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Sanibel Island now: After Hurricane Ian, should you go back this winter?

More than a year after Category 4 Hurricane Ian slammed Sanibel with a 13-foot storm surge, the beach, the sea shells, the birds and wildlife — all the natural stuff — is back. But the things that people built, they have a ways to go.

At the end of November, my husband and I spent a few days on Sanibel, a place we loved and have visited at least 20 times over four decades.

As Florida prepared for another tourist season, I wondered: With Sanibel Island damage still being repaired, should people return this winter? There’s no easy yes or no, but I’ll try to give you some insight to help you decide.

sanibel island damage sanibel heron at blind pass Sanibel Island now: After Hurricane Ian, should you go back this winter?
Beauty still abounds, but this view from Captiva looking across Blind Pass at Sanibel has a few telltale signs of Sanibel Island damage. Those trees across the pass lack many branches and foliage and before Ian, a few cottages would’ve been nestled under the trees. (Photo: Bonnie Gross/ November 2023)

Conditions vary widely in Sanibel Island damage, recovery

Your experience starts as you drive over the causeway, once a scenic parkway with broad water views where you passed grass, trees, picnic tables and people on boats enjoying sparkling San Carlos Bay.

Today, it’s a huge and ugly construction site as the causeway is rebuilt, with trucks and workers and frequent lane closures.

When we reached the island, we saw a range of conditions. Some homes and buildings look like Hurricane Ian was yesterday. Some look like it never happened. And most are somewhere in between.

Walking the big, wide, hard-packed white sand beaches, however, was as beautiful as ever, with mounds of shells and flocks of birds. From the beach, you’d almost forget about the hurricane. The condos and buildings lining the beach are on the other side of the dunes, but if you look closely, you see most appear damaged and few are occupied.

sanibel island damage sanibel island damage Sanibel Island now: After Hurricane Ian, should you go back this winter?
Sanibel Island damage: This is typical along the beach. The buildings, however, are a distance from the water so you don’t see the damage clearly. This was shot with a telephoto lens. (Photo: David Blasco/November 2023.)

Riding on the extensive network of bike lanes, we got a closer look at the state of reconstruction around the island. From the street, where the view of the beachfront development is closer, you see many condo complexes enclosed in chain link fences that are active construction sites seven days a week.

Yet, in the middle of that, there are mansions with perfect lawns and landscaping and holiday decorations. Were they unscathed? How did they get their repairs done so quickly and completely?

sanibel island damage Sanibel before and after Sanibel Island now: After Hurricane Ian, should you go back this winter?
Sometimes the Sanibel Island damage was disorienting: This huge empty beach. Was this here before? Nope. We turned to Google streetview to see the same view in the same spot from before Ian.

As we drove toward Captiva, it was disorienting to see so many familiar scenes so changed. That wide swath of beautiful open beach? What was there?

I turned to Google maps to figure it out. Since Google maps has not updated its street-view photographs, I could see what was once there – the Castaways! This complex of tropically colored cottages right on the beach near Blind Pass had been there for decades, the sort of iconic Old Florida scene that defined Sanibel. It’s gone now, just white sand and “keep out” signs. And it’s not the only one.

Crossing the bridge at Blind Pass onto Captiva Island was another surprise. With flowers blooming and much landscaping intact, Captiva looks like Ian was a long time ago. The little colorful cottages that house businesses in the downtown are open and busy.

sanibel island damage captiva mucky duck Sanibel Island now: After Hurricane Ian, should you go back this winter?
Captiva seems to have been hit less hard than Sanibel; the Mucky Duck, located directly on the sand in Captiva, had limited damage and reopened after four months. (You rarely see it this empty; this was Thanksgiving Day and it was closed.) (Photo: Bonnie Gross/ November 2023)

The Mucky Duck, directly on the beach at 11546 Andy Ross Lane, looks unchanged. Amazingly, Hurricane Ian did only exterior damage; there was no sand or water on the interior, and the “Lucky Duck” reopened four months after the storm.

Another Captiva icon, the Bubble Room is still being repairedand won’t open until fall 2024, although a small coffee and dessert café operated by the Bubble Room called Boops, is open and busy next door.

