A Family Weekend at the Sanibel Island Beach Resort

Thank you to the Sanibel Island Beach Resort for providing a media rate for our stay.  All opinions are my own.

We recently spent a lovely family weekend at the Sanibel Island Beach Resort.  When selecting a hotel in Sanibel for our family of five, our main criteria was that we wanted to stay at a beach-front property with an updated pool area.  Sanibel Island Beach Resort definitely ticked those boxes.  We arrived on Friday afternoon and checked out Sunday morning.  We wished our weekend was longer (or didn’t include the Spring Forward time change that made us miss an hour of precious beach time) and would definitely return to the Sanibel Island Beach Resort.

Review of Sanibel Island Beach Resort Rooms

Our room was large and comfortable with old world Florida charm and a beachy-feel.  It included two queen-sized beds, a small table and chairs, a big flat-screen television, dual sinks, a mini refrigerator, a microwave and plenty of options to hang wet clothes.

We loved that our room was beach-front and overlooked the pool area.  Our proximity to the beach and pool was ideal.  Our goal was to spend as much time outdoors as possible during our weekend, and we really didn’t spend much time in the room itself other than showering and sleeping.

The toiletries were Tommy Bahama brand, and the shower had wonderful pressure and unlimited hot water.

Sanibel Island Beach Resort also featured a sink for guests to use specifically to wash shells, a business center and the Sandollar Kitchen & Bar.

Review of Sanibel Island Beach Resort Pool

Our family really enjoyed Sanibel Island Beach Resort’s pool area.  There were many inflatable rafts and rings, boogie boards and noodles for guests to enjoy.  The pool was large enough to accommodate at least 10-12 swimmers at one time comfortably.  The pool deck was updated with several different seating areas.  Even though the Resort was fully booked, we never had difficulty finding chairs.  The Tiki Bar was particularly popular with the Resort’s guests, and I enjoyed a Happy Hour rum runner while sitting on the edge of the pool.  Although we visited during Spring break time, the pool area was very relaxed and family-friendly with no college revelers.

Our daughter was really hoping to make a friend on our trip, and she hit the jackpot on Saturday morning when she met another 4.5 year old girl with long brown hair who just happened to have the same first name.  Our daughter has never met another little girl who shares her name, so this discovery was very exciting.  This little girl also happened to be super sweet and asked her dad to take her to the beach to find a shell for my daughter.  The two girls became fast friends.

Review of Sanibel Island Beach Resort Beach

The beach at the Sanibel Island Beach Resort was unquestionably the highlight of the property.  Our room had a beach view, and we reached the sand by taking a short walk down a path past the pool.  After we dropped off our bags in our room and changed into beach attire, we grabbed towels from the pool and headed straight to the beach.  The Resort provided comfortable lounge chairs for its guests, and even at full capacity, we never had an issue finding chairs for our family.  There were no umbrellas, but we were able to purchase one from the Resort’s gift shop for $19.99.  Considering we had to rent chairs and an umbrella for about that amount each day at the beaches in Clearwater and Treasure Island last year, we thought the cost was extremely reasonable.  As an added bonus, the umbrella folded down and fit in our car seat bag, so we were able to bring it home with us.  Our summer beach trips to Lake Erie are going to be so much more comfortable….

My shaded view of Sanibel Beach

Our kids really enjoy playing in the sand on the beach.  They put the two buckets and a shovel that we brought with us to heavy use, often working in the shade of our umbrella.  They built a sand castle that survived overnight.

The water temperature of the Gulf of Mexico was still pretty chilly in early March, but my husband and sons ventured into the water on Saturday morning in search of unique shells.  As part of the resort fee, the Sanibel Island Beach Resort provides guests with their own mesh shell bag upon check in.  This came in handy – at least until the weight of the shells made a hole.  My daughter and I preferred to relax in the shade, search for shells in the sand and just dip our toes into the water to fill our buckets.

We woke up early both Saturday and Sunday mornings to watch the sunrise over the Gulf.   Even my first view of the ocean definitely made the early morning wake up worthwhile.

The beach was quiet as the sun rose, but there were a few other shellers and walkers on the beach.  Sunrise over the Gulf was particularly stunning as the sky turned beautiful shades of orange and red.

No one asked to go back to bed as the sun rose into the sky.  We brought out granola bars, squeezable yogurt pouches and water bottles to eat breakfast on the beach.  It was the perfect place to sip my morning coffee.

My daughter met her new friend on the beach on Sunday morning, and the two girls discovered they also each had blue buckets and yellow shovels.  What else could possibly cement a new friendship between two girls who seemed destined to meet?  The two girls excitedly played in the sand together and decided to be pen pals before we each set off in separate directions for the day.  They have already sent each other some of the cutest notes through the mail.  I have to admit that it’s fun to use stamps for something other than Christmas cards and love that my daughter has a new understanding of how the mail works.

