January 10, 2010 | Solo Adventures

As you recall, last October I ventured down to Sanibel Island for a solo, mid-week getaway. In addition to a kayaking trip, walking the beach and soaking in the pool of the Holiday Inn Sanibel Island Beach Resort, I spent a good portion of the getaway eating my way through the island and everywhere I ate was gooood.

Here’s an article I wrote listing four places to eat on Sanibel Island (with one being on nearby Captiva Island) but by far, my fave was The Bubble Room on Captiva Island. What a trip! (more…)

November 8, 2009 | Solo Adventures

“Well, you have the kayaks until 5 o’clock …to get out of here turn left at the exit…have fun!” These were the departing words of Lewis, a guide with Tarpon Bay Explorers as he paddled away leaving our small group somewhere in the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge.  That somewhere was the end of the Commodore Creek Canoe Trail which is Mother Nature’s version of a watery cul-de-sac surrounded by crawling mangrove trees yet sans houses with basketball hoops and other tokens of civilization. The Commodore Creek Trail is a 2.5 mile non-loop and it was only 10:30 a.m. (more…)

October 17, 2009 | Solo with Others

“Head to Jerry’s and in aisle six you’ll find the repellent.”

The front desk clerk of the Holiday Inn Beach Resort, Sanibel Island, Fla., did precede this with, “Welcome” but followed the salutation with, “You’re from Florida, you know about no-see-ums.”

Um, yes, I live in Florida but didn’t think I needed to worry about biting insects once I left the Everglades almost a decade ago.

I checked in around 6:45 p.m. just as the sun was setting and the mosquitoes and no-see-ums (tiny beasts related the gnat and carry an itchy bite) were ready to feast. The hotel map showing where my room was located had a Sanibel Island map on the back and the front desk clerk wrote out directions to Jerry’s and gave me an FAQ sheet about mosquitoes and no-see-ums. (Bottom line, pest control is kept to a minimum for the environmental protection of Sanibel Island.)

Sunset on Sanibel Island, Florida

Before heading to Jerry’s, a local grocery store, I unloaded the car and luckily found my Everglades repellent with 22% DEET which meant, no trip to Jerry’s (at least not that night). After a spray down it was off to the beach to do what every other tourist was doing: watching the sunset, engaging in the Sanibel Stoop (the act of gathering shells in a bent over position) and swatting bugs.

Dinner followed at the Mermaid Restaurant & Bar (Tel: 239/472-1242, 2055 Periwinkle Way; formerly the Mermaid’s Kitchen & Cake Factory) and driving in what seemed like congested traffic along Periwinkle Way, I questioned my choice of Sanibel Island for a quick getaway to decompress. My doubts diminished upon arriving at the Mermaid and being the solo diner, at least for the first half-hour or so. While I felt bad for the restaurant since empty seats anywhere isn’t a good thing, I reveled at being the only patron and the serenity.

Mermaid Restaurant & Bar, Sanibel Island, Florida

From that point, I did my best to disconnect from the world – poor Internet service helped with that – and tried to decompress, which completely happen on the third and final day, but that’s for another time.

Planning a Sanibel vacation? Check out “Budget Travel Tips for Bird-watchers to Sanibel Island.”