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It’s not just beaches that shine here, but hotels that put an extra emphasis on watery wonders.
Family-Friendly Hotels & Resorts
Take your children on a vacation that offers the perfect balance – providing opportunities to enjoy kid-friendly activities together (like swimming and bicycling) and time for Mom and Dad. Unwind with a game of golf or a trip to the spa while the kids participate in planned, supervised, fun activities right at the hotel.
By Kate Pursell
Take your children on a vacation that offers the perfect balance – providing opportunities to enjoy kid-friendly activities together (like swimming and bicycling) and time for Mom and Dad. Unwind with a game of golf or a trip to the spa while the kids participate in planned, supervised, fun activities right at the hotel.
By Kate Pursell
It’s a slice of heaven just waiting to be discovered. And it’s so family-friendly that you’ll come back time and time again.
Mom and Dad, take note: a family vacation in Lee County is as easy as stepping out into the bright sunshine at resorts that offer activities for the tiniest tykes to teens learning to spread their wings.
Families with small children will revel in the sublime beaches in the Fort Myers/Sanibel area, which are truly child-friendly. Think swimming pool-like conditions (soft, sandy bottoms) but with the incredible beauty of the Gulf of Mexico as your backdrop and plenty of shells to tuck away in your suitcase to bring back memories of your Florida vacation. And it’s not just beaches that shine, here, but hotels that put an extra emphasis on watery wonders.
Hyatt Regency Coconut Point
  Hyatt Regency Coconut Point |
"Please," he impishly implored as a hotel waiter poolside presented a tray with a diet cola, a wedge of lime and crushed ice for mom, Liz Yazinsky. "Of course," she conceded as he scampered off to the inviting blue waters of one of the hotel’s three pools (this one had a 140-foot-long water slide).
"This is such a fantastic place to come with kids," she enthused, while she settled comfortably into a chaise underneath a wide umbrella. Yazinsky, her husband and their children (Ava, 6 months, Erin, 4 and Andrew, 5 ½) had arrived the night before from West Palm Beach, excited to find such a heavenly place – gorgeous scenery and a stellar hotel – that truly caters to children.
"Awesome," she declared of Camp Coconut (for children ages 3-12). Erin and Andrew had "a blast there last night," mom said, and spent from 6 to 10 p.m. doing everything from arts and crafts to having a kid-friendly dinner to watching movies while munching popcorn. Did she also mention the ice cream sundaes, and how she loves the hotel rooms that have mini-fridges and a pantry?
Debbie Santana’s family arrived that morning from Boca Raton and Dante, 3, was having a grand time in the big indoor sandbox that was filled with brightly colored plastic balls. He bounced around, and slid underneath, giggling loudly until big sister Caila, 5, "found" him.
Care to fly a kite? Hunt for a shark tooth? Make a Calusa warrior necklace? Or take a pontoon boat trip to explore Estero Bay? Parents can sign the kids up for full, half-day or evening sessions at Camp Coconut.
Relax and Unwind
And while the kids are off exploring, what can you do? If golf is your thing, head to the Raymond Floyd-designed Raptor Bay Golf Club on Estero Bay (you can rent clubs and shoes). Those in need of pampering should waste no time in visiting Stillwater Spa, where they can relax in a bath of lavender and chamomile, have a massage or visit the beauty salon. The Spa Fitness Center is open 24 hours a day and has cardiovascular equipment and free weights.
Book a sunset cruise, go back bay fishing, take an eco cruise, kayak or head to the Little Hickory Island Beach Park (a 15-minute boat trip away) on the Gulf of Mexico to wriggle your toes in the pristine white sand.
Casa Ybel Kids' Activities
The little blonde-haired tyke in a bathing suit scrambled quickly up the steps to their second-story room at Casa Ybel on Sanibel Island, and, face flushed with excitement, made it perfectly clear to her mom that swimming had ended much too soon for her. After all, there isn’t just a pool and kiddie pool at Casa Ybel, but the Gulf of Mexico’s gentle waves.
Sanibel has long been lauded for its sunning, swimming and shelling. If you’re traveling with children, head to Casa Ybel. The Casa Kids’ Club for children ages 4 - 11 has three-hour themed activities (Under the Sea, Wet n’ Wacky, Harry Potter), craft projects and swimming (depending on the ages and ability levels of the children present). You can also sign up for "a la carte" activities, such as dinner and a movie, sand dollar painting, creating tie-dye T-shirts and scavenger hunts (there are 23 acres to explore).
After a day of activities, some "down" time in the room may be in order, and the front desk staff will happily lend board games (Monopoly, Clue, Chutes and Ladders) to keep them entertained. The front desk can also accommodate mom and dad by arranging for babysitters. This is also the place to rent bikes for pedaling around Sanibel’s 22 miles of paved bike paths. Baby seats, child trailers and tandem bikes are available for family outings.
Outdoor Sanibel
Tennis, fishing right off the beach or from the pier at Lighthouse Park Beach, yoga on the lawn behind the Thistle Lodge restaurant, sailing a Sunfish sailboat, and trips to the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge (explore by car, by bike or by foot) are other activities available for adults. You can rent kayaks, canoes and bikes at the refuge, or sign up for a tram, pontoon or paddling tour. After all that exercise, mom and dad just may need a massage.
After a full day of fun you might be ready to fire up the grill, and guess what? There are brick grills right outside the buildings, adding to Casa Ybel’s family-type atmosphere. And talk about location: While you’re flipping a burger or grilling a steak make sure you take a gander at the Gulf. Now, that’s my idea of "backyard" barbecuing.
Pink Shell Beach Resort & Spa
 Pink Shell Beach Resort & Spa |
On this particular day it was the Pink Shell Beach Resort and Spa on Fort Myers Beach where an "octopus" waterfall stood guard on a grotto-like pool that overlooked the shimmering Gulf beach. The young water warrior had a tropical-hued plastic dragon around his waist as he splashed underneath the octopus (whose eyes light up at night). When I mentioned this to him, his own eyes lit up, and it was easy to imagine that tonight he would be begging to see it in person. It wouldn’t be a long trek: His grandmother waved from their fourth floor balcony. Rooms come equipped with a full kitchen, washer-dryer and Internet access, so you have all the comforts of home right at your fingertips.
The Pink Shell isn’t just a gorgeous, beachfront resort, but it’s a spot where families will find plenty for everyone to do. While the parents enjoy spa treatments, tennis, parasailing, kayaking, sailing, a day of fishing or a wave runner ride, what’s in store for the younger set?
KiddsKampp
If they’re between the ages of 4 - 11, sign them up for Pink Shell's KiddsKampp; those ages 12 and up can put on their "helping hats" as members of the Junior Recreational Attendant Program. The kids first meet "Sparky the Cat," actually Danielle VanCoeur, the resort’s vivacious recreation director.
Sparky will help the kiddies make crafts, decorate cookies and watch movies on a huge outdoor screen. There are themed events (such as Pirates of the Caribbean and Starz Search where the kids perform) and poolside activities (picture frames made from shells, hair braiding, ice cream buffets).
On the beach, they can construct mammoth sandcastles, make footprint "art" or cast a line right into the Gulf.
If you go…
Casa Ybel, 239-472-3145, www.casaybelresort.com
Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa, 800-55 HYATT, 239-444-1234, www.coconutpoint.hyatt.com
J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, 239-472-1100, www.fws.gov/dingdarling
Pink Shell Beach Resort & Spa, 239-463-6181, www.pinkshell.com
Raptor Bay Golf Club, 239-390-4610
Stillwater Spa, 239-444-1234
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