I’m a Midwestern expatriate living in Florida.  My husband and I relocated to the Florida Gulf Coast over 15 years ago and I cannot imagine living anywhere else. As adopted Floridians, many of our out of state friends ask us for our recommendations for where to stay in the Sunshine State.  Over the years we have stayed in many many amazing hotels, condos and resorts but we consistently come back to the same three places.

PALM ISLAND BEACH RESORT – CAPE HAZE

Palm Island is hands down our family’s favorite place to stay.  The resort is located between Sarasota and Fort Myers and we have been during the summer and during  the high season in the Spring and it never fails to disappoint.  The cool thing about Palm Island is no cars are allowed on the resort and its reachable only by ferry.  The ferry is hands down my kids’ favorite thing about Palm Island.  Once you arrive on the island you can park in the resort’s parking lot and resort golf carts will ferry you to check in and to your condo.  They even help load and unload all of your gear.  You can rent a golf cart for the week – which we always do because sunset golf cart rides are the best thing in the world – but the island itself is very very walkable so it is not necessary.  The condos are 1-3 bedroom and have full kitchens and living areas along with screened balconies.  There are also several houses to rent if you are bringing a large party. The resort has a restaurant, ice cream shop and pizza delivery.  The ferry is also free to take back over to the mainland if you want to head out for dinner.  We like Beach Road Bistro for seafood and Ricaltinis for live music and a great kids’ menu. Because the beach itself is so private there are always amazing shells everywhere for the collecting and we always fill a full mason jar with shark teeth every time we go.

OCEAN’S REACH – SANIBEL

Ocean’s Reach is a condo resort located on Sanibel Island south of Fort Myers.  Sanibel is also a great place to go if you are looking to get away from crowded beaches and rowdy spring break crowds. Ocean’s Reach is the perfect place to hunt for seashells as Sanibel is famous for its shelling.  Sanibel is also home to the J.N. Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge which has trails to explore and is full of beautiful water birds and shore birds, marsh rabbits and bobcats.  If you’re lucky you might even spot an alligator! There are also many fun restaurants and shops to explore.  You can rent a bike and wander around the island when you’re ready for a break from the beach.  Make sure you check out Doc Ford’s Rum Bar and Grille for dinner one night – it’s based on the Doc Ford mystery books set in the Gulf Coast of Florida.  For a fun adventure out, head over to neighboring Captiva Island and check out the always fun and cool Bubble Room for a funky dinner and/or dessert!

THE GULLWING RESORT – FORT MYERS BEACH

The Gullwing is slightly different from the other two resorts as it is a high rise tower of condos as opposed to the lower 2 and 3 story condo options at Palm Island and Ocean’s Reach.  However, my kids have always loved riding the elevators at The Gullwing for some reason! And parking is located under the building which keeps your car nice and cool.  The Gullwing condos are very nicely appointed with mammoth master suites and beautifully appointed kitchens with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances.  The Gullwing is located in Fort Myers which gives you access to the more spring break type surf shops and fun seafood restaurants.  You are also very close to Sanibel and Captiva which makes for a fun day trip to the quieter areas of those islands.  We love the Gullwing so much we even weathered a tropical storm on a vacation there once.  No need to cancel for a little ol storm!  It was fun flying kites in the after storm winds and exploring the beach to see what the storm stirred up.  The Gullwing is also a great option for large groups as there are plenty of accommodations to handle a large family group or a group of friends traveling together.