While Sanibel Island Beach Resort’s beach is a wonderful sunrise location, it isn’t ideal for viewing sunset.  The sky may turn brilliant shades at dusk, but the sunset itself is out of view from the south end of Sanibel Island.  On Saturday night, we headed to Blind Pass Beach, which is on the western end of Sanibel Island right next to the short bridge to Captiva Island.  Sunset at Blind Pass Beach was breathtakingly beautiful.

Sunset at Blind Pass Beach

Restaurants Near Sanibel Island Beach Resort

We did not eat at the Resort’s on site restaurants, Sandollar Kitchen & Bar or Tiki Bar, but we did have a number of great meals nearby.  Periwinkle Way is the main street through Sanibel and where all of the restaurants we dined at are located.  The fact that all the restaurants we chose had animal-themed names was completely coincidental.  Here are our Sanibel dining recommendations:

#1:  The Island Cow

We had dinner at the Island Cow on Friday night.  We heard this cute diner regularly seats 1,000 customers per day, and we believe it.  I think there is almost always a line for tables, and the Island Cow offers Adirondack chairs, corn hole and even a random skeleton to help pass the inevitable wait comfortably.  The hostess also handed us the extensive menu (including kids’ meals) upon our arrival so that we could make our selections before we were seated and expedite the service.

My husband and I ordered drinks from the bar while we were waiting to be seated.  The drinks were unfortunately not so great.  My strawberry daiquiri was not well mixed, and I wasn’t sure if there was actually any alcohol in it.  My husband’s drink was also sub par and almost offensively strong.  The festive atmosphere made up for the unappealing drinks, and we were seated much faster than we expected.

The interior décor at the Island Cow is a bright eclectic kitsch.  While knickknacks can be overwhelming, this collection was carefully curated, and we enjoyed looking at all the pictures and the cows on the walls and shelves throughout the restaurant.

Fish is a specialty at the Island Cow, and we all enjoyed our meals.  We ordered the alligator appetizer, which was breaded like chicken fingers and tasty.  Our oldest is always adventurous when it comes to trying local specialties and thought it tasted very similar to chicken.  Our youngest spent the rest of the weekend slightly worried that the alligators might somehow know that we ate one of their friends.

A live karaoke singer accompanied our dinner, and there seemed to be one birthday celebration after another in which the whole restaurant sang the birthday song to the special guest.  Over the course of these celebrations, my boys kept reminding us that the trip fell right between our sons’ birthdays and tried to claim birthday priority, mostly because of the large sundae that accompanied each celebration.  When our server came with our check, she overheard the conversation and brought out a sundae for the kids to share (no singing).

We heard great things about the Island Cow’s breakfast service and decided to come back on Sunday morning for a hearty brunch.  The mimosas on the menu were tempting, but after our experience with the drinks on Friday night, I stuck with coffee.  The Island Cow’s brunch definitely lived up to our expectations and was a favorite for all.

My breakfast burrito

#2:  The Blue Giraffe

On Saturday, we wanted a quick and tasty sit-down lunch.  We called ahead to the Blue Giraffe in Periwinkle Place Shopping Center to make sure that they could accommodate our family with no wait for a late lunch and were thrilled to walk right in and sit down at our table.

Blue Giraffe prominently features giraffe décor, but not all of the giraffes are blue!

Blue Giraffe features typical American fare and kids’ menus, and we all enjoyed our sandwiches and hot dogs.  My kids actually chose fruit over French fries as well.

Hot dog kids’ meal at the Blue Giraffe

#3:  MudBugs Cajun Kitchen

We had dinner on Saturday night at MudBugs Cajun Kitchen.  MudBugs just opened its Sanibel location in December 2018, and the airy, two-story building is exquisite with exposed bricks, outdoor patios and classic New Orleans architecture.  I noticed the Chihuly-style blown glass chandelier as soon as we walked in.  Later, my sons asked if it was a Chihuly, and knowing how expensive an original Chihuly might be suggested that it likely a “knockoff.”  Later, our server confirmed that the chandelier was an original Chihuly!  I wonder if the renovated building or the chandelier has a higher value.

MudBugs offers kids’ meals, but our three kids split an adult-sized jambalaya and gumbo.  My husband and I each enjoyed a superb cocktail.  We all loved our meals, and now I can’t wait for our next trip to New Orleans for more crawfish etoufee and hurricanes.

#4:  Pinocchio’s

As our last stop in Sanibel before heading to the airport, we enjoyed Pinocchio’s original Italian ice cream.  Pinocchio’s has been a Sanibel staple since 1980 and features bright green walls and endless options of ice cream and gelato.  My daughter remembered Pinocchio from our trip to Italy and greeted the large namesake as an old friend.  We enjoyed our sweet treat on the store’s large front patio before bidding farewell to our island weekend.

Planning a family trip to Florida?  Be sure to check out our entire category of blog posts on things to do and places to visit in Florida, including Sanibel.