I recently went on a trip to Fort Meyers, Florida. It was a long drive (from Wisconsin) but totally worth it. I attended a great hotel, great beaches, cool restaurants, and an amazing landmark.
Our hotel was great. It was called the Marina Village. I knew it was going to be nice from the start, because as soon as I got out of the car I saw a Lamborghini parked out front. We stayed in a room with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and a deck. In the lobby there was a cool waterfall that dropped from the second floor. There were three pools and a hot tub. One pool was outside of our building and had a hot tub attached. Another was by the other building and the third was a lap pool by the fitness center. It also included a lot of stores connected but most weren’t open because it was a fairly new hotel. Overall, it was great just to be at the hotel.
Three main beaches made up the Fort Meyers area, Sanibel Island Beach, Fort Meyers Beach, and Lovers’ Key. Sanibel Island was a really cool one. It wasn’t very crowded at all and it also had a lot of marine life like dolphins and manatees. If you’re looking for a beach with minimal people, Sanibel Island is for you. Fort Meyers Beach was the biggest one. It was really crowded especially with college kids. It would be good for teens and young adults looking for a busy fun day at the beach. Lovers’ Key really featured wildlife. Most of the beach was shells and it wasn’t crowded in the least bit. They had a three mile long nature walk featuring the wildlife with signs. We saw gopher turtles and walked next to them. If I had to pick my favorite of the three it would probably be Sanibel because it had perfect accommodations for our family.
Many options for activities are available other than just swimming at the hotel and going to beaches. One of my personal favorite activities was kayaking. We went through a mangrove swamp. It was classic Florida at its best and we even saw a manatee. Also various walking trails were in the area. My favorite went through a swamp and was home to a ton of lizards.
I discovered some of the best restaurants in Fort Meyers. The Monkey Bar was a local place totally chimp themed. It had one of the best grouper sandwiches around. If you are looking for a fun filled casual place to grab lunch it may be for you. Marker 93 was also a really nice place. I really liked their seafood gumbo and crab. If you’re looking for a nice restaurant, to enjoy an even nicer meal, it may be for you. Pinocchio’s Ice Cream is really famous. We waited about an hour and a half to try it, but it was worth it, because it was so good. These were some awesome places to eat.
Something that you shouldn’t miss is the Ding Darling Wildlife Reserve. On my expedition I saw fiddler crabs, horseshoe crabs, lizards and alligators. We must have walked at least two hours (remember sun screen if you ever go because I didn’t and man do I wish I did). If you go you may also want to go with a tour group. We didn’t but it looked like fun.
Fort Meyers is one of the best destinations in Florida. It offers excitement, fun, and relaxation. From the restaurants to the beaches, from wildlife to the hotel, this was one great place to be. I hope that you too will be able to see this place in all its glory.