Last week week we had the amazing opportunity to go on a family vacation to Florida’s North Captiva Island. My dad and step-mom have just finished building a gorgeous new rental property on the island. (That means you can rent it too, if you’re in the market for a tropical island vacation.)
I’ll do another post about the house itself soon. (Seriously, you guys, Pinterest-worthy doesn’t even begin to describe it.) First, I just wanted to share some of the vacation pictures with you.
Not gonna lie. It was a GIANT pain in the butt to get all of the kids there, coming from Pennsylvania. We had to take a plane to Ft. Myers, a taxi to the Island Club, a shuttle bus to a ferry, a 20 minute ferry boat ride, and then drive golf carts to the house because there are no cars allowed on the island.
Once we were on the island it seemed totally worth it.
The property lines go all the way to the water, so my dad & Helen actually own the beach in front of their house. The public is allowed to walk on it, but they can’t sent up camp. This makes it the most private and secluded beach I’ve ever been to. I didn’t feel self-conscious in a swim suit once.
We got to swim right next to a manatee.
Here’s a shot of the house from the front. Their house is called Beauty and the Beach, in case you are already on the phone with your travel agent. (All of the houses have names instead of addresses.)
This was the view from the bird’s nest balcony.
It was a really cool place to vacation. Eddie and I rented jet skis with my sister and her boyfriend, Chris, one day and there were several local restaurants we visited. Eddie rented a kayak one morning and went fishing in the mangroves.
Mostly, though, we just hung out on the beach and in the salt water pool. I’d never even heard of a salt water pool, but it was pretty awesome. The pool area was shaded by the shadow cast by the house until after lunch every day and the pool was heated to 84 degrees. I liked that the kids weren’t swimming in harsh chemicals.
We were very grateful to have the chance to take a family vacation so soon after Eddie returned from Africa. It was good for all of us to have some extra time with him.
The full day of travel to get back home was a bit too much for the kids, but we are definitely going to be back once they are a little older!
[…] I told you about our vacation to North Captiva Island in Florida last month, I promised you a post about my dad and step-mom’s new […]