It’s no secret I love visiting Florida, as many Ohioans do. It tends to be my favorite vacation location, both with and without my children. We have spent time in Orlando, St. Pete’s, Naples, Daytona Beach, and now, Cape Coral. This visit was our first to the Gulf Coast town, and we enjoyed four sun-filled days at a luxury apartment rental overlooking the Caloosahatchee River. The sprawling private residence was a lucky Airbnb find and included access to the gorgeous pool and backyard oasis, which we found unbelievably peaceful and relaxing.
We ate at several non-chain, local spots, including Lobster Lady, a small, hip seafood market and eatery with lots of amazing fresh catches and cool cocktail options. I enjoyed a lobster roll and a sushi appetizer. We also toured the Wicked Dolphin, a local, small-batch rum distillery offering free tours and tastings, and we learned the ins and outs of the rum business while sipping coconut and key lime-flavored rums.
We took a day to venture out of Cape Coral. We visited the Sanibel/Captiva Island areas. We enjoyed breakfast at the colorful, quirky Island Cow. We took a stroll through the tropical J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, spotting various bird species and even a sizable gator! The Bubble Room restaurant was a very unique, nostalgic spot full of old movie memorabilia, and we indulged in two of their famous cake choices, Orange Crunch and Tropical Breeze.
Back at our rental, we loved taking peaceful, scenic long walks in the neighborhood and enjoying scoping out the homes, which all boasted water access in the rear of their properties due to 400 miles of canals running through the city, which I found very interesting! We stopped at a small coffee and breakfast joint called Perk & Brew and chatted with the owner, who happened to be from the buckeye state also! There was a laid-back, happy vibe throughout the area, and every day was full of sunshine and palm trees. If you haven’t checked out Cape Coral or Southwest Florida in general, you must add it to your vacation bucket list
God bless!
Links for the sites mentioned above:
https://www.lobsterladyseafood.com/
https://twitter.com/wickedolphin
https://www.instagram.com/wickeddolphin/
https://www.instagram.com/theislandcow/
https://www.facebook.com/TheIslandCow/?fref=ts
https://www.fws.gov/refuge/JN_Ding_Darling/
https://www.bubbleroomrestaurant.com/home
This is an independent review. There was no compensation paid by any of the above-mentioned entities.
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