Spring Break: Sanibel – Part One

Finally sharing our Spring Break trip recap with you!  This is part one of more than one post.  So much to share!  We absolutely loved Sanibel and Captiva!  I’ve been asked why we chose Sanibel of all places.  As I mentioned before, we seriously booked our trip late on Thursday night and left early on Saturday morning.  With Wheeler testing positive for the flu on Monday, we just weren’t sure yet if the other kiddos would get it, so we didn’t want to book it until we knew everyone was *hopefully* in the clear.  We actually tried looking in the Keys again, but everything was booked.  No shock there.  So we were randomly looking around and Sanibel popped up.  The place we booked had one room left, so we got lucky.  Be prepared for major photo overload…

The kids were so excited to finally arrive!  The Keys took us 14 hours last year, this year it was a little shorter, around 10 hours.

Wore this for the road trip.  This top is so soft and comfy! // Shorts // Flip Flops (currently on sale for $19.50) // Sunnies (Seriously my favorite lenses I own, there’s just something about Maui Jim lenses that are just better.  Also available here.)

On where we stayed…

So I guess when you book last minute and it’s late at night, you don’t look at all the details.  Haha.  We thought we were staying on Sanibel Island, but when we almost started to head over the bridge to the island, the directions had us veer right.  We stayed at the Marriott Sanibel Harbour (the one on the right).  We loved it there.  There were two pools, one was much larger and had more lounge chairs and a bar/food service.  It reminded us of where we stayed in the Keys last year, but the smaller one was almost deserted.  We preferred that one.  Less people and I could watch the kids easier, in full sight.  I’ll share more pics of our place in a later post.

How cute is this little wooden purse I ordered before our trip?  I’d seen it everywhere and had it on my wish list.  So before our trip, I decided to finally pull the trigger.  I’m so glad I did!  It’s so cute and the quality is great!  It’s now back in stock too! // Tassel Bracelets (set of 7; currently on sale)

The first morning, we went to Island Cow for breakfast.  Our favorite breakfast spot of the week, for sure!

Wheeler learned to play this Dot Game while we were there.  She won, of course.

Chicken & Waffles – amazing!

We sat in the front area (semi-outside).  We didn’t know the back area existed until after we finished eating.  If we did, we definitely would’ve sat out back for our meal.  There was so much for the kids to play with out there.  FYI – If you go with kids, make sure to ask to sit out back.

After breakfast, we visited the Sanibel Lighthouse.

The vegetation on the entire island is absolutely beautiful!

What I Wore

Top // Shorts // Sandals // Sunglasses // Bracelets // Bra

My oldest with my youngest.  Makes my heart so full.

Don’t think Lanier will be able to fit them both on his shoulders much longer.  Makes me sad.  They grow up too fast!

Such a great cover-up!  Currently 25% off with code: HOPTOIT.

The next day we headed to Tarpon Bay Explorers.  The kids loved touching all the little creatures.

A great presentation!

Afterward, we headed to the coolest playground on the island.

Love that most of it was covered.

We headed to Gramma Dot’s for lunch.  When we walked in, we were a little wary we’d have to wait a while to be seated as it was pretty busy, but it took no time at all.  Maybe 15 minutes?

Still can’t believe how many coconuts were actually still in the palm trees all over the island!

My sweet Logan is growing up way too fast.  Can’t believe he’ll be in kindergarten this Fall?!?

If you visit Gramma Dot’s, get the fried oyster sandwich.  So good!  I also loved the She-Crab Soup.  The waitresses were super friendly.  Just great all-around, quick service!  I will also say that almost every restaurant we visited had crayons and something for the kids to draw on.  So lucky that they’re at the age right now that they’re content with just that.  I’ve had a few readers email asking if I ever let my kids play on phones, tablets or iPads at the table.  I don’t.  But that’s not to say I wouldn’t.  They’ve just never asked.  At home, we don’t eat out that often, so after eating out more this past week, they surprised me at how well they behaved at the table.

Pinocchio’s was a delicious after-lunch treat!

Get the Dirty Sand Dollar!  Delicious!  They top every ice cream scoop with an animal cracker.

What I Wore

Top // Necklace (only $38) // Shorts // Clutch // Sandals

For more pics from our outing, head back to this post.

I know he’s growing up, but he’ll always be my baby.  (Notice the lounge chair in front of me.  This is why I didn’t like the other larger pool.  If I wanted to sit in my lounge chair and watch them play and swim, I couldn’t.  So I didn’t.)

The cutest straw hat.  And y’all, this bikini top is only $36!

All snuggled in to watch The Dolphin Tale.  This was our first time watching it.  If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s so good!  Completely G-rated.  We loved it so much, we considered stopping by Clearwater to visit Winter the Dolphin on our way back.  Lanier was ready to get home, but maybe next time!

Told y’all, lots of pics, haha.  And that’s only the first two days!

Hope y’all have a wonderful weekend!  We’re heading back on the road this weekend for a quick trip.

TGIF, Y’all!