<p>We’re thinking of going down to Sanibel for a few days at the end of the month and would like to rent a condo. There are so many companies online - any advice on how to narrow down the choices would be much appreciated. Or maybe someone would like to rent us theirs! (A small one would be fine - just two of us.) I have an overwhelming urge to go shelling before the S gets home from freshman year.</p>
<p>In the past we’ve stayed at the West Wind and the Holiday Inn.</p>
<p>Was just at Sanibel last week. Stayed at nice/new Country Inn near the causeway, as we had biz in Fort Myers. Went for shells at the beach that extends from Sanibel to Captiva. Good place to eat near this beach was the Funky Flamingo, or something such named. Also stayed previously at South Seas Resort in Captiva, for a few dollars more. </p>
<p>We actually spotted some BIG alligators in A. Alley this time. Woot!</p>
<p>We have stayed several times at the Sanibel Inn, and really liked it a lot. It has gotten very pricey there (esp during vacation week) so I would look for a private rental too! But, I recommend it, if you need a place (Perfect pool and beach location, convenient spot on the island, etc).</p>
<p>We stayed at Casa Ybel after some friends that go to Sanibel often suggested it to us. The resort has a really nice pool area and we rode bikes everywhere.</p>
<p>We have stayed at South Seas Plantation several times (with inlaws on their boat), so I can’t give advice on any condo rentals, but if you have the opportunity, visit the Bubble Room Restaurant. They’ve got fabulous desserts and the atmosphere is lots of fun. Enjoy your trip!</p>
<p>Thanks very much for the advice; VRBO certainly sounds like the best place to start! My H is claiming Ft. Myers Beach should be almost as good as Sanibel Island itself; I have strong doubts about that but maybe I’m too particular? Are the beaches as nice? Is the shelling as good? Not to mention restaurants and stores!</p>
<p>A lot of homes on Sanibel are for monthly rental only. You can find weekly rentals on a lot of East-end condos that are pretty nice. If you want a weekly condo towards the western part of Sanibel near Bowman’s beach check out:
<a href=“http://www.blind-pass.com/[/url]”>http://www.blind-pass.com/</a></p>
<p>Fort Myer’s Beach is no Sanibel. It’s worth the extra cash to go to Sanibel. Let me put it to you this way – you can get a tattoo easily at Fort Myers Beach, but won’t have much luck on Sanibel. </p>
<p>The beaches are great and not crowded. They get better as you go west on the Island. Sanibel’s objective is to blend with nature as much as possible. The beach sand is what comes from the Gulf. It does not have that pretty (phoney?) sand like exists at Siesta Key. </p>
<p>Sanibel is a “take a book to the beach” kind of place. If you have party oriented teenagers, they will be bored. </p>
<p>The shelling is great on Sanibel, but you have to get up early or go late because a lot of other people know the shelling is good.</p>
<p>The restaurants are amazing. Ellington’s has live jazz.</p>
<p>My family has vacationed in Sanibel almost every March for the past 8 years. We prefer to rent condos by the week - we’ve had good luck with Priscilla Murphy rentals (I especially like the ones at Shell Island Beach Club.) It may be too late if you’re looking for places in April - these condos tend to fill up 6 or 8 months in advance.</p>
<p>Mmm. Restaurants. The peel and eat shrimp at the Pink Flamingo…</p>
<p>^ I second Priscilla Murphy. We have rented from them and they are good. Teenagers were not bored at all (but they are not the bored types - I know some can be).</p>
<p>Yep total non-recall. The Lazy Flamingo we visited is the smaller one closer to Captiva. BTW traffic last week was basically at a crawl on Periwinkle and there is construction on Summerlin to slow you down too.</p>
<p>My mother lived for twelve years at the other end of the Sanibel Causeway, so we went there regularly. BUT the last time my sister and I went, I was stung by a stingray. They don’t tell the “winter people” about the stingrays, because they’re not there in the winter–but starting in late spring, the stingrays come in to mate and give birth along the Sanibel coast. The day I got stung, five other tourists were stung at the same hotel.</p>
<p>Should you happen to get stung, you need to put the stung part in the hottest water you can stand for twenty minutes. (Just pretend you’re a lobster.) Should you think stingrays are not a big deal, I’ll just point out the venom is faster acting than cobra venom, and that I would compare the pain to that of childbirth. It does abate quickly once you do the hot water thing.</p>
<p>Well, we’re narrowing it down between staying at the Beachview Cottages or renting a condo maybe at the Sundial. Plusses and minuses in both cases, I guess. I remember jellyfish issues on the Atlantic coast; now I might have to deal with stingray issues?! I’m sure we all remember what happened to Steve Irwin.</p>
<p>Both Beachview and Sundial are great. The beach around Beachview is better and will have fewer people there but the cottages have an isolated feel to them (maybe that’s good). Sundial has more people and probably more of a resort feel to it but the beaches that way are not as good. I don’t think you can make a wrong decision.</p>
<p>Sundial! That’s where we were staying when the stingray got me. Just make sure you ask them if the stingrays are in… They didn’t post it until the next day.</p>
<p>I was at Sanibel in late Jan. I stayed at the Sanibel Inn this time, but on my previous visit I stayed in Sundial. Our condo was nice, but I liked the Sanibel Inn better. </p>
<p>We went to the Shell Museum this time and I enjoyed it. We had some issues with the nasty red grassy stuff on the beach, but it was blown away by the end of our stay by a huge storm that brought the tornadoes that swept across the state.</p>
<p>I just remembered we also stayed at the Sundial the first time we went to Sanibel. I couldn’t remember the name until I saw the previous post; I really am getting old!</p>