We did a week in the parks. "The parks" being the collection of of fun parks run by Disney, Universal Studios and a host of other opportunistic organisations that have gathered together in a thousand hectares of what was previously swampy Florida to create a money making machine the likes the world has never seen. They call them fun parks but in reality they are 'cash extraction systems'. The fun element is a distinct second to the primary directive which is to lift as much money off you as possible. I can't remain too po faced about it, the kids loved it, especially Universal and the water parks and it makes me happy when they are happy.
So after a week we were done with queueing and being wowed by rides and trying to avoid purchasing Harry Potter wands at $40 each plus tax (i know) and eating churros and the furious rate that twenty dollar bills fly from your wallet and headed over to the West coast of Florida for some R&R.
From Orlando it was an easy 3 and a half hour trip South down the 75 motorway to Fort Myers, then you chuck a right hand turn over the toll bridge and you're suddenly in paradise and the shackles of modern living are thrown off as the speed limit drops and you get a sense that everything's going to be OK. I looked over at my wife who had been to Sanibel as a child and we smiled together at our good fortune - it felt like an episode of Happy Days. There's no traffic lights so when it's busy (ie, more than 10 cars) a cop stands at the big island intersection and directs the traffic old school style. We'd found Casa Ybel on Tripadvisor and it was clearly one of the best places on the Island so we booked in.
We arrived at 2.30 and our room wasn't ready (3pm people!), so we did what any self respecting brit would do and dug the childrens swimming gear from the boot of the hire car and then repaired to the bar to check out the margaritas. When booking I'd misread our flight going back and we actually had an extra day in Florida. The manager on reception couldn't have been more accommodating and managed to switch us around to another apartment so we could extend our stay without moving. Whilst all this was going on Katharine continued to test the margaritas and her findings were positive.
We stayed in 216 which is in the central block behind reception and not too far from the pool or the beach. A great spot in my opinion as I don't want to be too far from the pool when I'm on holiday. I mean life's hard enough without having to walk many tens of feet to a pool in the searing tropical heat with that sort of lazy draggy flip flop shuffle we curiously adopt when we arrive in a hot foreign country. We had a two bedroom suite which had a kitchen diner downstairs and a balcony and two large bedrooms upstairs. It had a vast telly in the seating area so the kids could watch Real Housewives of LA for hours on end whilst paradise slipped quietly by outside. The suite was immaculate, modern and comfortable. The airconditioning is very effective and reminded me of Februarys in Stratford upon Avon. We did contemplate buying some jumpers from the outlet mall over in F Myers to prevent hypothermia but instead opted to turn it down.
Once checked into the apartment we unpacked and went for a walk. The units all face the sea and we were a very short stroll straight onto the beautiful beach. Sanibel is well known for its white sandy shell strewn beaches and they aren't packed with people even in the height of summer. The sea was warm and inviting as you'd expect from the Gulf of Mexico. It hasn't got that crystal clear turquoise thing going on that the Caribbean has but, hey, you can't have it all. Within minutes a turtle drifted by and a few days later Henry almost swam into a basking Manitee, which is sort of like a cross between a cow and a walrus (not something you would want to swim into). I can honestly say that I wasn't into shell collecting but over the week it grew on me until I became obsessive about matching up the perfect set of angel wings (a type of shell).
There's a restaurant at the resort called Thistle Lodge which is a traditional clapperboard building containing a dining room overlooking the sea. We went there the first night as we hadn't had time to stock up at the supermarket down the road. The food was excellent as was the service. It was totally empty which meant it didn't really have much atmosphere which was a shame. It's expensive and I wondered if they lightened up on the gourmet fare and dropped the price a bit it might encourage more people to go.
Day one we chilled by the pool. Americans all seem to talk so loudly compared to the brits. I don't mean this in a horrible way, its a national trait. Like the French being truculent or the Russians being mad. So I learned lots about the people who come here by simply pretending to read my book and sipping on glorious Coors Light with a hint of lime. I would like to find the man who invented this lime/beer thing and buy him a beer and tell him that he is a splendid chap and how he has contributed to my life in a very positive way. It is partly a time share resort so lots of people come back time and time again and half the people seem to know each other which gives the place a really comfortable and relaxed vibe. As readers of my other reviews will have learned my wife has a grumpy resting face so people think we're not very friendly and don't tend to strike up conversations with us. It's OK though as I had the Coors with lime.
We hired bikes at $10 a day from the pool guy at the resort and pootled off round the island in search of adventure. The island is lined with miles of cycle lanes which is fortunate as americans all seem to drive huge 4 wheel drive beasts of cars and road cycling would almost certainly mean annihilation. I actually think Lance Armstrong took drugs not to make him faster but to overcome his fear of sharing the US roads with 4 ton steel death machines. We even hired a monstrous 4 wheel drive just to feel safe - its an automotive arms race stateside. We made the mistake of being out at midday and it gets very hot with the temp nudging up to the high 90's which in the UK is about 35 C. Despite conquering the world English people find it hard to function in anything over 30C so we had to stop off for emergency air conditioning and beer & burger at a steak joint we found by the side of the road. The island is full of great little restaurants with highlights being Cheeburger Cheeburger and George & Wendies seafood Grille. There are no chain food shops so unlike the rest of the USA there aren't any golden arches or Dennies every 5 miles. If you want to eat at the apartment then Jerrys supermarket has all your essentials and lots of other non essentials.
We also did a day trip to the Everglades with EcoSafari.com which was a fabulous day out and well worth the money (Randi our guide was informative and a really lovely host). On it we saw alligators and for lunch we got to eat alligators. I'm not sure how "eco" eating alligators is, but in that way that green people have of twisting things round it was explained that, er, by eating alligator and then using their skin to make shoes for people in Texas then it was protecting alligators in the long run. Whatever the logic, alligator looks and tastes like tough chicken. Or perhaps it was tough chicken. Who knows. I mean who can you really trust these days? Daughter Olivia doesn't eat meat but does eat fish and there was much debate as to which category alligators fit into. In the end it was decided it was on the meat end of the spectrum because it can run on land and has forward facing eyes. It also looks like chicken when cooked.
Other things you can do on the island are to check out the shell museum (surprisingly fascinating, really, I'm not even being sarcastic, molluscs rock), Ding Darling reserve which supposedly has alligators but we didn't see any (perhaps the tourists had eaten them) and dozens of little bars, restaurants, galleries and gift shops that line the roads. One nice spot was the Mucky Duck Pub which is on a beach on the far end of the island near the bridge to Captiva (which is the sister island to Sanibel). Their fried clams on a polystyrene plate and a cold glass of local beer was one of the most perfect lunches we had in the states.
In short we had a dream week in Sanibel and Casa Ybel was friendly and perfect for my family of 4. I can't fault it in any way. Good value for money, great staff, friendly guests, epic aircon, great pool, amazing beach and a fun time had by all. And the final test, would you come back? yes we will 100% be back.