Best of Sanibel Captiva 2009 Calendar

The 2009 Best of Sanibel Captiva Calendar is now available!
Get yours and spend a year on the Islands!

The 2009 calender features stunning, full-color pictures of both Sanibel and Captiva Islands courtsey of Best of Sanibel Captiva Message Board Member - Photos by Glenna.

Each calendar includes:
• 100 lb cover weight paper throughout
• wire-o bound
• a 2010 preview
• U.S. holidays indicated
• Each page Measures 8.5” x 11”, overall size of 11” x 17” when hanging

Warm up your home and office space - Visit the BestofSanibelCaptiva.com Cool Stuff Store and get your calendar today! (They make great Holiday gifts too!)

Black Friday Sanibel Island Style

Tahitian Gardens is having a sidewalk sale this Friday, November 28 through Sunday, November 30.

Come get your Holiday shopping done - all of the shops have great selections for everyone on your list and many are discounting items up to 50%. Everyone loves a gift from Sanibel!

Tahitian Gardens is located at 1975 Periwinkle Way.

Guess Who?

How many islanders and frequent visitors can name this handsome young man?
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Give up? That's none other than Sam Bailey!

Born and raised on Sanibel Island, Sam Bailey's family history dates back to the late 1800s, a time when life on this Gulf Coast island was difficult and the people who lived there were hard working and hardy.

In his newly released book, A Sanibel Son Looks Back, Bailey tells the tale of what it was like to grow up on this tiny but magnificently beautiful island and takes readers on journey back to the rugged early years of this now world-famous vacation get-away.

A Launch Party and book signing for A Sanibel Son Looks Back will be held at the Sanibel Community Center, 2173 Periwinkle Way, Saturday December 13th from 6 to 8 pm.

Sanibel Orchid Show, Sidewalk Sale & Art Show

The 15th annual Orchid Show and Sidewalk Sale starts today and continues through Sunday, from 10-5 each day.

Orchids are available to purchase and lectures on orchid care and repotting will take place throughout the weekend.

Various stores are also holding a sidewalk sale, with some deep discounts - perfect for holiday shopping!

The Village Shops are at 2340 Periwinkle Way.



Sanibel Tree Tops Art Show
A unique group of local artists are gathering for the first annual Tree Tops Art Show. Partial proceeds will benefit F.I.S.H. (Friends in Service Here), a Sanibel based group that provides many community services for people in need of food, transportation and reassuring support.

The event will be held November 22nd from 10am to 3pm at Tree Tops Center 1101 Periwinkle Way on Sanibel Island (across from the Dairy Queen).

Local artists are looking forward to displaying their works and raising funds for a worthy cause. Art to include: Original Paintings, Wooden Creations, Stained Glass, CeramicsMosaic Stepping Stones, Candles, Children's Art, And More!

Thanksgiving on Sanibel and Captiva Islands

Don't feel like cooking on your vacation but still want all the traditional Thanksgiving goodies?

BestofSanibelCaptiva.com has got you covered with delicious restaurant suggestions as well as fully cooked dinner packages.

Follow this link to our Message Board for all the details.

Sanibel Island Among the Best in the World - 5 years in a row!

Once again Sanibel Island has been named as one of “the best in the world” in Condé Nast Traveler magazine’s 21st Annual Readers’ Choice Awards. This is the 5th year in a row that Sanibel has received this honor.

According to Condé Nast Traveler Editor-in-Chief Klara Glowczewska remarked that “The highest standards of hospitality are achieved without sacrificing the distinct qualities of local cultures and concerns. In fact, the definition of excellence is continually being revised upward."

SCCF Sale

More holiday gift ideas!

The Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation is having a Porch Sale this coming Friday, November 21 from 9am - 4pm.

Items for sale include t-shirts and children's toys all marked at 50% off.

The SCCF is located at 3333 Sanibel-Captiva Road, near Mile Marker 1. Cash and checks only, please.

Doc Ford's Sanibel for the Holidays

Here's a terrific idea for anyone on your gift giving list - a Doc Ford's Sanibel Rum Bar & Grille Gift Certificate.
Everyone loves Doc's food & drink and ordering couldn't be easier; its all on-line! Select the amount you wish to give and let Doc Ford’s take care of everything. Mojito anyone?

Head to Doc Ford’s Sanibel web site and Give the Gift of Good Taste Today!

