Last updated on April 17th, 2025 at 09:38 am
Two and a half years after Category 4 Hurricane Ian slammed Sanibel in September 2022, the beaches, the sea shells, the birds and the wildlife — all the natural stuff — is back. But many things people built are still a work in progreess.
While Sanibel was recovering from Hurricane Ian, along came two more hurricanes in 2024, Milton and Helene, which slowed the effort.
But as summer 2025 approaches, Sanibel is gaining momentum in its recovery.
A key milestone is the rebuilding of Sanibel Causeway. The causeway was washed away by Ian’s storm surge, but today is it no longer a massive construction site and is again a beautiful entranceway to the island.
Starting May 1, the three islands on the causeway will open their beaches to visitors with 800 spaces of parking — and parking will be free.
“It’s our front porch, our driveway to Sanibel, our most welcoming opportunity to visitors,” says John Lai, president of the SanCap Chamber of Commerce.
Phase 1 of the causeway project will involve opening parking spaces, which will be “less chaotic” than the previous free-for-all, and restroom trailers, Lai says. Permanent restrooms will come in Phase 2, along with trees and paddlecraft launching areas.
More than 50% of hotels and short-term rentals are back
On the island itself, the rebuilding, cleaning, painting and planting continues as it exceeds the half-way mark. Facilities are reopening, including two major resorts, Sanibel Inn and Sundial in February 2025. While several favorite destinations are still closed, some say they will open by summer.
Taking a lesson from the Florida Keys’ recovery from Hurricane Irma in 2017, Chamber President Lai says once as area exceeds that 50 percent room occupancy, there are enough visitors to sustain the commercial spaces like restaurants and shops, which are currently about 50 percent back, and the momentum builds.
The Chamber of Commerce projects that almost 70 percent of rooms will be back by the end of the year.
The beaches and most natural places are back and beautiful
Almost from the beginning, Sanibel’s beaches were as spectacular as ever, full of shells and birds, with dramatic sunsets. Now, the parking lots are ready for visitors too.
Sanibel Boat Ramp/Causeway Beach Park, Bowman’s Beach Park, Gulfside City Park (Algiers), Tarpon Bay Road Beach Park (Trost parking lot), Lighthouse Beach Parking Lot (gulfside and bayside) and Blind Pass parking lots are all open. (Only the Turner Beach parking lot on Captiva is still closed.)
One of the most photographed places on Sanibel — Lighthouse Beach — has been nourished with 400,000 tons of trucked-in sand and the city has completed planting 32,000 dune plants in the area. 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.
Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge’s popular Wildlife Drive is open for bicyclists and motorists as is the kayak outfitter in the preserve and the hiking trails on the Bailey Tract. (Go here for updates on the refuge.)
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 the same, however, with less tree canopy.)
In 2025, the foliage and lush landscaping we always loved on Sanibel has not yet grown back. Many trees have bare branches with shapes that look like the work of the world’s worst tree trimmer. This video is a six-minute view out the window of a vehicle driving through Sanibel in March 2025. It gives you a glimpse at what to expect.
More from Florida Rambler: Biking Sanibel Island: Bicycle trails take you to all the best spots
Hotels are back, but prices are higher
The Sanibel Visitor Center lists several dozen places to stay on Sanibel and Captiva, plus vacation rental agencies. Hotels.com lists only a dozen. In addition to Sanibel Inn and Sundial, recent additions to places to stay include: Sanibel Sandalfoot Beachfront Condominiums, Sanibel Moorings, Sanibel Siesta on the Beach, Island Inn, Pelican Roost Condominiums, Loggerhead Key, Signal Inn, Blind Pass Condominiums and Jensen’s on the Gulf.
On our first post-storm visit to Sanibel, we stayed at the Sanibel Island Beach Resort, 1231 Middle Gulf Drive, which was among the first hotels to reopen. 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.
Our experience is typical Sanibel accommodations, says the Chamber’s Lai. While rates on Sanibel are higher than the past, they are higher everywhere in Florida.
“The difference is here, almost everything is brand new. The newer prodcut matches the higher price, where elsewhere in Florida, it’s the same product at a higher price,” Lai says.
Many of the larger condoes are opening in phases. If you’re booking accommodations on Sanibel, it’s wise to inquire about specific conditions. Is the pool open? Are the elevators working? Many properties are opening before all of the amenities are available.
