Some of my fondest memories comes from girls’ trips. There is just something about planning long weekends or epic adventures with some of my closest girlfriends that is hard to beat.
Although pretty much every plan I have had for the summer of 2020 has been cancelled, it has given me some precious time and memories with my girlfriends I probably wouldn’t have had otherwise.
Thanks to COVID and my need to always have a trip to look forward to, a few of my girlfriends and I decided to rent a house off Fort Myers Beach for a much-needed escape and some fun in the sun.
Where to Stay:
We stayed at an incredible Airbnb, the Island Tropical Resort in the Baybreeze Bungalow unit, with an amazing host named Lynn. The house was one block from beautiful white sand beaches and walking distance to a couple restaurants and convenience stores, which we frequented a lot during our stay. The unit was one of two on property, which shared a pool and large deck with the 2-person occupancy unit next door. Thankfully, during our stay the other unit was only booked for one of the nights, so we had the pool to ourselves most of the stay.
Our unit could hold four guests, but our host was gracious enough to allow a fifth for one night. The bungalow came with a full kitchen, one bathroom, a king size bed in one bedroom and two twin beds in the other. There was also a living room, dining room and covered patio that we had all to ourselves.
There are many great rentals along Fort Myers Beach, so if Baybreeze Bungalow does not work out for your group, there are plenty of options on Airbnb. Use my link to save up to $35 on your next trip!
What to Do:
There is so much to see and do on Fort Myers Beach. Besides your typical beach day, there is a fairy large downtown area that locals call Times Square. Anywhere along the island, you can pick up the trolley to take you to Times Square for an afternoon of shopping, food, drinks, and, of course, some ice cream.
There are also a lot of options along the island for people who are active. Plenty of bike shops, kayak and motorsport rentals — even banana boat rides.
If you want to explore some other local areas, the world renowned beaches of Sanibel and Captiva are only a short drive or boat ride away and make for the perfect day trip.
However, my favorite part of the trip was our half day catamaran rental through Captain Joe. This catamaran was AMAZING, and we had the best time sailing around Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel, and Captiva. The catamaran holds up to six people, but if you are lucky like us and book it for five, you end up having the whole boat to your group. Captain Joe and his crew made sure we had the best time on board. They kept our drinks cold and well-stocked, took so many group photos, and pointed out all the dolphins swimming by. This trip was worth every penny, and I can’t recommend this enough for your next girls’ trip!
And finally, you can’t come to the Gulf coast of Florida without watching a sunset. Every night we would take our chairs, towels, and a cold drink to the beach to enjoy sunset. The cotton candy skies were something else.
Where to Eat:
So unfortunately, we were traveling during a bad time in Florida due to coronavirus outbreaks, so our group did not feel comfortable eating at any restaurants (plus, all the bars were closed), but we did find some great spots that did takeout.
First up was Heavenly Biscuits. This place was so good I did an entire post on their fresh breakfast and to die for pastries, which you can check out here.
We also had some great sushi at ZUSHI ZUSHI, fresh fish tacos from The Whale, pizza from Amore Brick Oven, and ice cream from The Royal Scoop.
We were told about some other great spots that, while we didn’t get to this time, are on our list for next time: Dixie Fish Co. and Doc Ford’s Rum Bar and Grille.
Be sure to comment any recommendations for the Fort Myers Beach Area!
