Okay its not exactly a sailing question, but I hope to do some at Captiva. My family is considering a winter vacation to Captiva and we would appreciate any comments from readers that have stayed there (South Seas Resort) . I'd like to do the sailboat rental and the kids ( 13-14) want to do snorkeling, sunfish sailing, meet the manatees etc. I know Offshore Sailing school is there and the Mrs. is a "graduate". So maybe we could obtain a rental. We'd appraciate comments and advice on where to stay, things to do and such. Also what to avoid. Thanks in advance, Jim McCue S/V SafeHarbor jamestmccue@worldnet.att.net
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captiva
captiva island is a wonderful spot, and south seas plantation is a premier resort...a less expensive place would be tween waters resort...you should be aware that in jan/early feb there will be a 50/50 chance of uncomfortably cold weather for sailing, particularly with the cold winter we all are having in the east
captiva island is a wonderful spot, and south seas plantation is a premier resort...a less expensive place would be tween waters resort...you should be aware that in jan/early feb there will be a 50/50 chance of uncomfortably cold weather for sailing, particularly with the cold winter we all are having in the east
Been to South Seas, loved it
Try to get a ground floor beach "cottage" (half the lower floor of a 4 condo unit). Just about everything has a balcony or a screened porch that overlooks the Gulf, but the ground floor of the beach cottages are the only ones that let you walk straight off the porch and onto the beach, which sure beats having to schlep all the towels, beach chairs and float toys out the front door, down a hall or down stairs...and great for the kids 'cuz they can play in the sand while you sit on the porch over a drink and watch the absolutely spectacular sunset. The water is VERY shallow around Captiva...and every storm shifts the bottom...so you may find that a skiff is a better choice for boating than a sailboat if you don't know the waters. The restaurants at South Seas are ok...but there are better ones--that are less expensive too--outside the plantation. Don't miss the Bubble Room...the food is excellent, but it's the decor that makes the place. If you've never eaten fresh stone crab, you're in a for treat...'cuz winter is when it's in season. Order it cold, never hot...only tourists who don't know any better order it hot. They can only take one arm off the crab and have to throw the crab back...that arm has to be cooked immediately on the boat, then chilled...which means that restaurants have to re-heat it to serve it hot, and it isn't nearly as good. South Seas is a first class resort, but very relaxed and casual compared to others...for instance Longboat Key Club. You'll like it.
Try to get a ground floor beach "cottage" (half the lower floor of a 4 condo unit). Just about everything has a balcony or a screened porch that overlooks the Gulf, but the ground floor of the beach cottages are the only ones that let you walk straight off the porch and onto the beach, which sure beats having to schlep all the towels, beach chairs and float toys out the front door, down a hall or down stairs...and great for the kids 'cuz they can play in the sand while you sit on the porch over a drink and watch the absolutely spectacular sunset. The water is VERY shallow around Captiva...and every storm shifts the bottom...so you may find that a skiff is a better choice for boating than a sailboat if you don't know the waters. The restaurants at South Seas are ok...but there are better ones--that are less expensive too--outside the plantation. Don't miss the Bubble Room...the food is excellent, but it's the decor that makes the place. If you've never eaten fresh stone crab, you're in a for treat...'cuz winter is when it's in season. Order it cold, never hot...only tourists who don't know any better order it hot. They can only take one arm off the crab and have to throw the crab back...that arm has to be cooked immediately on the boat, then chilled...which means that restaurants have to re-heat it to serve it hot, and it isn't nearly as good. South Seas is a first class resort, but very relaxed and casual compared to others...for instance Longboat Key Club. You'll like it.
Bubble Room
Ditto's on Peggie's recomendation on the Bubble Room it is well worth a visit. You'll be on one the premier shelling beaches in the country, too! Lots of places to charter in the area.
