Captivated by Captiva, Florida
You’ve gotta adore a place where there’s a law that no man-made structure is allowed to be taller than the tallest palm tree… This was the first fact about Captiva Island, Florida that had me totally charmed.
Captiva Island is on Florida’s west coast. I was invited there by Amanda Duff of Duff PR who had the idea of collaborating on a future retreat or teacher training at South Seas Island Resort.
My initial reaction to the invitation was something like, Retreat? In FLORIDA? uhh… NAH…But Amanda is an incredibly clear communicator, organized and efficient emailer and they were going to fly me from Nicaragua to them and then from South Seas to Canada. So I decided I would at least visit, take photos to give them for their own marketing and post on my own social feeds and offering up the opportunity for my audience to see a new spot.
I have done plenty of media trips, research trips and influencer trips before and let me tell you, this was BY FAR the most relaxed and easy going jaunt I’ve had. The group consisted of travel writers, bloggers and me- yoga teacher/instagrammer/photographer (the only social media influencer of the bunch, hooray!)
I was offered the opportunity to try ANY activities I wanted on the resort with absolutely NO pressure. It was awesome. I could have fun, check out the place, but also do me. Sometimes media trips are SO jammed there’s hardly enough time to get the shots the clients want or even chill out and ENJOY the hotel that I’m supposed to be promoting as a relaxation destination. This was totally the opposite.
Also when I showed up with a 4-month old puppy straight off the plane from Nicaragua, Amanda completely took it in stride. She did not skip a beat, make a face or a fuss. I was REALLY IMPRESSED.
**disclaimer** if any of you are planning to visit South Seas Island Resort after reading this blog post, OR are a writer, photographer, influencer yourself who gets flown around the world to share places, DO NOT bring your pets. This is just REALLY bad manners on my part… but I kinda had no choice in this instant. But really… DO NOT surprise hotels and resorts with animals. In general, they don’t like it.
Reason #1 to love captiva Island & South Seas Island Resort:
banana bikes
Banana bike is the preferred mode of transport (okay maybe second to golf carts) on Captiva, Island. South Seas Island Resort is MASSIVE. It is spread across 300 acres. The entrance to the resort, some restaurants, the yoga studio, conference center, farmer’s market, bike rentals and Starbucks are on one end while the beaches, marina, golf course, kids camp and some other restaurants are at the other. In between the resort entrance and the other stuff I just described are homes, condos and hotel rooms. Captiva Island is a long skinny place. Exploring on two wheels is definitely best! I picked up the bike from the ON-SITE rental spot, Sunny Island Adventures, charged the bike to my room and happily cruised around the resort and the island. It was actually the most comfortable bike I’ve ever had. The seat was way padded and obviously the bikes were well cared for.
Reason #2 to love captiva Island & South Seas Island Resort:
Something for any age, interest & budget
If you’re into multi-generational family travel, this is an amazing option. Here’s why: There is something to do for basically any age group and interest. Bicycling, gym, paddle boarding, incredible bird watching, swimming, extreme sports like jetskiis or parasailing, copious fishing, the resort has it’s own gorgeous golf course and there’s even a sailing school! There’s an entire kids camp, restaurants dedicated to kids that sell only pizza, candy and ice cream and tons of pools. Adult swimming pools, kid friendly pools with waterslides and even toddler and baby pools. What’s more, you can stay hotel room style, rent your own condo, or if your budget allows, even rent your own 5 bedroom, ocean front, plantation style home within resort grounds and enjoy all the amenities that South Seas Island Resort has to offer.
During my stay at South Seas Island Resort in Captiva, I went to a wonderful yoga class at Ambu Yoga, checked out the Farmer’s market, went parasailing with Amanda, ate my weight in desserts, went on a very informative kayak tour, fished for sharks to tag (more on that later), and bicycled around.
