Discovering The Islands Of Florida - Sanibel

Once the sand of Sanibel Island gets in your shoes, you'll want to keep returning for more. This lovely locale off Florida's Gulf coast attracts visitors year-round, and with good reason. Come find out for yourself with a stay here on the island in Sanibel vacation rentals. But be warned-you may have a hard time leaving!

This lovely tropical island has marvelously retained much of its natural beauty. The windows of your Sanibel Island lodging will have no blinking neon signs or stoplights flashing through them-there are none on the island, as well as no fast food chains or large department stores. This provides the island with an old-time, relaxed atmosphere that will immediately help you unwind. The best way to appropriate some of this peacefulness for yourself is to find a Sanibel vacation rentals online.

More than half of this small island, which measures only 12 miles long and 3 miles wide, is set aside as a wildlife refuge. The J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge encompasses more than 6000 acres of wetlands and mangrove forests. Head here from Sanibel condo rentals, and you can hike or bike the 7 miles of trails, or take a narrated tram tour. One of the best ways to explore is through a guided canoe trip, where the guide can point out the incredible variety of wildlife, including alligators, sea turtles and river otters.

The wonderful wildlife here extends into the Gulf waters around the island's shores, where you are quite likely to find dolphins and manatees, as well as pelicans and osprey. You may want to spend an afternoon away from your Sanibel Island lodging on a cruise for dolphin or manatee sighting.

Of course, you may want to spend the majority of your time along the 17 miles of wonderful beaches. The Gulf of Mexico waters near your Sanibel vacation rental will be warm year-round. You might want to swim and simply lie in the sun as you feel your cares melt away. Or you might stroll along the shoreline. The beaches here are famous for shelling. Every morning, a new deposit of shells can be found, and so many people spend their time admiring and collecting them that there's a phrase for how folks walk here: the Sanibel Stoop. You may find any number of unusual varieties to collect, including sand dollars and starfish. Many specialty shops near your accommodation sell lovely crafts adorned with local shells, which make a wonderful memento of your island getaway.

If you head south from your Sanibel vacation rentals, you'll find the lighthouse. The beach here at Lighthouse Beach Park is one of the finest, with white sand and gently sloping shallows of clear water. Although you can't tour the lighthouse itself, it's a wonderful opportunity for pictures and there are nature trails meandering through the wetlands surrounding it.

However you spend your time in your Sanibel accommodations in this island paradise, you will inevitably find yourself relaxing. You'll relax all the more when you know you've found a fine Sanibel vacation rental for your family.