Little Sanibel a Big Winner in National Contest

If you are regular readers of this blog, you may recall our post talking about a competition for the title of Happiest Seaside Towns.

The contest, held by Coastal Living Magazine, is an annual one and Sanibel has always placed in the top fifteen of those competing.

The winners, as always, would be determined by the number of votes, and voting was allowed hourly on a daily basis for the many weeks the contest was active.

At the time of our posting, Sanibel Island was struggling mightily to push into third place.  It was a bit of a question as to the success of the venture as the several of the 15 towns were in large geo - areas where there were thousands of people voting every day.

We are thrilled to see that the winners have been announced, and our lovely, little Island did, indeed, come up as number 3.  Of course we would have been more thrilled to win the number 3 spot, but we are not complaining.  Not a bit.

The contest has been making the rounds of the media, and the buzz on the Internet is deafening.

Apparently, many who are viewing the news are not familiar with Sanibel, and the advantages of the Island are being passed around between friends and family.

Some of them, but not all, are outlined in the Coastal Living Magazine article where the winners were announced.

Calling the Island "a pastel dream", the editors note that Sanibel won for "combining pale blue skies, white-sand beaches, and millions of seashells that have literally built the island on which it sits".

As if that were not enticement enough for a would be vacationer to take notice, this description certainly would capture the attention of  even the most seasoned traveler:  "As for the quiet, away-from-it-all life that Sanibel offers its 6,469 residents, consider that there are no stoplights, nor buildings taller than the tallest palm tree. And the shell-seekers know that Bowman's Beach, a natural stretch accessible only via pedestrian bridge, is one of the best for shelling (and birding)."

Of course none of this is news to our residents, return visitors or even local non islanders.

But the more the benefits of Sanibel vacations become known, the more likely it is that the rush to discover our nature , our beauty and our unique offerings will take place. 

It will be interesting to monitor how much of a bump this title and the subsequent news coverage will cause for tourism on the Island.

We are torn between wanting to keep our special secret among those who already know and love us, and also wanting to share the bounty.

We thank everyone who voted for Sanibel in this competition and hope you do take pride in your accomplishment.