Tag: vacations

A Little About Sanibel Island

Photo of the Lighthouse on Sanibel Island from...
Image via Wikipedia

Sanibel Island is located on the west coast of Florida. You have to cross a big bridge to get there and there is a toll.

The way the ocean current passes the area of Sanibel and Captiva causes it to deposit many seashell along the shores and makes it one of the top places in the world to collect seashells.Because many folks visit the Sanibel area for the express purpose of shelling, the act of walking along the beach, bent over looking for shells has been given the name the “Sanibel stoop”. When visiting, be sure to take along some beach shoes, as some of the shores are literally covered in shells and pieces of shells.

I’ve taken a couple of trips over to Sanibel but that was back in the mid to late 1980’s. It has surely changed a whole lot since then. We drove over the old bridge, which was replaced in 2007 by the one that is there now.   You will pay a $6 toll to cross to the island these days.  Read more about how Sanibel was linked to the mainland in this article.

I’m not even sure I would like Sanibel these days. I don’t like crowds and unfortunately all the beautiful places in Florida have been built up and become money-making tourist colonies. It would be fun to go shelling on a Sanibel beach though.

To see the shells that can be found along Sanibel beaches, read the “i love shelling” blog.  I remember when the author, Pam Rambo, used to come and comment on my blog.   She lives in THE PLACE to collect shells.  We both blog about the same type of things and began blogging around the same time (2009) and often I will link to her posts since she has the ability to find more shells than I do.

I Prefer the East Coast

Florida contains miles and miles of seashore, and the beaches are not all the same. Both sides of the state contain waterways that snake around and through islands in some places, but the East coast waterway contains some unique features, and the Mosquito Lagoon area is known for it’s fishing.

With many shallow, snaking canals leading off the main channel, there are backwater sandbars to search at low tide.  The little islands are covered in mangroves and edged with oyster colonies and are without buildings.  In fact there are camping sites for boaters scattered around the islands.

bird island
East Coast view from the ICW toward the coast.

We have a flats boat, which has a shallow draft allowing us to travel way back into canals to fish.  It also gives me a chance to find seashells and living creatures that not everyone gets a chance to see.

(Sunset image courtesy of Pixabay.)

 

Vacation Rental on the Non-Driving Beach

CNS Turtle Mound boardwalk06
Image via Wikipedia

I’m planning ahead to next summer when I might possibly get a VACATION!!! Not getting my hopes up too much yet, but I was talking to my good friend in Florida and mentioned that I’d like to get a place for a week over in New Smyrna so my kids and I could enjoy the beach while still being close to my old friends living in the Deltona area.

She started raving about the “Sea Dunes” townhouses where she and her brother’s family stayed one year. It seems that the place is divided between the fancy “on the beach” rentals (where she stayed for $2500 a week) and the ones “in the back by the pool” with a more affordable price tag. In fact I found one for rent- actually two- that would be in my price range.

$1150.00 a week plus tax, cleaning fee of $80 and a $500 refundable damage deposit. They only sleep 5-6 people and according to my friend, the one she stayed in slept 10. If I could get some of my friends or family members to commit to sharing it, I might be able to afford the beachside ones.

I really love the Watermark, up by Flagler Ave., at the north end of New Smyrna, but the advantage of the Sea Dunes is that they are situated on the “non-driving” area of the beach, which means no oil or gunk to step in when walking in the sand (doesn’t happen often) and no worries about the kids getting hit by a car. It can get hairy on the popular driving areas of the beach in the summer with not only people walking, but all the bike and scooter rentals, and on some days a constant line of traffic. The speed limit is 5mph and many people don’t watch their kids as well as they should (No!) and they dash out right in front of vehicles.

It reminds me of many years ago when beach-goers were allowed to park in two lines along the beach. Either up by the dunes – where everyone parks now – or closer to the water. Of course you could only do this during low tide. But too many people were getting hit and the city decided that one line of parking would be better. So now everyone has to cram into one line.

An obvious drawback to the Sea Dunes would be the fact that it sounds (and looks in one of the pictures) like a large place. Sure there is plenty of beach to share, but the pools might get pretty packed. After spending time on the sandy, salty beach most everyone showers off at the pool(s) and swims. So I’d worry about that. One of the units is right off the pool (picture) which you might think is great, but it could be noisy. Just things to keep in mind. Also, surfing is only allowed in certain places and I’m not sure where. If my daughter vacations with me, she will want to surf so I’ll have to find a place where surfing is allowed.

See a map of more places to stay, eat and visit in New Smyrna at Discover Our Town.com. Sea Dunes is not listed on this map.

Central Florida State Parks listing
Bethune Beach (at the end of the peninsula- it’s a drive folks! – it also has bathrooms)
Before Bethune Beach – &more -(we’d take a left on ? street to a small parking area, walk onto a fairly secluded beach- almost to the end of the road, just before the entrance to Turtle Mound– and Bethune beach)