On Captiva, it is possible to forget about the hurricane. It is almost as lovely as ever.

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The bike paths are in good shape on Sanibel and bikes are still a joy to ride here. (Photo: Bonnie Gross/ November 2023)

Some favorite Sanibel things to do are still great

To our delight, the 25-mile network of bike paths that makes Sanibel such a cyclist’s haven, is intact and it’s still a pleasure to pedal around the island. The scenery isn’t as lovely, however, with less of a tree canopy and the lack of thick vegetation.

More from Florida Rambler: Biking Sanibel Island: Bicycle trails take you to all the best spots

We bicycled to the Lighthouse Beach, always a favorite. If you didn’t know there had been historic buildings around the base of the lighthouse, all irreparably damaged in the hurricane and now gone, you’d think it looks fine. (There are some areas with caution tape around the lighthouse.)

sanibel island damage sanibel lighthouse 1 Sanibel Island now: After Hurricane Ian, should you go back this winter?
Sanibel Lighthouse and Ligthouse Beach. (Photo: Bonnie Gross/ November 2023)

Near the lighthouse, one of our favorite spots to have breakfast on Sanibel, the Lighthouse Café, is closed. But we know it’s rebuilding in a new location and will reopen, possibly in the first quarter of 2024.

If you visited Sanibel in the past, this experience, of looking for a familiar restaurant or store and finding it gone, is likely to be repeated over and over.

We rode our bikes through Ding Darling Wildlife Preserve on the smooth, paved road. It is shared with cars, but it’s one way and there’s a 15 mph speed limit. It’s still a great place to bicycle and we were happy to see a few birds, especially a flock of white pelicans. These winter visitors are a treat because they are brilliantly white and so easy to spot — they are among the largest North American birds.

sanibel island damage sanibel ding darling white pelicans reddish egret Sanibel Island now: After Hurricane Ian, should you go back this winter?
A reddish egret strolls by some white pelicans at Ding Darling National Wildlife Preserve. (Photo: David Blasco/November 2023)

We checked out the Sanibel Historical Museum and Village in the center of Sanibel at 950 Dunlop Road, where over the years pioneer homes have been moved and preserved. Happily, it’s in good shape. On our visit, it had not yet opened for the season. The historical complex began its regular schedule on Dec. 2, Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a $15 entrance fee for adults 18 and up.

The buildings range from the original post office to the first schoolhouse to residences ordered as kits from Sears. Each building has a story, told in a few sentences on the signs. What’s remarkable in reading these stories in 2023 is how much of Sanibel’s early history revolves around recovering from hurricanes. The big one in 1926, it said, brought eight feet of water over the entire island, and changed everything.

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Pretty seashells were easy to find on all the Sanibel beaches. We could have taken this on any beach at any time. (Photo: David Blasco)

We stopped at several other beaches, all of which are open with restrooms. (The Lighthouse Beach still has porta potties only.) One of our favorites is Bowman’s Beach, across the island from Ding Darling Preserve. With a mile of perfect beach lined with vegetation and wetlands instead of condos, it is the least developed and most secluded of the beaches on Sanibel. Beachcombing, shelling and birding were always excellent here and continue to be.

In early March, the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum reopened its Living Gallery of Aquariums on the first floor. The second floor with its Great Hall of Shells is expected open later this spring

Another popular attraction, the cruises and tours from Adventures in Paradise, has reopened. It has been operated by the Stewart family since 1986. The offerings include shelling cruises, dolphin cruises, luncheon cruises to Cabbage Key and sunset cruises.

sanibel island damage sanibel beach royal terns Sanibel Island now: After Hurricane Ian, should you go back this winter?
Royal terns on Sanibel beach, with seashells everywhere. (Photo: Bonnie Gross/November 2023)

One thing to note about our visit to Sanibel in November: The no see ums were bad; worse than we remember and not limited to dusk. If you look online at recent reviews of Sanibel, many commenters reference this, so it wasn’t just during our visit. Bug spray is essential and we always chose places to stand or sit where there was a breeze, which helped reduce their impact. (And this condition can change as the winter progresses, of course.)

Hotels on Sanibel Island now

In early 2024, there are only a handful of hotels open, though more are opening every month.

