Bowman's Beach was clean, clear and stunning! The water was a beautiful turquoise blue and the…read morepristine sand was as close to white as I had ever experienced. You could.see your feet in the water along with all the pretty shells. Highly recommend!

Bowman's Beach is a beautiful beach on the tip of Sanibel Island that's left greatly untouched by…read morehuman hand. You'll also definitely get your steps in here as the parking lot of property ~.5 miles to the actual beachfront & water, disclosing walking around to stake out a spot. The biggest reason to come here is for the shelling, which can be fortuitous during the right time of year and even the right area on the shoreline. Honestly, were it not for the shelling it probably wouldn't be a beach I'd come back to. It's nice, of course, but doesn't have that gorgeous cerulean water and ultra soft sand that some of the gulf coast beaches are known for. It does have a lot of amenities on the walk between the parking lot & beach shore, such as bathrooms & changing rooms, rinse stations, a picnic area, educational signs, and even a playground. You also have to pay for parking- and the lot has quite a lot of parking, but if you don't get there early enough on the wrong weekend it could still be tough to find a spot.

This Lighthouse literally weathered the storm during hurricane Ian that ravaged most of Sanibel…read moreIsland and nearby Fort Myers Beach. After it was repaired from the damage, it stands as a symbol to all of us that appreciate the history of Sanibel Island and its importance to the area.

So happy to revisit the Sanibel Island Beach Lighthouse and see the Lighthouse…read more Some of the surrounding areas around the base of the Lighthouse are still restricted due to hurricane Ian damage. The beach is well maintained and there is public parking available.

5 stars! For a semi-private beach escape on stunning "shelltastical" Sanibel Island!…read more Sanibel has gorgeous beaches as far as the eye can see, but with only a handful providing larger public parking lots, your beach reach as a local is quite limited. Primarily a vacationers and residential hot spot, you mainly have private and semi-private beach access throughout the island. This more exclusive access is a reason Sanibel has remained a relatively perfect piece of beach and bay paradise, that is clean, family-friendly, and host to high real estate values! However, all is not lost and there is a way as a local to enjoy some of this exclusive fun in the sun! If you buy an Annual Sanibel Beach Parking Permit for $90 (non-resident) or $12 (Sanibel resident), you have more than doubled your beach options. Sounds like a high price to pay, but if you are a regular Sanibel visitor, you will more than get your $'s worth. You get extra more exclusive beach access as well as not having to pay the incredibly high $4 per hour parking fees at the more public beach locations on the island -- I'm sold! The parking permit gives you access to A (residents) & B (non-residents) beaches, with most B beaches on the east end of the island. Nerita being one of them. They even have an Official Parking Zone Map that will show you the exact beach access points for your particular parking permit. Super helpful as its impossible to know what is private or not. The last thing you need to do when you are looking forward to some beach R&R is to park in someone's private property and risk a tow or a heavy fine! Only about 10 minutes from the causeway (which as you know is good, since traffic in high season can be a nightmare), Nerita is basically named as such for the street that it is on! Located between privately owned condos and the Sanibel Beach Club, with parking for maybe 10 cars max, you are pretty much guaranteed a crowd less beach sanctuary! You feel like you are on a tropical island as you walk across the lush and dense foliage walkway onto the beach. The beautiful clear blue water and almost fully white sand beaches run long and wide, connecting with other street beaches such as Donax, Fulgar, and Beach Road. Most of the people you will find on the beaches are vacationers and Sanibel residents (or non-residents such as myself with a special parking permit :), so once you post up, you are totally in for a low-key and tranquil beach day. Dog friendly, bike parking, a quick walk from the car, and the shelling is spectacular as well, for those shellthusiats out there! Yes, I know it's hard to believe, but shelling is not always fun and games and can get quite competitive at the more popular public beaches. But you won't be competing with the masses here thankfully, so shell away at your leisure! Be mindful, there are NO BATHROOMS here -- as always there is a compromise when you venture to the more exclusive spots. Also, since the parking is limited, there is always a chance you may not get a spot, but in my few visits I have never encountered that problem. I might regret bringing this beach beauty to light, but its all about sharing the local love, so enjoy this totally beachin' spot!

Recently visited this beach and it was awful. Stagnant water runoff in the parking lots which made…read morethe most unpleasant smell and the second we stepped onto the beach, we were legitimately covered with hundreds(no exaggeration!) of sand fleas. I would steer clear of it, much better options for a more enjoyable beach experience.