Ditto's on Peggie's recomendation on the Bubble Room it is well worth a visit. You'll be on one the premier shelling beaches in the country, too! Lots of places to charter in the area.
dodnt forget venice beach
dont forget to go to the local area of venice beach while you are in the area. its great for a picnic take a screen or just comb the black beach and pick up tons of shark teeth. a real treat for the kids and adults. we work in the mental health field up north and give them to our children clients as an incentive . works like a charm. enjoy your time down there . mg
dont forget to go to the local area of venice beach while you are in the area. its great for a picnic take a screen or just comb the black beach and pick up tons of shark teeth. a real treat for the kids and adults. we work in the mental health field up north and give them to our children clients as an incentive . works like a charm. enjoy your time down there . mg
Double ditto on South Seas and the Bubble Room
Jim, My folks from NY had a time share at South Seas. The family loved (and shared)it! The only time I went was when I was 20 and living in Miami. Met the folks there, even though I had to travel across Fla. in the midst of a hurricane warning/or just after a hurricane (I forget)......the beach was almost washed away, and there was some damage....but still had a fun time at the Bubble Room (it survived the cane's damage) and at South Seas! Enjoy! BTW- Good timing to go there outside of the late summer hurricane season! Lisa
Jim, My folks from NY had a time share at South Seas. The family loved (and shared)it! The only time I went was when I was 20 and living in Miami. Met the folks there, even though I had to travel across Fla. in the midst of a hurricane warning/or just after a hurricane (I forget)......the beach was almost washed away, and there was some damage....but still had a fun time at the Bubble Room (it survived the cane's damage) and at South Seas! Enjoy! BTW- Good timing to go there outside of the late summer hurricane season! Lisa
Been there, it's great
I owned a time share there before we had kids at the South Seas Club right on the golf course. Everything there is four star including the costs! By the marina is a great outside cafe' where you have to try the Willard Scott burger. Its' the best burger in the world name after the NBC weather man who lives at South Seas when he can. The marina is great though gastly expensive (read lots of powerboater yachts not cruisers), the beachs are great for shell collecting, not really a snorkeling area unless you boat somewhere else. All the restaurants are great, the groceries expensive (read bring stuff from Fort Meyers) They have kids programs that are great! Golf is adequate. Colgate's run a learn to sail school there on Colgate 26's. All in all a marvelous place to go and relax. You'll lose lots of weight too while there, unfortunately it's in your wallet
))))) Bob Knott H380 s/v Serenity
I owned a time share there before we had kids at the South Seas Club right on the golf course. Everything there is four star including the costs! By the marina is a great outside cafe' where you have to try the Willard Scott burger. Its' the best burger in the world name after the NBC weather man who lives at South Seas when he can. The marina is great though gastly expensive (read lots of powerboater yachts not cruisers), the beachs are great for shell collecting, not really a snorkeling area unless you boat somewhere else. All the restaurants are great, the groceries expensive (read bring stuff from Fort Meyers) They have kids programs that are great! Golf is adequate. Colgate's run a learn to sail school there on Colgate 26's. All in all a marvelous place to go and relax. You'll lose lots of weight too while there, unfortunately it's in your wallet
))))) Bob Knott H380 s/v SerenityDon't forget Crab Cay.....
There's a very cool restaurant and bar there that's under a huge banyon tree... ...but that was 15 years ago... Anyway we made a powerboat trip down the West Coast of Florida, on our way to the keys and stopped at South Seas Plantation. The place was so cool we stayed for a week, never made it to the keys. I know Captiva has been built up more since then, but there are many islands and cays to explore. Rent a powered runabout one day just to get around to the other places. There were deserted beaches on the islands north of captiva that invited uninhibited exploration. Yes, the BubbleRoom was happening, glad to hear is still is. The diving was terrible when I was there because storms had churned up the sandy bottom. Another problem are the infamous "no seeums". Tiny biting gnats that shouldn't be a problem in the winter. Definitely go!!
