Explore the Secrets of Sanibel Island, Florida
Those who visit or live on Sanibel Island quickly find a home for their heart.
To visit Sanibel is to know the spirit of the island, and describing to others who have never been here can be difficult.
Sanibel is, well, simply Sanibel.
A name that describes not only a place, but an experience and an emotional state of being.
Sanibel is both quaint and luxurious, possessing little island shops and picturesque homes that have been on the island for decades, as well as miles of subtle beaches that one might believe have sat untouched since the island’s formation.
Yet the island has a rich history of native settlers and explorers, merchants and, once, even a military presence – all of which have left their fingerprints on the island, although you might not notice them without someone to point them out. Sanibel’s lack of pretentiousness immediately envelops you in a sense of peace and relaxation, yet with one glance you can appreciate the extreme wealth of natural beauty and wildlife permeating every corner of the island, and you know it would have been the ultimate prize for any king or conqueror.
No other place in the world can offer so many new ways to steal your breath away, yet be so immediately welcoming and familiar – even to island newcomers. Visitors find that Sanibel feels like home the moment you set foot on her. She is as disarming as a childhood memory, and refreshes your spirit.
No other place in the world offers a visit from a dolphin while your children play in her immaculate waters, an opportunity to happen upon a sea turtle crossing, the bobbing of a manatee in the waters along a hiking trail, or the thrill of seashells tossed upon the beaches like lost pirate treasure. And when it is time to leave, no other place in the world offers the comforting knowledge that she will faithfully remain just as she is until you return to see her again.
Unlike what many vacation destinations promise in their
brochures but rarely deliver, Sanibel is a tropical playland that
doesn’t
exhaust you while trying to find experiences like these. A visit here
doesn’t
require you to create a vacation experience - Sanibel is the
experience.
She effortlessly offers up her wonders to anyone who walks her shores
or swims
in her waters. No place in the world is like Sanibel.
Only on Sanibel can you wake to a leisurely walk on the beach amid shells of all shapes and sizes, dig your toes into the powdery silkiness of clean white sand, picnic with your family or shop quaint stores filled with amazing local art, take in a play, experience the finest seafood prepared in all ways imaginable, or enjoy an island band while strolling on the beach at sunset. And everything, everything can be done wearing shorts and tees - and maybe some leftover tanning lotion in your hair.
Our family has been blessed to be residents of Sanibel for 30 years.