We stayed at Sanibel Island Beach Resort, 1231 Middle Gulf Drive. With all the post-Ian renovations, it felt like a brand-new hotel, with beautiful décor, a new well-designed bathroom and excellent amenities. Its pool was newly renovated but the on-site restaurant had not yet opened. A food truck and pool bar provided a dining option, however. The hotel complex is located on a beautiful beach. All the nearby condos, however, are still being repaired.

The Sanibel Visitor Center lists another dozen places to stay on Sanibel and four on Captiva, plus vacation rental agencies. Hotels.com lists only two. A recent addition: Sanibel Moorings reopened in December 2023.

Some buildings are being finished room by room. At Signal Inn on Middle Gulf Drive, for example, some rooms are ready for occupancy but work continues on others. The small (24 unit) Sandpiper Beach condo building reopened in early February 2024.

With the small number of accommodations available and so many condos not yet occupied, the beaches on Sanibel won’t be crowded.

Restaurants on Sanibel

There’s good news for visitors, though, in that there are several dozen restaurants open, according to an updated list from the Sanibel Visitor Center. This makes Sanibel a possible day-trip destination.

sanibel island damage sanibel walk on beach Sanibel Island now: After Hurricane Ian, should you go back this winter?
Despite Sanibel Island damage from Ian, the beaches are filled with shells and royal terns and gulls were beautiful to see. (Photo: Bonnie Gross/ November 2023)

We dined in two old favorites, where the food and drinks were excellent and the staff was friendly. We can recommend them both:  

Doc Ford’s Rum Bar and Grille, 2500 Island Inn Road. Doc Ford’s celebrated its 20th year in 2023. It was founded by author Randy Wayne White, who worked for a decade as a fishing guide on Sanibel and whose first book “Sanibel Flats” introduced the character of Doc Ford, a marine biologist and former NSA agent. There have been two dozen Doc Ford books since.

Not only does the author still live on Sanibel, he stayed on the island during Hurricane Ian and shot videos of it happening. (He says he’d never do it again.) There are four Doc Ford restaurants on the Gulf Coast now, and despite the owner’s fame, it’s the quality of their food that has made them successes.

The Timbers Restaurant, 703 Tarpon Bay Road, was founded in 1978 and is well known for its fresh seafood and its signature dish, the crunchy grouper. It’s an informal restaurant with good sized entrees plus soup or salad and bread. We appreciated it was one of very few restaurants open on Thanksgiving Day.

Gramma Dots, 634 N Yachtsman Dr, Sanibel, which is inside the Sanibel Marina, reopened in mid-February. It calls itself “a seaside saloon,” but it serves lunch and dinner too.

If you were a fan of the only franchise restaurant on Sanibel, Dairy Queen, you will be sad to know it won’t reopen. It had been operated by a single family at that location for 52 years. The property sold in 2023 for $1.65 million and is said to be the site of a new restaurant, which will also serve ice cream.

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The golden hour on the beach on Sanibel Island is as beautiful as ever. (Photo: Bonnie Gross/November 2023)

Shopping on Sanibel and Captiva Islands

Many of the unique shops that visitors loved have yet to reopen, but they’re making progress.

The original Chico’s store reopened in January in Periwinkle Place. It opened its doors in 1983 and was always popular for its island vibe. (There are now 1,500 Chico stores.) The iconic She Sells Seashells, one of the first businesses you see as you drive onto the island, is open too.

Captiva’s charming shopping district has many open shops, including Jungle Drums and the Gold Parrot.

But in first quarter 2024, shopping is not going to be a major attraction.

Traffic on Sanibel Island in first quarter 2024

There are two things making traffic a problem: Construction on the causeway and all the contractors who need to get on and off the island every day.

As a result, there is a serious morning and afternoon back up. Day trippers and other travelers are advised to leave before 3 p.m. or after 7 p.m. During the worst of rush hour, there can be a 30 to 45 minute backup.

So, should you plan a trip to Sanibel now?

Our family has a long-term connection to Sanibel. We’ve been coming here for decades; some of my favorite memories of our daughters as children is of us collecting live shells, sand dollars and hermit crabs in a “lagoon zoo” we dug in the sand. (No animals were harmed in the making of those vacations.)

