Myself and 3 friends have been vacationing once a year w/o husbands for over 10 years now. We mostly go to the Panhandle of FL, but want something different this year. We plan to go around the first week of June for 4 nights. We usually stay in a condo right on the Gulf and want something like it in Sanibel. We need two bedrooms with a King bed in the master and twin beds in the guest bedroom. We love to sit out on the balcony and drink our coffee and watch the surf in the morn and then our wine at sunset.
We cook in some so would need a fully functioning kitchen plus washer %26amp; dryer.. And two bathrooms! We usually have a car and drive but I heard in Sanibel if you%26#39;re at the right place you can walk to restaurants and delis. We would like to spend no more than $200 a night. Any ideas? Thanks in advance
Ladies Vacation
Hi Moe,
Sounds like a plan!
Re: Car rentals.. most restaurants on Sanibel are not near the beaches and so if you want to have a beach front accommodation you will likely want a car unless you are willing to perhaps bicycle to the eateries.
As far as condos are concerned, most will only rent weekly, usually Saturday- Saturday. The main exceptions that come to mind are Sanibel Inn and Sundial (both with on-site restaurants).
However, it is likely that if you wait until the last minute you can get a four night rental in any number of complexes- owners are often willing to rent less then a week rather than let the entire week go empty. And June is a time of year where you are likely to have a choice of rentals on a last minute basis. And most will be in your price range.
Ladies Vacation
Well beach front that%26#39;s a tough price point for under a week. You%26#39;ll need to go to a place that has nightly rentals with a 3 nite minimum, but even a number of those have 7 nites on the beachfront units. The bedding and baths are no problem as the vast majority of the units will have what you want. Some of the older complexes have the w/d on the floor, not always in the units. And if the 4 days are over a weekend, it can cost as much as a 7 nite stay.
Sundial Resort would meet your needs and has all the other goodies and even off season is nearly twice your price range. Sandalfoot, Sanibel Siesta, Sanibel Arms, Sanibel Arms West, and a few others - but not Sea Shells of Sanibel or Blind Pass as they are not on the beach. See www.sanibel-captiva.org and click on Where to Stay and then Condo Associations for info. You can check some of the cottages as well, but again, the beachfront units are usually more than you price range and cottages usually don%26#39;t have w/d in the units but have a communal laundry and many have only 1 bath.
The absolute best buy is often done by checking at the Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center as you come onto the island and get help in finding a unit. The prices can be amazing, but you have no idea what you%26#39;ll get but you will find great bargains.
Contact the rental agencies as well as off-season they are sometimes flexible on the 7 nite minimum. The CofC website also has hyperlinks to these under Resorts/Hotels/Vacation Rental Companies and also many can be found at www.scvrma.org
Note: Castaways Cottages at Blind Pass bridge are located directly adjacent to where the Army Corps of Engineers will have a major project re-opening the cut under the bridge this summer. Work is tentatively scheduled to start May/June.
I Just checked the web site of out rental agent to verify the prices in June. Our own unit rents for $1200 in June plus tax or $200/ night if we were to rent nightly. This is in the upper/ middle of the rate spread.
Assuming you can get a willing owner/ agency to rent for a three night minimum- I am sure Sanibel Siesta does in addition to the others I mentioned before- the nightly rate listed averages about:
$150 at Loggerhead Cay
$175 Pointe Santo
I didn%26#39;t see anything else on that web site that was relevent but I am sure there are lots others out there on VRBO, etc.
The rate per night would probably be a bit higher as these represent the nightly rate based on a week%26#39;s rental. But on a last minute basis I don%26#39;t think it would be much higher.
So I don%26#39;t think in June it would be that hard to get a rate around $200/ night
Just a rule of thumb MSC, take a weekly rate and divide by 5 [not 7] and that will approximate the actual nightly rate for less than 1 week rentals at most condo places. Last minute rentals are cheaper, and the ones done on island once you%26#39;re there the best price. You need to be a bit flexible and be willing to take Gulf view perhaps, or a community laundry - or maybe you%26#39;ll be lucky and get an awesome unit that%26#39;s exactly what you want at a bargain price. Owners will often offer discounts 30-60 days out. The closer you get, the bigger the discount. A few even have the discounts posted on their sites.
Still, I%26#39;ve stood in the CofC while they helped folks find a place and heard the rates. Almost had a heart attack at how low they were compared with what I paid when booking in advance. 30-50% off regular rates.
Never hurts to negotiate even with an agency if booking within 2-4 weeks of arrival. Not a big risk in June, again, if you%26#39;re a bit flexible.
I agree. I almost never have to rent nightly but if I do it%26#39;s last minute and the rate at that time is as I mentioned $200 which is 1/6 of the of the weekly rate.
So from what I can see, in June a $200 target shouldn%26#39;t be out of reach. But as Tourm said- the best bargains are found in the last 60 days and even better 30 days out.
I know what you mean about hearing other people rates. It%26#39;s even worse in the airline industry.....
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