I picked Ft. Myers strictly due to the fact that it was the most open (most seats available) flight on my return date. I had to be back for work on Monday, so this was the main contributing factor (I just wanted to give insight into why I chose this vacation spot).
I've been to Florida multiple times, but never Fort Myers, so I decided to give it a try.
March 29 :
I flew in early as I often do. I arrived in Ft. Myers at 12:05 PM, it was a beautiful 90 degree day. My hotel check-in was at 3 PM, so I had to find something to do. I decided to drive around aimlessly for two hours to sightsee. On my adventure I became hungry in this small, really neat town named Matlacha. The town's buildings are painted in all of these vibrant colors making it truly unique. As soon as I sat down to eat, I could feel the comradery of the townspeople. The small town boasts a population of only 735 residents and only covers 99 acres. I wanted to eat on the water, so I chose a place named "Island Café".
I checked into to the hotel and then ventured to Fort Myers Beach. I walked the beach until the sun went down looking for seashells. The white sand beach feels amazing on your feet and doesn't get hot like regular sand does. The beach is littered with seashells by the water making it a popular destination for 'shellers'.
I checked out the little shops on the boardwalk and the pier. It's a clean, lively boardwalk that has the typical "5 FOR 20" t-shirt signs everywhere. I've grown out of the cheap beach t-shirt phase (I also own a clothing brand), so I kept walking until I got to the end. I then ate at a little pizza shop named Bella Mozzarella that had some good NY style pizza.
March 30 :
Off to Sanibel Island. This is the destination I was most excited for and for the right reasons. This is to date the most clear water I've ever seen. I drove to Bowman's Beach, a more exclusive beach that I found online. You park in a hard packed sand parking lot where you have to walk about 800 yards to the actual beach on a trail. You have to walk over a bridge where there were a few people excitedly looking at the water. I was curious so I began to look where I saw two manatees and an alligator in the wild. Most people pay to take tours to see manatees and I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. They're absolutely huge animals that break the water about every 15-30 seconds.
It was a baking 90 degree day, so I went into the ocean. I have an immense fear for sharks because why wouldn't anyone. I figured this was the time in my life to get over my fear. I decided to go out neck deep. Mind you, this is the gulf side where the ocean is very calm, so neck deep is pretty damn far out. I can now say I did it and never do it again.
After leaving the beach I stopped at the Sanibel Outlets that are eh. They have some nice stores like Nike, J Crew, etc., but not anything unique. From there I went to eat and found the Miromar Outlets that are awesome. By far the biggest outlet mall I've ever been to with a wide range of stores.
March 31 :
It rained in the morning so I went back to the outlets. They're more covered than not, so it was the best option available. I stayed there most of the day because there are literally over 140 stores.
I then went golfing in the evening. I picked a nice course because YOLO. The weather cleared up by my 5PM tee time to a perfect 75 degree round. I golfed at Fort Myers Country Club, which is open to the public. The course was really nice and the staff was great.
April 1 :
I decided to go back to Fort Myers Beach for my final day. Florida played the best April Fools Day joke on me by being 825 degrees on the first day of April. I'm not pasty by any means and I began to burn in 20 minutes on the beach, with sunscreen on. The best part was that the sand didn't get hot on my feet. I decided to peace out from the sun and go eat at Doc Ford's.
At Doc Ford's you eat right on the water where a band will be playing. The band that was there that day covered classic rock hits and was really quite good. The best part (to me) is that Doc Ford's is a restaurant created by Randy Wayne White, a NYT Best Selling writer. He has written a multitude of books with his signature series of books centered on the main character, Doc Ford. The back of the menu tells a great story of White living 200 yards from the restaurant as a full time fishing guide before he began writing. I love a good story, especially one where you can physically see where he lived and where his dreams began.
Since I was by it, I went back to Matlacha to try their ice cream that's made on the island. The ice cream was great and I met Hector, the ice cream cat. He was huge (probably due to living in an ice cream shack).
April 2 :
Early flight out. Back to reality. Blah.
Do's :
Matlacha
Island Café
Fort Myers Beach
Fort Myers Boardwalk
Sanibel Island
Captiva Island
Miromar Outlets
Fort Myers Country Club (if you golf)
Doc Ford's
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