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Head back in time to old Florida around Pine Island Sound
Sanibel Island
Down on Sanibel, hotels and resorts abound, but the point of the place is best captured in two activities. First, conspire to be on the island during a proper low tide, when you can walk along the deep shoreline looking for shells pushed ashore by the prevailing breeze and passing currents. Locals call it the Sanibel stoop, and it is a wildly addictive sport. (Field guides to the shells are to be found everywhere, from the lowliest inn to the most luxe suite in the county.)
Second, there are few more enjoyable jaunts in the region than a trip to the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge (fws.gov/dingdarling), a giant tract of undeveloped mangrove hummocks on the island’s southeastern coast. Named for Jay Norwood “Ding” Darling, the Pulitzer Prize–winning cartoonist for the Des Moines Register and Tribune and a noted conservationist, the refuge is home to a spectacular number of migratory birds and indigenous wildlife (yes, that’s an alligator in the distance) and visitors can explore it by bicycle, kayak, canoe, or car.
Where to Stay
Great value may be found at the Casa Ybel Resort (from $300/night; casaybelresort.com) on Sanibel, a secluded hotel on 23 acres of beach at the southern end of the island. Founded in the 1890s, the hotel has a terrific pool, newly renovated one- and two-bedroom suites, and close proximity to a 14-mile length of white-sand beach, home to some of the best shelling in the world.
Where to Eat
Sweet Melissa’s Cafe (751 Tarpon Bay Rd., 239/472-1956) features a menu of fresh local fish and tapas-like offerings in a casually elegant room. Also on Sanibel, Doc Ford’s Sanibel Rum Lounge (975 Rabbit Rd., 239/472-8311) serves excellent Gulf shrimp in a sports-bar atmosphere not nearly as loathsome as that adjective usually implies.
Read our Sanibel and Captiva Island Travel Guides for even more in-depth destination and trip-planning advice!
Sanibel and Captiva Island Getaways from $149/Nt Editors' Review
