|
|
 |
|
Travel Guides: All Countries / North America / USA / Florida / Gulf Coast / Cape Coral
|  | Travel Reviews : Cape Coral |
|
| | | | Review by visitor
Cape Coral for the Uk visitor
I did this little guide for someone and it was suggested I put this up as a separate topic. So here goes.
Note that this is my view from a UK visitor perspective (I visit 3 or 4 times a year). I am sure locals may have have other views.
Time to visit: Surprising to most UK visitors, February-April is the peak renting season. This is because the snowbirds come down from Canada and New York areas to rent for a month or more. Also some of baseball teams do their pre season training in Fort Myers. This can make it difficult for an Easter holiday visit. Sept and Oct are probably the quietest part of the year.
Places to eat: I find Rumrunners at Cape Harbor is the best quality restaurent. Although pricier than most in the areas, the $/£ conversion means that it is OK for a UK visitor. I have been many times and is great either for that special occasion or for a quick snack. I also like the fact that it has a proper bar which you can relax and get a drink. On the other end of the scale I like Leaping Lizard (straight on the right when entering Cape Coral) ... cheap and chearful and great for beer on returning from the beach on Sanibel or Captiva.
Jason's Deli and Ruby Tuesdays are other favourite eating places for us.
For shopping: the Miromar outlets down the I75 (30 mins) is great for all those branded clothes eg Timberland, Nike, CK etc. For a UK visitor Timberland is especially cheap. The Edison Mall in Fort Myers is also worth walking round. And of course electronics such as IPODs etc are much cheaper ... try Best Buy and Circuit city for these whilst there is a camera shop in Edison Mall that had great staff when I was buying a camera last year.
For groceries we normally go to Publix.. these do have UK brands if you are willing to pay for them. Publix tends to have the right quality vs price for us... strangly we do find supermarket shopping in the states expensive compared to here. Target is also another good brand to look out for... somewhat like the Tesco non food area!
Beaches: Cape Coral beach is manmade and is also on the river. Dont let this put you off. If you just want to go for a few hours and dont want to drive.. it is perfectly acceptable. However, the best beaches are a little drive away. Fort Myers beach should be lively enough for teenagers with plenty of attractions and water sports, and of course Sanibel and Captiva beachs are probably 40 mins away and good if you are going for the day. Our favourites are Bowmans beach as its so quiet most of the time and of course Captiva Beach right at the top - there are some good bars and restarants up there as well. Parking is limited in this area. Try the Dairy Queen near the causeway on your way back. You will need to take plenty of suntan lotion and/or take some shade with you as there is nothing near the beaches. We have bought sun shades from some of the sports shops for $40 which do the trick as it can get very hot.
Attractions: well the beaches are the main attraction but a UK visitor may want to combine this as a two centre holiday in Orlando or Miami or just go up to Orlando for a few days. Its really too far to drive for a daytrip. You can also take the boat down to Key West for an overnighter. I would go for a trip to the Everglades for a day driving yourself, but you will see more if you go on a guided bus trip. We picked ours up from the Ding Ding Nature Reserve, a great place to visit in its own right of course.
Getting there: We arrive either via Tampa or Miami and then drive. You can get a flight from Miami for Fort Myers but we dont think its worth the extra cost and by the time you have transferred then you could be halfway down Aligator Alley (an experience in itself). If we have a preference we would go to Tampa as the car hire is in the airport carpark. There is a 5-10 min bus journey in Miami.
Miami can also be difficult to get out of if you are travelling at peak times. Lastly we find customs a little quicker at Tampa ie 1 hour instead of 2!
Accomodation: mostly people rent villas (single family homes) which generally have 3 or 4 beds and 2 or 3 baths and caged pool area. In Cape Coral, you may or may not have a canal at the back of the garden... something to be aware of if you have small kids. Canal homes generally cost more to rent (but not always.
The other option is a Condo (apartment) which usually has two bedrooms and two baths, and usually has a shared pool. Some condos have limited rentals so you may have to rent for a month at a time and you may also need to get approval from a condo association to stay.
There are not many hotels in Cape Coral, but this may be an option if you dont want to make your own bed each day! Casa Loma was perfectly acceptable when we stayed there 18 months ago.
For renting for a vacation I would probably stay in either the SW or SE of the Cape as this reduces the drive to other areas along the coast. The SE is the older end of the City and also has the main 'town centre'. The SW generally has newer and more expensive looking homes especially close to Cape Harbor. You will see many homes for sale at the current time and dont be surprised to see many 'empty lots' ie pieces or ground where there are no homes. In this area, people buy the land and then build a home. There are generally few developments where every home is built at the same time.
Review by Tony Craven from Worsley
The area of Cape Coral and the Sanibel and Captiva islands are well worth a visit. The islands are beautiful and we would recommend watching the sun set over the Gulf from any Captiva Beach, complete with pelicans diving and osprey taking fish from the sea before us. As the sun finally set visitors actually applauded (yes, it's that good). The boat trips from Captiva are a must, especially the dolphin-watching. These animals swam on cue alongside the boat, jumping and spinning out of the water. The Gulf is beautiful to swim in and the beaches uncrowded. Florida is a fabulous state to visit. That's why we often go back there.
Review by Dale Brock from Salisbury
Cape Coral is very clean and gives the general impression is that it is a newly developed area. The road lay-out is a bit confusing at first, but after a day or so of driving around you soon familiarise yourself with the area and the main access routes to local places of interest.
Restaurants and supermarkets are in abundance and are close by. It is an ideal location to visit Fort Myers and the islands of Sanibel, Captiva and Pine Island.
|
|
|
|
|
Sorry, there is currently no general information available for this destination.
| | Available rental properties in Cape Coral |
|
| |  | | Villa Blue Dolphin
Luxury spacious villa in Cape Coral. The villa features lush, mature planting ensuring a private patio and pool area, surround sound, and 3 car garage
|  | | Tuscany Court
Luxury spacious condo in Cape Coral. The Tuscany inspired development features landscaping, cabana and pool area, and upgraded kitchen.
|
Holiday Rentals in Cape Coral |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
