens, towels and various beach accessories. There were bicycles on the property to use, a charcoal grill, laundry room and a shell cleaning station. We had the pleasure of meeting the owner and she was very kind and sweet. We will definitely be back and be reccomending this location to our family and friends!

LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS! We stayed here for our honeymoon. Mark and Kathy are relaxed, laid back, and…read morehave a lovely place for the right price! We stayed in the Sandpiper. It has a single bedroom with a queen bed, a living area, kitchen, and bathroom. The kitchen had all the necessary equipment so we were able to eat in and save a lot of money on our trip. The decor is beachy and welcoming. Mark paints and did a lot of the artwork in the cottage. I can still remember the koi picture in the bedroom. Very nice touch! There is a private gazebo out back that overlooks the pond. There were many birds, turtles, and a small alligator in the pond, though the alligator left after a couple of days. There was a cardinal bird that came to the sliding glass door every morning and would tap on it with his beak. There is a grill out back by the gazebo, laundry on-site, books that they have available to borrow, and a shell washing station. There are also bikes that are available to borrow so you can bike around the island. There is private beach access at the end of the block. Sanibel is famous for its shelling and the beach at the end of the street by far had the best shells we found on the island. You get a card so you can park your car at the end, but it's so close you can just walk down there. It's quiet, clean, and was the perfect place for us to stay. Thank you, Mark and Kathy! Next time we come to Sanibel we will be staying again!

Really pleasant and helpful staff. Offers parking for $10 for nearby beaches. Offers a host of…read moreboat tours in the am/pm of the nearby islands and scenery.

Too bad I had to choose a star. We have been going to Captiva Island for 15 years and we've always…read morerented from Jensen's - next door to McCarthy's. Because things were busy over spring break, we stopped in to McCarthys to see if they could help us out. An employee there (wish I knew his name) was so incredibly rude, I actually couldn't believe it. A man that heard the way this employee treated me commented on how pompous he was. We will never give them our business because of this one individual. Jensen's all the way from now on.

Great place to relax on Sanibel Island!!…read more This is a perfect location for you if you like peace and quiet. Located in a small subdivision, you can use the neighborhood private beach access. You even get a parking permit, which is necessary on this island. The beach access is down the street, about 1/4 mile. The complex is only 2 miles west of the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge. Amenities include complimentary bicycles, on-site laundry room (completely free, including detergents!), and lots of well-maintained common areas with seating. No pool on-site (which is why it got a 4 star). Plenty of parking in front of the complex. This is not a luxury hotel, so don't expect it to be. It is very clean and everything is well maintained. You will see Darwin, the owner, every day fixing and cleaning. He is very personable and a great host. We stayed from October 2-6, 2015 for our wedding anniversary and he let us check in early since no one was using our unit the night before. Nice! We stayed in Unit 4. It has one bedroom with a full bed, one bathroom, down the hall, a full kitchen, dining, and living room, as well as a large screened-in porch. Everything worked well and the decor was beachy and nice. Tile floors throughout, even on the porch. The entryway closet is full of beach toys, including a small cooler, noodles, chairs, shelling stuff, and umbrella. They also store an inflatable bed in a spare closet. Very affordable - you get an entire apartment for what you would normally pay for a hotel room. We'll be back!!

what a charming place to stay in sanibel!…read more we had a party of 6, and it was difficult to find a place to accommodate us. darwin had us covered! we stayed in unit 2 (2 bdr/2 bath with a queen blow up). very clean. stocked kitchen (dishes, cups, coffee maker, etc... not food). beach goodies galore (chairs, umbrella, towels, noodles, shell collecting bag, scoops, cooler, etc...). beach is 1 block away with parking permit available. grounds are beautiful. we rode bikes to and thru ding darling. darwin was on site during the day, and very nice and chatty. wish we would have seen a gator, but we'll be back for sure!

