A Sanibel Holiday? What to bring (or not to bring)

As the heat and humidity of summer turns into the warm, drier air of fall, vacationers are once again turning their thoughts to Sanibel.

And we are here to tell you that this fall is nothing short of spectacular on these gorgeous barrier islands of Sanibel and Captiva.

The days are sunny, breezy and bright. High temps are hitting the mid 80's with humidity in the 50's and evening temps hovering around 60. Folks, these are days and nights to dream of. Happily, the weather can (we are not saying it will or it does but it can) stay like this straight through December.

Watching some broad cast tv stations, we know in many parts of the country, that temperatures are far cooler, days less sunny and night time is coat wearing weather. So we at Sanibel Holiday are literally keeping a look out for all those New York/New Jersey, Michigan, and Ohio plates to start crossing over the causeway and arriving on our beautiful, tropical, always green and usually warm isle of Sanibel.

The question du jour is what shall we pack to take to our vacation rental?

We are happy to tell you that you don't need much.

As far as accommodations, they are so well supplied that you certainly don't need to worry about towels, sheets and anything for the kitchen other than food. We will provide each condo/house/cottage with a starter kit of laundry and dish detergent as well as some bar soaps for the bathrooms.

For personal bath items, you will probably want to bring a hair dryer and your toiletries.

For activities, if you play tennis, you may want to bring your own equipment and the same for golfing. But just about anything you can think of is available for rent on the Island...bikes, boats, fishing rods....so if it is not for a personal need to have your own "tools" , you will have the option to rent in almost all instances.

For clothing, Sanibel is a casual place so "work" clothes and shoes are most likely going to remain in your suit case or closet. Daytime wear, other than bathing suits for the beach or pool, is shorts or capris for women and shorts or long pants for men. Bring light weight jackets or cotton sweaters for evening wear as the drop from day time high to night low can be as much as 25 degrees...and you will feel the difference.

A hat for the sun is always an option to be considered, as is plenty of sun tan lotion, maybe a bit of insect repellent if you think you will be out at sunset or sun rise and probably a flashlight or two will come in handy. The island protects its nesting turtles and lighting at night is minimal.

Though there is plenty to do on Island, but if you are hoping to do more resting than recreating, bring a book.

You will have a hard time, however, reading during the day as the wonderful and natural sights and sounds will be so distracting. And at night, the blissful silence will surely lull you to sleep before you can finish a page!