For us, returning to Sanibel, even in its current broken state, has a nostalgic appeal. We love the place and want to support the hotels and restaurants that are taking the difficult role as pioneers forging the way back.

When I travel on getaways, if I’m lucky, what I feel is delight; delight in what I am seeing, doing and learning. On Sanibel, with Hurricane Ian so fresh in everything I saw, that delight was tempered with sadness. It was hard not to be bummed out by how much work has yet to be done and how long it will take for the lush vegetation to again overtake the island.

Sanibel never was and is now not an inexpensive place to visit. I asked myself: Would I be better off spending that $250 a night on a hotel in another Florida beach town that doesn’t feel tinged with sadness?

sanibel island damage sanibel hurricane sorry sign Sanibel Island now: After Hurricane Ian, should you go back this winter?
Signs like this are posted in many places on Sanibel Island. (Photo: David Blasco/ November 2023)

On our final evening, my husband and I sat outside on the beach as the sun set.

In the distance in the Gulf, I saw the fins of dolphins. Then pelicans dove with huge splashes near them. The sun made everything golden. The tide was at its low point and as I walked on the beach, I found the best shells I’d found on this visit, and they glowed like gems in the sun. Nearby, a couple was taking pictures of their baby, who was thrilled with her new beach bucket. A bunch of young men were playing soccer on the beach.

It was the happiest scene – pure delight, the sort I’d always found on Sanibel Island.

Things to do near Sanibel Island:


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Karen Mass

Monday 18th of March 2024

We have a cottage we rent on Captiva, and are spending the week there now. Many of the home owners are taking this opportunity to fix and upgrade the landscaping, pools and decks of their homes. Captiva was not hit as Sanibel was. I was encouraged by the couples and families enjoying the beach. Mucky Duck at sunset is lovely as ever, with live music, drinks, sunset with dolphins surfacing and pelicans diving. For the first time in years, I did not get even a hint of red tide in the air. If you enjoy Sanibel and Captiva for the natural beauty, tropical weather and ocean, you should return and see it now. It's less crowded too!

Patricia Krone

Thursday 7th of March 2024

There has been a hole in my heart ever since Ian ravaged the island of Sanibel; my healing place. For over thirty years I have found solace and renewal there like no other. Over decades my sister, and my late mother bonded over having breakfast with the dolphins from our lanai and planned our day around the ebb and flow of the tide. Picking the best time to seek our treasures. Those memories keep me afloat on days when discouragement gets the better of me. I long to return. Your article is uplifting and has put a new joy in my heart, knowing the landscape will be different. Yet the beauty and life giving ocean life is once again open for new healing and adventure. Thank you.

Heidi Hollay-Statland

Monday 26th of February 2024

We too have visited Sanibel last 10!years. We stayed at Shalimar which is all gone now. It was an old 2 story place with about 11 units. It also had cottages. They were like family to us. Ramos our manager had Friday cocktail for the residents. I miss the spectacular sunrise and sunsets there outside a few feet from our room. We had porches too. Today we are also staying at the Sanibel Island Beach Resort. Lovely place. Your article was spot on and brought tears to my eyes. I just wanted to add to your story. Jerry’s Market is still here . Everything inside was basically the same except the 2 empty rows of fresh pastries and salads (I believe). But most important the outside parrots are gone. Caesar and Mia were our favorites. We miss them. I just remembered yesterday was Sundays Sanibel Farmers Market. It was well overcrowded with tourists and residents which made me very happy! We will visit Captiva’s Farmers Market tomorrow. We decided to extend our week here for about 10 days. We will also visit Ft. Myers Beach today. Our favorite paradise is Ding Darling Wildlife Preserve which we visit every day! Sanibel/Captiva is still our Heaven on Earth and we will be back!

Elaine

Sunday 25th of February 2024

My first trip to Sanibel and Captiva was 1973. It was paradise. I have returned there often. It is a spiritual place. I had made reservations to take my family there in what became the shutdown week of COVID. The hotel kindly refunded my payment. In 14 days, my sister and I are finally getting to return to our beloved island. Your story warmed my heart.

Shelley

Friday 15th of December 2023

Do not collect live shells!!!

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