Month: December 2018

News Alert from Andy!

“The early morning of December 18th was the first time this season I was able to witness a male and female in our Osprey nest. 

“May they settle in and start a young family for all to enjoy.”

We agree!  For more information on the nesting season of Florida Ospreys, check out this great overview from Nature’s Academy!  » Read more

We’ve heard that the Early Bird gets the worm, but a darn-close-to-a-Christmas-miracle collection of shells like this?  Simply amazing!

Longtime guest Julie P. from Troy, OH recently hit our Ocean’s Reach beach at 4:00 a.m. and came up with the most spectacular catch we’ve seen in quite some time!

Our mouths dropped when Julie came in to show us her haul of not one,  » Read more

And a “Merry Christmas to you, too!” to longtime guest Kim. Y from Cincinnati, OH, who was thoughtful enough to send this our way:

“We brought my 78-year old-mom with us again in October for her second visit to Sanibel and Ocean’s Reach.  Last year she turned all her shells into ornaments and this year she is turning them into Christmas trees.   » Read more

Photo by guest Patti Reick

“If there’s a heaven for me,

I’m sure there’s a beach attached to it.”

– Jimmy Buffett

 » Read more

Yep, it’s National Chocolate Covered Anything Day!

But just where to indulge?  That’s the question.  Sanibel restaurants offer such a scrumptious variety of mouthwatering, lip-smacking possibilities!

May we suggest Traders, or their new sister restaurant, T2?  Both feature delectable dessert menus and include a certain chocolate-covered diet buster that was highlighted in a recent local restaurant review.

The critic raved that “Mike’s Peanut Butter Pie stood out as something exceptional: a chocolate-cookie crumb crust topped with creamy peanut butter filling and crowned with vanilla ice cream encased in chocolate.”  » Read more

Photos from the Fort Myers News-Press

Originally published by the Fort Myers News-Press; written by Chad Gillis.

A wildlife hospital on Sanibel Island may have the largest gopher tortoise on record in Florida.

Rangers at Koreshan State Historic Park in Estero noticed the lethargic tortoise late last month and took it to the Center for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) on Sanibel.  » Read more

You never know who you’ll run into along Sanibel’s beloved Luminary Trail on our annual Luminary Night!

Every year on the first Friday in December, islanders deck out shops and restaurants so everyone can enjoy “strolling the trail” along Periwinkle Way, beautifully lit by miles of luminaries.

With absolutely perfect temperatures this year, Andy made his way through the merry activities and met some of our favorite holiday revelers on his stroll.  » Read more

We are consistently “wowed” by our guests and some of the photos they send us.

Case in point is Erna H. from Summit, NJ, one of our beloved guests who makes her home here each winter.  She recently shared these photos of beautiful stained glass windows she saw in Long Island that reminded her of Sanibel.

She wrote:

“These windows were made entirely of shells and glass found on the beach at Shelter Island,  » Read more

“Seashells along the shore … each one is crafted with an imprint of God’s hand, each one different and special, each one valuable and loved.”  – Unknown

Looks like we’ll have to get a bigger table for one-of-our-favorite-guests-this-time-of-year Tom S. from McKinney, TX.  He was only halfway through his stay at the time this photo was taken and had already collected quite the bounty!  » Read more

Life is like a train track … full of possibilities!

Model railroad enthusiasts will not only agree with this sentiment, but will probably be among the first in line as Shell Point reopens its popular Gulf Coast Model Railroad this month.

Shaped as the State of Florida, the 43-foot-by-41-foot Gulf Coast Model Railroad is set in the 1950s and 1960s,  » Read more