I am here to update my review of South Seas Resort because last week my family and I were able to…read morestay for the first time since 2022 and Hurricane Ian as resort guests. South Seas is a resort, but has many buildings that are privately owned which is how we originally began staying here via Air BNB. As a family, a trip to Captiva has been something my parents started doing when they were dating, and now it is a family tradition that is 3 decades strong. We have been keeping an eye on the progress of the island after the devastation from hurricane Ian and we were THRILLED to see the resort reopen and the island making strides to welcome folks back. Our family of 7 booked a 3 bedroom beach villa which had ocean views with a quick walk to the beach. The villa featured a master bedroom, guest bedroom with a twin bed and two bunk beds, and a loft with a queen size bed. It also had three bathrooms. There are a ton of options when it comes to room sizes and villas, but we like ocean view for the ease of going to the beach. We were in the 2600 building which is right at the entrance. The kitchen was brand new, and looked out at the living room and screened in balcony. For a group this size it is a comfortable space, and the kitchen makes it easy for you to not have to eat out every meal. I will say one piece of feedback would be to have a sheet pan and chef's knife as part of the appliances, in the past with our Air BNB there were definitely more kitchen utensils included - however I know that they are just getting back on their feet so it was totally fine. Now onto the pro reason you should stay as a resort guest - the amenities. We got to enjoy the pool with access to their restaurant and bar, as well as the shell city burger food truck on the sand. Service at every venue was amazing and everyone was so friendly. If you are not a resort guest, you cannot enjoy these amenities as the charges are directly to the room and they don't take cash/card. They currently have Red Fish Grill which is a restaurant but also poolside bar, Shell City Burgers which is a food truck, and Harborside which is a fancy steakhouse. It goes without saying vacation is all about ease and relaxation - so opting to dine on property when we didn't feel like cooking was awesome. I also enjoyed the resort gym - the equipment is phenomenal. It is also very clean. Overall, you should note that as of right now they are still working to rebuild. You should expect some construction as South Seas 2.0 is being worked on, but it is all for the best for something truly special. In the works is new hotel rooms, a water park, and a beachfront restaurant. I am so happy to see Captiva Island rebuilding and open for folks to enjoy. It is such a special and beautiful place. Thank you to South Seas for continuing to make our family vacations so special.

Rooms are very dated and in need of repair. Toilet did not flush properly, shower fixtures loose,…read moremoldy grout. Just after taking a shower, and walking across the wood floor, noticed bottom of my feet were black as I was putting my shoes on. Floors were filthy. I don't think the sliding glass door locked either. With the room fee and taxes and all the other "fees" room was close to $700. Outrageous for the quality. View was the back of the pool house. Not appealing.

Amazing resort with everything you need on property! Fine dining? Check. Casual pool bar? Check…read more Umbrella service? Check. Daily maid service? Check. Pizza parlor for late night eats? Check. Spa for relaxing? Check. We rented a golf cart for a couple of days to see some sights too far away for walking, but other than that, we didn't leave the property! No need to, when everything is right there! Everyone on staff was incredibly friendly. Room was nice & clean with a beautiful ocean view! The Captiva vibe is very low key, natural, and stress free. Loved this place - can't wait for a return visit!

Tween Waters was our first-ever resort experience, and it set the bar high. We flew down from North…read moreIdaho/Washington in search of warm weather, and this place delivered in every way. The guys at the marina were some of our favorite staff--so helpful and genuinely friendly. They pointed out birds, gave us great tips on who to talk to for fishing trips, and even showed us a small barracuda swimming right in the Tween Waters area, which was such a cool experience. We used the shuttle quite a bit, and it was always fantastic. We also took full advantage of the kayaks and bicycles and loved having so many amenities right on-site. Our room overlooked the Gulf, which meant absolutely stunning sunsets every evening. Anytime we needed anything, the staff was happy to help. We would absolutely recommend Tween Waters and are already excited to come back again!

Pro: the property is beachfront and the beach is amazing. It is steps from a very quiet part of the…read moreisland. We love the location. We stayed here twice before when the Jensen family owned the property. It was great and well cared for. Cons: We chose unit #3 but the pics on the website match unit #2. There was only had a handful of umbrellas and chairs (for 7 total units) and most broken. We ended up purchasing umbrellas and chairs. There was standing water in the laundry room and no working overhead light. The actual unit needs some updating. The dressers were missing knobs, the fridge door had no shelves, curtain rod fell off the wall which I opened the curtains, light socket in a bedroom lamp was hanging out and well as the electrical socket in the bedroom, a few dishes were broken (also there is no dishwasher in the unit and you get one dish towel, but for a $50 charge they will bring you more-seriously). The kitchen is so tiny and not functional. Do not plan to make a meal in that kitchen. For the price, I expected more cozy beach chic (as their website states). We would probably stay here again, but go in with much lower expectations about the actual condo.

