Beach time in Southwest Florida
A good friend of mine recently moved to Southwest Florida, so a group of girlfriends and I took a trip there to visit her. We had a great time walking along the beaches and exploring the area.
The Airbnb where we stayed in Naples was only a mile from Vanderbilt Beach, so we were able to walk over and enjoy a nice day there.
The beach is nice and wide to walk along and there were lots of seashells. Gumbo Limbo in front of the Ritz-Carlton is a good place to grab a drink with views of the ocean or to watch the sunset.
Another place with great beaches and shelling is Marco Island. We went to the beach in front of the Hilton Marco Island and there were tons of seashells.
The beach was nice and calm and great for relaxing. We were there in February, so it was too cold for swimming but just right to walk along the water and soak up the sun.
We had a lovely day enjoying each others’ company and watching the sun go down over the water.
For sunset, we headed up to the Deck at 560 for some drinks and appetizers. We were treated to beautiful views of the Gulf of Mexico to end our day on Marco Island.
For more fun in the sun, head to Sanibel Island, just a short drive from Fort Myers Beach.
We stopped at Lighthouse Beach Park, which is on Sanibel Island’s southern tip. It’s another great beach for relaxing, shelling and enjoying the sunshine.
The historic lighthouse on Sanibel Island was built in 1884 and is an iconic landmark.
After you’ve worked up an appetite at the beach, check out Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille, which has waterfront dining in Fort Myers Beach.
They have tons of drinks to choose from and I enjoyed this yummy macadamia nut crusted grouper with a coconut rum sauce.
Another fun place to check out is Parrot Key Caribbean Grill in Fort Myers. There are lots of photo ops like this pirate ship.
We grabbed some Key lime coladas before heading out on a sunset cruise.
Our sunset cruise with Sight Sea-R Cruises took us from Matanzas Pass, past Fort Myers Beach and out into the gulf.
We saw quite a few dolphins playing and watched the sunset over the Sanibel Island Lighthouse on the 90-minute excursion. The dolphins were definitely the highlight for me!
After the cruise, we enjoyed dinner outside on the water at Nervous Nellie’s. It was a fun setting and they often have live music. Another place on the water is Doc’s Beach House on Bonita Beach.
For a fine dining experience, head to Angelina’s Ristorante in Bonita Springs. The black grouper piccata and butternut squash ravioli were excellent.
For some after dinner fun, try your hand at one of the area’s mini golf courses. Smugglers Cove has a fun pirate theme and an area with alligators. Popstroke is also a very popular mini golf course in Fort Myers.
What are your favorite beaches and activities in the Naples/Fort Myers area?