There's a very cool restaurant and bar there that's under a huge banyon tree... ...but that was 15 years ago... Anyway we made a powerboat trip down the West Coast of Florida, on our way to the keys and stopped at South Seas Plantation. The place was so cool we stayed for a week, never made it to the keys. I know Captiva has been built up more since then, but there are many islands and cays to explore. Rent a powered runabout one day just to get around to the other places. There were deserted beaches on the islands north of captiva that invited uninhibited exploration. Yes, the BubbleRoom was happening, glad to hear is still is. The diving was terrible when I was there because storms had churned up the sandy bottom. Another problem are the infamous "no seeums". Tiny biting gnats that shouldn't be a problem in the winter. Definitely go!!
The original Cheesebuger in Paradise
If you rent a skiff, you have to go to Cabbage Key. Located just before you enter Charlott Harbor, it is Florida of the 1920's. It is accessible only by boat and rumor has it that the cheesburger at the lodge was the inspiration for the song. Whether that is true or not, it is a great burger and a truely unique place. Enjoy, PM
If you rent a skiff, you have to go to Cabbage Key. Located just before you enter Charlott Harbor, it is Florida of the 1920's. It is accessible only by boat and rumor has it that the cheesburger at the lodge was the inspiration for the song. Whether that is true or not, it is a great burger and a truely unique place. Enjoy, PM
Cheeseburger in Paradise
I could be completely wrong but I thought the inspiration for the song came from the fact that when Dodge Morgan completed his single handed record setting sail around the world in American Promise the first thing he asked for when he returned to port was a cheeseburger. When Dodge first left he had to stop in Bermuda for some repair and I think he returned there. His boat was subsequently donated to the Naval Academy who proceeded to wreck it and sink it. If anyone else out there has a different recollection please correct me. dave
I could be completely wrong but I thought the inspiration for the song came from the fact that when Dodge Morgan completed his single handed record setting sail around the world in American Promise the first thing he asked for when he returned to port was a cheeseburger. When Dodge first left he had to stop in Bermuda for some repair and I think he returned there. His boat was subsequently donated to the Naval Academy who proceeded to wreck it and sink it. If anyone else out there has a different recollection please correct me. dave
Thanks to all for Captiva input
Appears South Seas on Captiva is fully booked for the "reasonably" priced rooms. Thanks Bob for directing me to Tween which seems to have more flexibility, pricing and kid programs. Probably will end up there. Peggy- having sailed Barnegat Bay for a decade or more I'm used to shoally areas..but Thanks for the warning. I'm looking forward to those cheeseburges with a cold side order of "one armed" stone crabs. Guess I should think of bringing some eats from Ft. Meyers and get an efficiency w/kitchen too. Thanks to all Jim McCue
Appears South Seas on Captiva is fully booked for the "reasonably" priced rooms. Thanks Bob for directing me to Tween which seems to have more flexibility, pricing and kid programs. Probably will end up there. Peggy- having sailed Barnegat Bay for a decade or more I'm used to shoally areas..but Thanks for the warning. I'm looking forward to those cheeseburges with a cold side order of "one armed" stone crabs. Guess I should think of bringing some eats from Ft. Meyers and get an efficiency w/kitchen too. Thanks to all Jim McCue
Uh..Jim--you don't get one-armed stone crabs..
In fact you don't get the crab at all, only one arm and claw. Stone crab is only in season from the middle of October through the middle of March, and one arm is all that can legally be harvested...the crab has to be thrown back. Crabs regenerate missing parts, so the arm grows back...and meanwhile it still has the other one to defend itself and catch its own dinner. Stone crabs only grow in the Gulf--and only in certain latitudes, so there's a limited number of 'em. If they let 'em take the whole crab, they'd have been extinct long ago...this way there's an endless supply. The meat is sweeter than lobster...my favorite shellfish. You can find 'em frozen in other parts of the country sometimes, but stone crab loses most of its flavor when frozen and the texture changes. It's easy to tell whether it has been or not--when fresh, the the shells are hard but crackable, and the meat just slides right out. If it's been frozen, it would be easier to crack stainless steel, and the meat has "welded" itself to the inside of the shell. But you don't have to worry about that in FL during the winter...any restaurant that has 'em on the menu will only have fresh ones.