Southwest Florida is filled with hidden gems, one of them including Silver Key Preserve in Sanibel…read moreIsland Silver Key is a 64 acre preserve that was bought in 1994 by the city of Sanibel along with the Florida's Communities Trust Preservation 2000 Program. The preserve is home to: Variety of birds such as snowy plovers and least terns sea turtles and tortoises lizards snakes and the list goes on The pristine beaches and coastal scrub habitat has been preserved in order to maintain and protect endangered natural environments as well as animals of the Florida fauna. There are no facilities and no parking lots at Silver Key and if you want to explore the area, walking will be necessary but totally worth it. There are two different paths to choose from, either from Blind Pass Beach or Bowman's Beach. P.S. - For more info on Silver Key, please check out my blog for all the info you will need to know before visiting. https://www.jujugurgel.com/single-post/Silver-Key-Preserve-Sanibel-Island-Florida-beaches

Gulfside Beach is always our #1 pick on Sanibel Island. We like it because the parking lot and…read morerestrooms are very close to the beach itself. Plus, there are always lots of shells to search for. It is a fairly wide beach, but others on Sanibel are wider. Today, the sand and shells were packed down very hard. There is no way that you would walk around barefoot. The water in late March is still quite chilly, even so, there were a number of brave souls who enjoyed it. We also saw a fair amount of seaweed today. It was a special day as we saw between 5-10 dolphins playing for us. We love seeing the dolphins, pelicans and sea gulls. We had a nice three hours or so on the beach. When we left, there were quite a few cars waiting for a place to park. That's the only thing about this beach, there is limited parking.

We stayed at the Colony Inn for a week. It was approximately a 5 to 10 minute walk to this beach…read moredefinitely depending on your walking pace and how much your carrying to the beach, lol This location during the week days for us was quaint, quiet, private, and peaceful. But the weekends are crowded! People are jogging, shelling and camping. Music is intrusive. The entire shoreline is full of boats, people are snorkeling, floating and fishing. Overall, this beach is just as beautiful as any beach on Sanibel Island. Enjoy it wherever you go.

Beautiful. Just beautiful!!…read more Hubby and I spent a good day here on the beach walking and shelling. There were several people in the area, but not too crowded either. It was so beautiful here and everyone was so friendly. Very peaceful too!

This is my favorite Sanibel beach. Always lots of shells. Not too far if a walk from parking lot…read more Beautiful view, white sand and shells. Bathrooms by parking lot. Always a great day there!

What a beauty! This beach is divine and a hidden treasure in Southwest Florida! As a native…read moreFloridian, I'm mad I've been missing out all these years as this was my first visit. I've been driving farther south to experience a lot less. Sad. The views are picture perfect, the water is great, there's absolutely nowhere to park, but make it happen and prepare to get your entire life via beach day a la Captiva!

A true piece of heaven right here. We got there just in time to park and enjoy the beach. The water…read morewas simply beautiful. I only wish there were some sort of bathroom facilities besides port a John's.

A great beach on Sanibel Island. Come early (before 9) for an easier time parking. There are 3…read moredifferent gravel lots- not too many handicap spots available. The access to the beach is really nice- a lot of wooden walkways to make it easy if you have wheels/strollers/etc. Shelling is great, of course paying attention to the tides is most important. The sand is very soft and water fairly clear. Everyone does a good job at keeping the beach clean. There are a lot of areas protected to ensure regrow. The lighthouse is simple and beautiful- it has some history plaques around. There is also a pier on one end of the beach.

A must visit each trip. We always looks around but don't always get in the water. Like everywhere…read morein Sanibel we have seen a variety of sealife, shells and cool birds. We have seen dolphins, manatees, Ray's, starfish, sand dollars, osprey, ect. There is usually an osprey atop of the lighthouse. The parking here is limited and pay by the hour. Right now it's 5 dollars an hour. Sometimes the current here is SUPER strong. Usually it's fine.. the tide was up. Bathroom archive and free.

Does not feel like your typical FL beach. The locals take a lot of pride in their home and their…read moretown and beaches are fantastic. We had a great time exploring, shelling and just enjoying being in, on and by the water.

We had an extra day while in Naples and made the journey to Sanibel Island - wow what an amazing…read moreplace. After a tour of the island we stopped briefly to dip our toes in the ocean one more time and I can't wait to come back to check our more of this magical place!

This is the good place to see sunset at evening in Sanibel Island (not include Captiva). The pass…read morehas fast moving tide. Many people fishing on the bridge. It is popular place for fishing due the pass is a bottleneck of the inner bay and the ocean. The beach has beautiful sand. During sunshine day, is look like emerald and blue water. It great place on the beach if you away from the pass. It is good place for the sea shell. The sun make you sleepy with blow of slight wind.

Blind Pass is the beach name, but could also describe how easily on could simply drive past this…read moresmall beach and never pay it much mind, and it would be fair to do that. I can tell since Hurricane Milton how hard this beach was destroyed which is devastating. But i'm not entirely sure it was a ton nicer even prior. One of the parking lots did get wiped out, so now the amount of parking available is awful, maybe 10-12 spots so if you don't get there quite early good luck getting a spot. And once you park, to get to the actual shoreline you have to walk up and around the giant valley/ pond just beyond the parking lot- lots of decay and damage still there, not sure if they're looking to fix it or not. We also love coming to Sanibel for shelling, and you could find some decent shells along Blind Pass here and there, but pretty underwhelming. There's plenty of other beaches stretching the island with more opportunity, better parking and overall much easier access.