We are traveling the coast and found this gem of a place last minute. Absolutely beautiful view of…read morethe Gulf. Screened in porches allow you to sit and listen to the waves with out being eaten up. The rooms/suites are very clean and have all you need for an overnight or a weeks stay. The grounds are clean and beautiful with tons of foliage that truly gives you a tropical paradise. The owners are the sweetest and like old friends from the moment you meet them. The booking agent was so sweet and very helpful and easy to communicate with. Great care is given to make sure you have all the information you need a head of time, even with a last minute booking. I have health issues and they had no problem with us staying a little longer for me deal with an unexpected issue. We will for sure be back. The island of Captiva is beautiful, quite and homey and a place we will visit again and we will for sure stay at Jensens on the Gulf.

Every time we vacation on Sanibel, we stop by Jensen's because it's the best place to see manatees!…read morePark in the parking lot, and head out to the pier to see if you can spot them... Every time we visit, we see them!

Easy to use online reservations for boat rentals. Good inventory, although I've never booked last…read moreminute, always got a boat. Friendly staff, very accommodating. Will definitely use again.

What a wonderful, dreamy stay at Coquina Cottage! 5 stars for the direct beachfront location,…read morebeautiful foliage, privacy, hot tub, & amazing SHELLS! My one and only suggestion to the owners would be investing in new mattresses. Other than that, perfection! Thank you so much for having my family and we can't wait to come back next year. Future guests- book an ecotour with New Wave Eco Charters! You won't regret it! We booked a half day tour and saw manatees, dolphins, a huge loggerhead sea turtle, an eagle ray leap out of the gulf, and even a black tip reef shark when we were snorkeling for shells. Highlight of our trip and I'm so happy we did it.

I stayed here for a girls weekend and had such a fabulous time! The place backs up onto a quiet…read morebeach that is full of wildlife. I saw multiple dolphins playing in the surf, fish in the bay, lots of shells for collecting and a bald eagle! The second floor balcony was just the right spot for a cocktail at the end of the day and the hammock in the back yard (aka the beach) was perfect for a midday nap. The decor was bright and cheerfully beach themed which helped us quickly get into a relaxed beachy mood (which was important since it was just a long weekend). Great spot, hope to be back soon!

This is something I've never had to do but due to the lack of response from their management, I'd…read morefigure I'd make this post public. But, sadly the roaches are more responsive than the management/staff. After 2 emails and no response. The location is phenomenal but the actual conditions of the "Gardenia Suite" were very poor. The bathroom had signs of mold and mildew, corners of the bathroom were deteriorated due to moisture and soft and plaster was falling. The actual shower had a mix of grout that had broken off and sand from a prior guest. Every morning, I'd be greeted with a roach in the common area/kitchen. I can understand being close to the beach and pests can be an issue but over a short weekend stay, it was about 5-6 roaches that I had to dispose of. Location was amazing but the actual inn was disappointing.

been staying here for a few years now. Usually twice a year. Love it. The staff is friendly. The…read morerestaurants (RC Otters, Key Lime Bistro) never dissapoint. Oh, and check out Sunshine seafood.

Best spot in the island. Quaint not fancy location location yeah. Been going there since 1975. Will…read morereturn soon.

When we come to Sanibel it's all about the beach, the shells and the view. This was our first visit…read moreto the Blue Dolphin, so we weren't sure what to expect. This was the best beach view (with a large picture window) that we've ever had! When we opened up the room it smelled great and super clean. It has an oven, refrigerator, coffee pot, microwave, pots and pans, silverware, cups, plates, wine glasses! We have always stayed at a place right down the road from here, but last year that cottage was so moldy it had centipedes and would gag you, so we had to branch out and find a new place. So glad we did!! We will never stay anywhere else.