A Thistle Lodge Thanksgiving

Dine at Sanibel Island's historic Thistle Lodge this Thanksgiving.

Thistle Lodge is pleased to serve a Thanksgiving Buffet on Thursday, November 27, 2008 from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

The exquisitely prepared Thanksgiving Buffet is an excellent choice for a fine holiday meal that your entire family will enjoy. Traditional holiday fare, along with Sanibel favorites, will be offered. Reservations are required.

Click the image above to see the Holiday Menu.

Make your reservations today! Call 239.472.9200

Thistle Lodge Beachfront Restaurant
at historic Casa Ybel Resort
Sanibel Island

Sanibel Arms West Announces Baseball, Beach & Bikes Package

Stay at Sanibel Arms West for one week during February and March 2009 and enjoy their "Baseball, Beach & Bikes Package" for Spring Training 2009!

• 2 bedroom/2 bath Gulf Side Condominium
• Complimentary use of 2 adult bicycles during your stay
• 2 Complimentary tickets to either a Twins or Red Sox spring training baseball game
• 2 Sanibel Arms West coolie cup holders to keep your beverage cold at the game or on the beach

This package is available for weekly rentals only (7 nights) at a rate of $2150 plus tax.
Packages are available for each week of the Spring Training schedule.
Reservations must be booked by January 31, 2009.
Reservations can ONLY be made by calling Sanibel Arms West direct at 800.950.1138 (toll free).

Captiva Sunset

In our travels through the internet, we came across this beautiful photo taken on Captiva in 1992 and featured in National Geographic.....Enjoy!

Sunset and Palm Trees, Captiva Island, Florida, 1992
Photograph by Raymond Gehman

A fuchsia sunset backdrops a stand of palm trees on Florida's Captiva Island. Captiva is one of four quiet barrier islands on the Gulf coast of Florida - Sanibel, North Captiva, and Cayo Costa are the others - renowned as havens for boating, fishing, and seashell-collecting.

All hands on deck for the Sink or Win Contest

OK, its not exactly about Sanibel or Captiva, but Ft. Myers is close enough! Raise your hand if you'd like a new boat....

Win a new boat at the Fort Myers Boat Show

One lucky contestant will win a new 18' Angler Center Console with a t-top, 115 HP Suzuki motor and an aluminum trailer from Boater's Warehouse in the "Sink or Win" Contest, announced boat show organizer John Good.

Eight contestants will be chosen at random from online registrants to participate in the endurance portion of the contest. Each contestant will place one hand on the prize boat at 9 a.m. on Nov. 13. The last one to keep their hand on the boat will win it.

Contest rules provide for 15 minute breaks once every three hours. Contestants will not be permitted to have their cell phones, read books or do other things to entertain themselves while in the contest. There will also be a live web-cam set up to capture every moment of the contest.

"We wanted to make it difficult to win," said Good. "But not so hard that the contestants won't have a little fun. The contest should add an element of excitement to the already interesting boat show."

To register for a chance to win visit www.fortmyersboatshow.com and other sponsor sites including The News-Press, NBC-2, ABC-7, 95.3 OLZ, Cat Country 107.1, Smooth Jazz 100.1, and 105.5 The Beat. Registration opens Oct. 24 and closes on Nov. 9. One contestant will be chosen from each site on Nov. 10 in preparation for the contest start on Nov. 13.

The 36th Annual Fort Myers Boat Show will take place along the waterfront of the Fort Myers City Yacht Basin on Edwards Drive and Monroe Street and in the Harborside Event Center November 13 – 16.

This year the show will feature 800 boats from more than 150 manufacturers with exhibits and information about indoor and outdoor water-oriented lifestyles and activities available in Southwest Florida.

Boat show attendees can watch the contest as well as view and purchase the newest models of a broad variety of vessels from dinghies to yachts and experience the newest in boating related equipment and accessories. Other activities include fishing, water-safety and SCUBA diving seminars and exhibits featuring vessel storage, financing options, luxury waterfront communities and more.

Admission to the show is $9.00 per person, with children 12 and under attending for free. Discount coupons are available online at www.fortmyersboatshow.com . Park and ride event parking is available at the City of Palms Park / Red Sox Stadium.

For more information about the Fort Myers Boat Show, the contest and discount tickets call (239) 656-7083 or visit www.fortmyersboatshow.com . Contest specific questions should be sent to contest@spiroandassociates.com .