We loved our stay in cottage #7. You're staying on the beach. Wake up, go out your front (back)…read moredoor and you're on the beach. That's paradise. Here are some tips mixed in with the review, if you are planning on staying at one of the cottages on the beach. The #7 cottage is at the end, closest to The Mad Hatter. This cottage is really cute. Everything looks fairly new - five years. The cottage was surface clean, if you don't look at the ceiling fan blades, vents, under the sink. Bring suction cup hooks to hold your clothes while you shower. There weren't any hooks in the bathrooms. The covered lanai had four chairs and two small end tables. It also has a clothes line set up (bring hangers of clothes pins) to help dry your bathing suits. Although the screen door was torn, there were barely any bugs in the lanai. We watched an incredible lightning storm one night. There's a bbq grill outside the lanai. You need to bring your own bbq briquettes, lighter, fluid, and bbq utensils, but then you can enjoy chargrilled hamburgers, hot dogs, bbq chicken.... There's also a picnic table outside your lanai, next to the bbq. Bring a sponge to wash dishes. It's not easy washing dishes with paper towels. This isn't as well stocked as a time share. However they have most of the basics. We weren't planning on cooking this weekend. Bringing premade meals, much easier. There's a toaster, blender, coffee machine with basket (not the cone type), microwave, electric range. No dishwasher. There is no table to eat at, there is a small island in the kitchen with stools. Bring water shoes if you have sensitive feet. There's a lot of small shells and the sand gets HOT during the summer afternoons. For just walking on the sand, Dollar Tree flip flops will protect you from the heat. There's no outdoor shower, not even a hose, to rinse off prior to going inside the cottage. Someone was kind enough to leave a plastic tub, that we filled with water and a bit of dish soap (maybe left by the owners or a previous renter?). That did help to at least wash off our feet before showering. With every precaution taken, sand will get in the cottage. There is no vacuum or mop. We were able to sweep most of the sand away, but I wish we brought our stick vacuum. The driveway is for one car only and it is tight (we have a Yukon)! Get friendly with your neighbors, because you need to share the entrance/exit to your parking spot and if they don't park exactly in their spot you'll need to ask them to move their car to either enter of leave. The entrance to all of the beach cottages is in the back of the house. The walkway is all sand. Keep that in mind when packing. Rolling luggage will get stuck, and if you roll anything you'll be bringing sand into the cottage. I called ahead and asked about beach towels, they said bring your own beach towels or you can use the bath towels. Although we never needed any beach towels. We usually stayed in the lanai looking at shells. until it was shower time. I hope they replace the mattresses soon. None of us slept well. Although if you spend all day in the water, you'll be too tired to notice. The air conditioning worked perfectly. Nice and cool. Especially when it was almost 100 degrees outside! Bring a couple of carabiners to attach your room key to your bathing suit or bag. If you need ice for your cooler, they have ice across the street (marina side). We brought our own beach chairs from home, but they have some you can borrow (leave a deposit and get it back when you return the chair). Bring itch cream, the sand fleas are ferocious in the evening. The sunsets are stunning. The town is only a 15 minute drive away. We weren't phased by having to drive to town, however our neighbors thought town would be in walking distance. Bring buckets or mesh bags for shell collecting. There were lots of pretty, small shells to choose from. We had an incredible stay in cottage #7.

I've been to better beaches…read more To start off, to even get on the Island they charge you $6. $6? Where is this money going to? It obviously isn't getting spent on upgrading the island. And by upgrading... I mean this next part. Half the island where all the shops are have phone data reception. The other half where you actually live, doesn't. Need to call 911? Good luck. You won't have any data. You will have to find a local Wi-Fi hotspot to get data. The WHOLE island is infested with noseeums. If you sleep in any house or cottage, you will get bitten by these tiny little bugs. It's annoying and ruined my stay. It's so horrible that businesses sell products to prevent them from biting you. The beaches are nice, but the water is dirty and murky. We stayed at a cottage across the street from the beach, it was a nice little walk. The cottages were decent with a flat-screen TV and Wi-Fi, but the outside shower didn't work and you have noseeums that come into the cottage at night. Most cottages have a little dock where you can park your boat, Jet-ski or kayak. Resort staff come in the morning to get your old towels and bring you new ones, and they take trash out of the bins. Another flaw of this cottage is that restaurants are 25 - 30 minutes away driving a max of 15 - 20 MPH. That's also the same distance to the local grocery store. They have everything you need on the island. If not, you have to across 3 bridges and pay $6 again to re-gain entry back on the island. Sanibel is a bit overrated, I heard people come here annually, but for me, it's not a place where I'll go again.

Two Fish Inn is so many things. Clean! Lovely. Quiet. Charming. Relaxing…read more We so enjoyed our stay. Our accommodations were spotless and well decorated with great little personal touches and a true feel for old Florida. It was great having a working kitchen and separate bedroom. The patio area for our room was secluded and a nice little oasis. The owners could not have been any nicer! We felt so at home. Can't wait for our next trip back.

This is such a vibe! Love this place and the thoughtful owners…read more The rooms are clean, there is a great tiki seating by the canal for our morning coffee and nightly cocktails , clean screened in heated pool and boat docks! The rooms are appointed with all you need and a quick shop to the grocery and liquor store and we were set! The gift shop is super cute and Steph is so helpful and friendly She even recommended an outing with Captain Randi and we got to see So much of the beauty in the surrounding islands. Will come back!!!