Reason #3 to love captiva Island & South Seas Island Resort:
Creative & inventive drinks and great food options
I was pretty impressed with the food at South Seas Island Resort. When I heard the word resort and then found out it was in Florida of all places, I assumed the food would be terrible. Note to self, reread 4 agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz… I predicted loads of deep fried, ginormous portions of stuff that usually finds home in the freezer. But I was pleasantly wrong! There were loads of healthy and vegetarian options including quinoa salads, fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh caught fish and really inventive and creative plates. The food was great! The desserts were even better.
What I found super fun was the drink menu. The cocktails (both alcoholic and non) were SOOO good. They were unique and well presented. If you’ve ever shared a drink with me, you’ll know I get pretty tipsy after one… So having to taste the booze as part of the job rendered me loopy and giggly most evenings, adding to the fun of the whole experience. I was definitely the most boisterous oversharerer in the bunch!
Reason #4 to love captiva Island & South Seas Island Resort:
The wildlife
Birders beware: There is SO much wildlife here! We saw A TON of gorgeous bird species. There were also dolphins daily swimming around the resort, manatees in the marina (okay so I kinda have a thing for manatees. It started during a school project on mammals in grade 3. Then I once made my entire family drive 7 hours out of the way on a vacation to try and see them), alligators and all kinds of critters living in shells.
During the kayak tour, we saw so many cool animals. Our tour guide, Matt was extremely informative. He shared many great stories about the history of Captiva Island, as well as the resort, knew so much about local bird and fish species and had us stop to check out some shells.
Reason #5 to love captiva Island & South Seas Island Resort:
You can go shark fishing with instagram celebrities
Meet the most hunky and controversial scientist in Florida: Elliot Sudal. Here’s become an instagram superstar sharing his passion for the ocean. Elliot tags sharks to help track their numbers and migratory patterns. We had the pleasure of joining him on one of these adventures RIGHT AT THE RESORT! We baited up our rods and chummed the waters just off of one of the docks at South Seas Island Resort. Late night we did end up catching a shark, but it got away at the very last moment. It was still extremely cool! Shark tagging is not something I ever imagined I’d get to be a part of!
Reason #6 to love captiva Island & South Seas Island Resort:
The beach!
I am a beach snob. I have travelled to over 50 countries and have been chasing the most scenic and spectacular playas for a LONG time. The beach at South Seas Island Resort is really special. Soft powdery white sand, turquoise water, it feels completely like a far off tropical escape, except it is only 1.5 hours from Fort Meyers airport and 3 hours from Miami! If you love a tranquil beach with miles of coastline to walk and calm waters to swim in this is an amazing spot. If you’re American, you don’t even need a passport to get here!
Reason #7 to love captiva Island & South Seas Island Resort:
You can charge starbucks to your room!
Not that I’m obsessed with Starbucks, or coffee. But that is prrrreeeeetttty convenient if you ask me! Especially (as in my case) all room charges were taken care of by South Seas. I definitely indulged in a caramel macchiato with extra whipped cream… or two. .
Reason #8 to love captiva Island & South Seas Island Resort:
The Trolley
Because South Seas Island Resort is so large, they have a trolley that circles the place, helping guests get from one end to the other. It is ADORABLE! The driver was also so friendly and sweet. It was definitely another unexpected tinge of charm in Captiva.
Reason #9 to love captiva Island & South Seas Island Resort:
Weird local restaurants
So if you get off the resort, there’s a legendary Captiva grub house: The bubble room. Aside from the EXTREMELY eccentric decor, they also boast a famous Orange Crunch crake that I think is like an Orange Crush cake! Ya. It’s weird. It’s worth a visit and a taste.
So weighing it all in, I would DEFINITELY recommend Captiva Island, Florida and South Seas Island Resort for your next close-to-home family vacation. It’s convenient, beautiful with plenty to keep you busy for a long weekend or a week off. We even talked about bringing Yoga Academy International’s Kids Yoga Teacher Training there so that entire families can enjoy the place together while 1 yogi parent is in class- then, beach breaks!
It seems the perfect setting for something a little different but still in the continental U.S.