We loved our stay in cottage #7. You're staying on the beach. Wake up, go out your front (back)…read moredoor and you're on the beach. That's paradise. Here are some tips mixed in with the review, if you are planning on staying at one of the cottages on the beach. The #7 cottage is at the end, closest to The Mad Hatter. This cottage is really cute. Everything looks fairly new - five years. The cottage was surface clean, if you don't look at the ceiling fan blades, vents, under the sink. Bring suction cup hooks to hold your clothes while you shower. There weren't any hooks in the bathrooms. The covered lanai had four chairs and two small end tables. It also has a clothes line set up (bring hangers of clothes pins) to help dry your bathing suits. Although the screen door was torn, there were barely any bugs in the lanai. We watched an incredible lightning storm one night. There's a bbq grill outside the lanai. You need to bring your own bbq briquettes, lighter, fluid, and bbq utensils, but then you can enjoy chargrilled hamburgers, hot dogs, bbq chicken.... There's also a picnic table outside your lanai, next to the bbq. Bring a sponge to wash dishes. It's not easy washing dishes with paper towels. This isn't as well stocked as a time share. However they have most of the basics. We weren't planning on cooking this weekend. Bringing premade meals, much easier. There's a toaster, blender, coffee machine with basket (not the cone type), microwave, electric range. No dishwasher. There is no table to eat at, there is a small island in the kitchen with stools. Bring water shoes if you have sensitive feet. There's a lot of small shells and the sand gets HOT during the summer afternoons. For just walking on the sand, Dollar Tree flip flops will protect you from the heat. There's no outdoor shower, not even a hose, to rinse off prior to going inside the cottage. Someone was kind enough to leave a plastic tub, that we filled with water and a bit of dish soap (maybe left by the owners or a previous renter?). That did help to at least wash off our feet before showering. With every precaution taken, sand will get in the cottage. There is no vacuum or mop. We were able to sweep most of the sand away, but I wish we brought our stick vacuum. The driveway is for one car only and it is tight (we have a Yukon)! Get friendly with your neighbors, because you need to share the entrance/exit to your parking spot and if they don't park exactly in their spot you'll need to ask them to move their car to either enter of leave. The entrance to all of the beach cottages is in the back of the house. The walkway is all sand. Keep that in mind when packing. Rolling luggage will get stuck, and if you roll anything you'll be bringing sand into the cottage. I called ahead and asked about beach towels, they said bring your own beach towels or you can use the bath towels. Although we never needed any beach towels. We usually stayed in the lanai looking at shells. until it was shower time. I hope they replace the mattresses soon. None of us slept well. Although if you spend all day in the water, you'll be too tired to notice. The air conditioning worked perfectly. Nice and cool. Especially when it was almost 100 degrees outside! Bring a couple of carabiners to attach your room key to your bathing suit or bag. If you need ice for your cooler, they have ice across the street (marina side). We brought our own beach chairs from home, but they have some you can borrow (leave a deposit and get it back when you return the chair). Bring itch cream, the sand fleas are ferocious in the evening. The sunsets are stunning. The town is only a 15 minute drive away. We weren't phased by having to drive to town, however our neighbors thought town would be in walking distance. Bring buckets or mesh bags for shell collecting. There were lots of pretty, small shells to choose from. We had an incredible stay in cottage #7.

I've been to better beaches…read more To start off, to even get on the Island they charge you $6. $6? Where is this money going to? It obviously isn't getting spent on upgrading the island. And by upgrading... I mean this next part. Half the island where all the shops are have phone data reception. The other half where you actually live, doesn't. Need to call 911? Good luck. You won't have any data. You will have to find a local Wi-Fi hotspot to get data. The WHOLE island is infested with noseeums. If you sleep in any house or cottage, you will get bitten by these tiny little bugs. It's annoying and ruined my stay. It's so horrible that businesses sell products to prevent them from biting you. The beaches are nice, but the water is dirty and murky. We stayed at a cottage across the street from the beach, it was a nice little walk. The cottages were decent with a flat-screen TV and Wi-Fi, but the outside shower didn't work and you have noseeums that come into the cottage at night. Most cottages have a little dock where you can park your boat, Jet-ski or kayak. Resort staff come in the morning to get your old towels and bring you new ones, and they take trash out of the bins. Another flaw of this cottage is that restaurants are 25 - 30 minutes away driving a max of 15 - 20 MPH. That's also the same distance to the local grocery store. They have everything you need on the island. If not, you have to across 3 bridges and pay $6 again to re-gain entry back on the island. Sanibel is a bit overrated, I heard people come here annually, but for me, it's not a place where I'll go again.