You’ll find places to eat
People who love Sanibel tend to return and thus they develop favorite places to dine. Some of those places are back; some aren’t. The good news: There are lots of places to eat.
Near the lighthouse, one of our favorite spots to have breakfast on Sanibel, the Lighthouse Café, was destroyed. But it has been rebuit in a new location at 1020 Periwinkle Way and reopened in 2024. After a brief closure due to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, it’s back again. See daily specials and updates here. (Our family’s tradition was always to order the Granola Nut Whole Wheat Hot Cakes.)
Many people have fond memories of two icons on Captiva: the Mucky Duck and the Bubble Room.
Captiva, less damageed by Ian two years ago, was harder hit by Milton.
The fun and funky Bubble Room is still being repaired, although a small coffee and dessert café operated by the Bubble Room called Boops, is open. The Bubble Room didn’t get permanent power to its building until the end of January, 2025, 854 days after Hurricane Ian! On social media, owners keep pushing back their opening date, which had been expected in spring 2025.
We called the Mucky Duck the Lucky Duck after Ian because the storm never permeated inside the restaurant and it was among the first places to reopen. But then the luck ran out with Helene and Milton. Waves pushed sand inside and the restaurant was filled with sand up to its windows. The Duck is undergoing a major repair job that is still in progress. There is no estimated completion date.
Among the earliest to reopen were two visitor favorites:
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.
Other restaurants that have reopened include:
- 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.
- Cheeburber Cheeburger, 1975 Periwinkle Way, has reopened, with a refreshed appearance.
- Over Easy Cafe, 630 Tarpon Bay Rd #1, specializes in breakfast food. It’s open for breakfast 7 a.m – 2 p.m. and lunch 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. every day.
- Wickies Lighthouse Restaurant, 362 Periwinkle Way.
By the way, 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.
On Captiva, Tween Waters Inn is open, as are several restaurants: Sunshine Seafood Cafe, The Shipyard Cafe and Old Captiva House.
Revisiting Sanibel after the hurricanes
A year after Hurricane Ian, my husband and I spent a few days on Sanibel, a place we loved and have visited at least 20 times over four decades. I’ve been monitoring progress on the island ever since the storm.
While much of what we saw on Sanibel showed clear signs of storm damage, walking the big, wide, hard-packed white sand Sanibel beaches was as beautiful as ever. From the beach, you forget about the hurricanes.
The condos and buildings lining the beach are on the other side of the dunes, but if you look closely, some are still being repaired and are not occupied.
Repeat visitors to Sanibel are likely to have the experience we had on our return visit: Disorientation.
As we drove toward Captiva, many familiar scenes were changed. That wide swath of beautiful open beach? What was there?
I turned to Google maps to figure it out. Since Google maps had not updated its street-view photographs at the time, 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.
The Castaways property is owned by the same company that owns Tween Waters Inn on Captiva, which has reopened. It also owns the sites of West Wind Island Resort and Beachview Cottages, both of which were destroyed in Hurricane Ian. The three sites once were homes to vintage Old Florida resorts. The owners have announced the properties will be redeveloped but for the short-term, they are empty lots.
There is no way new construction will have that Old Florida feel, but as one area resident said to us: Old Florida wasn’t built to hurricane code.
Other favorite spots on Sanibel
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. The living history complex is in good shape.
What’s remarkable about visiting the museum is in reading these stories you realize 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.
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 to open in summer 2025, although the opening date has been pushed back several times. (A common story on the island.)
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.
Traffic issues on Sanibel Island getting better
In addition to the influx of visitors and winter residents, there were two things making traffic a problem on Sanibel: Construction on the causeway and all the contractors who need to get on and off the island every day.
With high season over and much of the major work being completed, however, traffic is much reduced.
Whereas backups to get on and off the island could take an hour or two at rush hour, it is now down to a 25 to 30 minute drive most days.
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 if not at 100%, has a nostalgic appeal. We love the place and want to support the hotels and restaurants.
I’ve read many comments online from Sanibel visitors in the last year and the majority talked about having a good time and being glad they visited. Yes, some of the Sanibel charm was washed away with the storm. The well-loved inn that was pink may be painted beige; the Dairy Queen is gone. Most people’s comments, however, seemed in line with the chamber of commerce’s slogan: “Not perfect, but still paradise.”
