Leave the high-rise mentality. Accommodations on Captiva Island includes cottage-style resorts, private home rentals, bed and breakfasts and small inns.
Decide how hot you like it. Captiva Island is one of the warmest year-round destinations in the United States. Winter temperatures are in the upper 70s and rise into the 80s in the early spring. Summer brings the 90-degree heat. The average Gulf of Mexico water temperature, at its lowest, is 65 degrees in January.
Think about forgoing a rental car, unless you plan to tour around the area. A week on the island is fun and easy with just a bike or golf cart rental. However, isits to nearby Sanibel Island, Fort Myers and other attractions are easier with a car.
Pack or rent fishing gear, and bring along a shell identification guide. Captiva Island is famous for both fishing and shells.
Choose the Fort Myers airport as your destination when booking flights. However, from some northern locales there are only flights to Fort Myers in the winter. Tampa is an alternative, and you may get a better flight deal at this more active airport. Just prepare yourself for a drive as long as 2 hours to Captiva Island.
Enjoy recreation. In addition to fishing and shelling, there is golf, tennis, bike riding and kayaking. Go on a dolphin watch cruise, visit the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum or spend days watching birds and other wildlife in the J.S. "Ding" Darling Wildlife Refuge.
