Sanibel, Captiva & Boca Grande vacation rentals

Sanibel curves east to west instead of running north to south like most barrier islands, and that shape catches the shells Gulf currents push ashore. Its beaches are among the best-known shelling spots in North America, and the bent-over posture of people searching the tide line has a local name: the Sanibel stoop. A large share of the island is protected land, much of it in the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, where Wildlife Drive and the mangrove trails are full of roseate spoonbills, ibis and wading birds.

You reach Sanibel by the Sanibel Causeway from Punta Rassa, and Captiva by a short bridge over Blind Pass at Sanibel's north end. Rentals are low-rise: beach cottages, older island homes and small condo complexes, many a bike ride from the sand on the island's long shared-use paths. Boca Grande, on Gasparilla Island to the north, is reached by its own causeway and is known for golf carts, quiet streets and tarpon fishing in Boca Grande Pass.

Things to do near your rental

• J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge and Wildlife Drive
• Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum on Sanibel
• The Sanibel Lighthouse at the island's east end
• Boat trips from Captiva into Pine Island Sound, out to Cabbage Key and Cayo Costa