The lasting magic of Sanibel
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 the hurricanes so fresh, that delight was tempered with a little sadness. It was hard not to be bummed out by the missing Old Florida properties and how long it will take for the lush vegetation to again overtake the island.
I asked myself: Would I be better off spending that $300 a night on a hotel in another Florida beach town?
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
- On your way to Sanibel: Six Mile Slough is a wild boardwalk minutes off I-75.
- Fort Myers Beach in winter 2023-24: Work needed after Ian, but Margaritaville Resort is open.
Discover more from Florida Rambler
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Your calm, hopeful and hugely informative report on Sanibel as it was and as it will be is so welcome. Especially for those of us who travel from afar to this secluded paradise, the very best of Florida – I write from London, have been on island most years since 1972, saw Hurricane Andrew, lived on East Rocks for 18 years, don’t yet know if this is the summer to bring the family back.
May I ask your kindness to tell us more? Which of the views that define Sanibel and Captiva are best preserved? Which are battered? How does it look on Periwinkle, its shops, its restaurants, its friendly streets around Baileys? Along West Gulf and its beaches – do coconut palms lie on the sand? Which streets are unrecognisable from five years ago, which areas have taken the worst hits from the three hurricanes, which the least? Is the drive to Captiva still the same? The entry to the island? Is the flat causeway more scenic than the gigantic monster it replaces?
Yes, I know this is pure nostalgia (though what’s wrong with nostalgia?) Yes, life is change and ‘in a progressive society change is constant’. But the perfection of Sanibel and Captiva is unique and precious – I, for one, can’t easily let it go. Great thanks if you can tell us a bit more!
Thanks for your comments and excellent questions. I’ll see if I can gather some info that would be helpful! Bonnie
We appreciate your wonderful description of the then and the now of Sanibel. It was our special place for many many years of enjoyment. So happy that is now starting to recuperate from the dreaded storm surge and recovery is ongoing. Make Sanibel Great Again. To make so many folks happy and able to make memories there once again.
Thank you so very much for the great update. Sanibel has always been my Happy Place with wonderful memories!!
I’ve been wondering–thanks for the detailed update!
This is the best review that I have seen of conditions. After 20 years of visiting Sanibel, I miss it so much & hope to return in 2025.
The West Wind Inn was our “place to go” over the course of several years. Hearing about the damage it received was devastating and then seeing pictures of it being demolished was heart breaking. But I hear that they will rebuild. My walking ability is limited but I hope to be able to participate in doing the Sanibel Stoop as I walk the beach with water covering my feet as I pick up my treasures.
Thank you for your thorough and wonderful description of Sanibel on its way back. Loggerhead Cay on East Gulf is fully back and renting again so feel free to reach out via your favorite booking channel. One fun note- all of the first floor units were completey rennovated from the concrete block, floors and ceilings inward. So if you stay on the first floor you will be in a brand new unit!
Thanks for the passionate updates; stayed with my parents on West Gulf Drive and have many fond memories of playing golf on the three courses and eating at the green flash thanks so much! Joe McLaughlin wishing all God’s speed.
My family visited there for years and we do miss the beauty and quietness of Sanibel. Thank you for your article, brings back great memories.
Sanibel Siesta On The Beach is where we are staying currently. Some condos have been completely renovated with others that they are still working on. We are so happy to be back on Sanibel after coming here for over 20 years! Our home away from home!
Your article about Sanibel Island is appreciated as it is difficult to know which restaurants, stores, and places to stay are open when driving around the island.
My husband and I live in Cape Coral. While we had damage from Hurricane Ian we consider ourselves extremely fortunate the damage wasn’t worse.
Since the hurricane we have done a few days trips to go to the beaches and to support the restaurants. Your article opened up many new possibilities on our day trips to Sanibel Island.
I too have a long history with Sanibel Island as my parent bought a condo in the early 80’s and it is now surrounded by a huge chain link fence. My heart goes out to the people of Sanibel and the years it will take to recover.
It’s true, it’s not the same- yet – and even when it has “fully recovered”, it won’t be as it used to be. We’ve been going to Sanibel for over 20 years and it’s our happy place. We visited in April of 2023 (stayed off island) and yes, we cried at the destruction. We feel lucky to be able to return this month, even with the changes. To us, it’s important to support a place that brings us so much joy.
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!
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.
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!
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.
@Elaine,
Do not collect live shells!!!
do not tell her what to do. if that is something her family does, let it be, and you will live. trust me!