In fact you don't get the crab at all, only one arm and claw. Stone crab is only in season from the middle of October through the middle of March, and one arm is all that can legally be harvested...the crab has to be thrown back. Crabs regenerate missing parts, so the arm grows back...and meanwhile it still has the other one to defend itself and catch its own dinner. Stone crabs only grow in the Gulf--and only in certain latitudes, so there's a limited number of 'em. If they let 'em take the whole crab, they'd have been extinct long ago...this way there's an endless supply. The meat is sweeter than lobster...my favorite shellfish. You can find 'em frozen in other parts of the country sometimes, but stone crab loses most of its flavor when frozen and the texture changes. It's easy to tell whether it has been or not--when fresh, the the shells are hard but crackable, and the meat just slides right out. If it's been frozen, it would be easier to crack stainless steel, and the meat has "welded" itself to the inside of the shell. But you don't have to worry about that in FL during the winter...any restaurant that has 'em on the menu will only have fresh ones.
Captiva, Florida
We've been to South Seas dozens of times, owned a timeshare--great place, had great sailing and LOTS to do for kids, great beaches--and shelling. We used to hang at "The MUCKY DUCK", but think it finally washed away. Always ate at Bubble Room--a little joint that was on the Bay before you get to South Seas, and also liked "Tween Waters" for dinner. Hope you have a great trip, we also took small power boat and visited some of the deserted islands and lunch at Cabbage Key--very informal, can only get there by boat. Good luck,
We've been to South Seas dozens of times, owned a timeshare--great place, had great sailing and LOTS to do for kids, great beaches--and shelling. We used to hang at "The MUCKY DUCK", but think it finally washed away. Always ate at Bubble Room--a little joint that was on the Bay before you get to South Seas, and also liked "Tween Waters" for dinner. Hope you have a great trip, we also took small power boat and visited some of the deserted islands and lunch at Cabbage Key--very informal, can only get there by boat. Good luck,
Cabbage Key
Cabbage Key was at one time the personal residence of mystery writer Mary Roberts Rhinehart. I was told that it was the inspiration for Jimmie's song "Cheeseburger in Paradise" but that might be a "George Washington slept here" kind of thing. At any rate, the burgers are great and the beer is cold, and don't forget to write your name on a dollar bill and staple it to the wall, right next to mine!
Cabbage Key was at one time the personal residence of mystery writer Mary Roberts Rhinehart. I was told that it was the inspiration for Jimmie's song "Cheeseburger in Paradise" but that might be a "George Washington slept here" kind of thing. At any rate, the burgers are great and the beer is cold, and don't forget to write your name on a dollar bill and staple it to the wall, right next to mine!
Okay we're goin to S.Seas!
Peggie I was pullin your leg about the "one-armed" Crabs ;> . Steve O. - I'll look for your $buck$ on the wall! I'm burnin my ol' LP to CD -Son of Son of a Sailer before we go. Also thought to bring my handheld Uniden marine band and see if I can broadcast a trade - buying lunch/dinner... for a day crewing on somebody's boat. Hope I find a taker. Bubble Room and Cabbage Key, here I come. Thanks everybody J. McCue s/v SafeHarbor
Peggie I was pullin your leg about the "one-armed" Crabs ;> . Steve O. - I'll look for your $buck$ on the wall! I'm burnin my ol' LP to CD -Son of Son of a Sailer before we go. Also thought to bring my handheld Uniden marine band and see if I can broadcast a trade - buying lunch/dinner... for a day crewing on somebody's boat. Hope I find a taker. Bubble Room and Cabbage Key, here I come. Thanks everybody J. McCue s/v SafeHarbor
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