People who know Boca Grande, know the Historic District is the best place to stay. My house is very private but also close to the beach, shops and restaurants. Boca Grande has no traffic lights, sprawling resorts or snowbird traffic jams -- just privacy, gorgeous white sand beaches, outstanding shops and excellent restaurants (like Key West without the crowds). Golf carts and bicycles are the best way to get around Boa Grande. It is an exclusive, barrier island just north of Sanibel and Captiva islands on the west coast of Florida, close to the Sarasota/Bradenton and Fort Myers' airports, as well as the Tampa airport (2 hours away) which offer daily service from more than 20 airlines. (Once you arrive, I have drivers who can pick you up and bring you right to my front door and all you will need is a golf cart and bikes to navigate the island.)
My charming house, in the historic district, near town and the beach (honestly!) was built in 1911 at the same time as the world-renowned Gasparilla Inn just 1 1/2 blocks away (a real plus, explained shortly). My home provides many of the same amenities as the inn and some extras as well – your own private pool and a front screen porch for eating meals and then curling up with a good book and nap on the comfy couch.
My home has four bedrooms, sleeps 6 comfortably and has an excellent cook's kitchen with gas range and sharp Wustof knives. High-speed, wireless Internet access, 42-inch flat screen and a Weber grill as well as a charcoal grill for those who prefer that. Very important: Tempur-Pedic in master bedroom, comfy beds, soft sheets and pillows. People have traveled thousands of miles from 7 countries, 37 U.S. states and 40 Florida cities/towns (some as close as Siesta Key, a barrier island 45 minutes from Boca Grande!) to stay in my home -- many are repeat renters for years (have become friends) and have told their friends and family (please check out my reviews).
In 1911 the only way to get to Boca Grande was by train. However, in 1958 a causeway was built and then in the early 1980's a bike path was constructed in place of the railroad track and now runs the 8-mile length of the island. Boca Grande is known as an artists' community with many shows, has one-of-a-kind shops and fabulous restaurants right around the corner from me. Shell on the spectacular beaches, swim in the aqua blue Gulf of Mexico with the dolphins and manatees. You can kayak in Charlotte Harbor to White Pelican Island, where you will find the largest population in southeastern U.S. Bike to one of the two lighthouses on the island including the historic museum lighthouse at the south end. Play tennis, take yoga and Pilates and have a massage when you are finished (directions and names will be provided by me). Many golf courses just off the island. Guides available for tarpon fishing or backwater fishing for snook, snapper and grouper. Want to see the dolphins and manatees? Three options: Take your own boat (boat dock and trailer parking available upon request), rent a boat or hire one of the cruise charters. Hungry but love to cook? Head on down to Whidden's Marina to meet the shrimp boat! (I’m on the call list and will text you when the boat comes in).
Places in the Gasparilla Inn (open to the public) to visit and enjoy:
1. BZ’s is a room from a bygone era with a pecky cypress bar front and ceiling with comfy upholstered sofas and chairs. Enjoy cocktails/snacks here or on the adjoining porch overlooking the golf course.
2. Elegant dining room serves breakfast (try their oatmeal pancakes) and/or their 4-course dinner daily. Again, you will feel like you’ve stepped into another time.
3. The Pelican Room, built in 1932, where my husband, a photographer, and I spent an hour taking pictures in 1999 of the then 28-member George H.W. Bush family who are landowners, as well as frequent visitors to the island. Pool and backgammon are options here.
4. The Inn Shop and The Inn Boutique for special gifts and clothes (the first one just as you enter the front of the hotel on your left) and the other (just down the hallway on your right).
Just around the corner from me, owned by the Gasparilla Inn and also open to the public are:
1. The Pink Elephant, known as “The Pink” a restaurant that has been there for 60+ years which won the 2018 Wine Spectator “Award of Excellence.”
2. The Inn Bakery is a casual café (sit inside or out) that offers a wide variety of coffees, morning pastries and later on lunch including quiche, sandwiches and soups.
3. The Inn Marina & Sport Fishing is located just 4 blocks from my home on the bay side. You can bring your boat, launch and dock it, buy fuel and bait. Boca Grande is known as “the tarpon capital of the world” and they run from May to July in the Boca Grande Pass. I (or Brian Knight, the manager of the marina) can provide you with names of the best guides for tarpon, snook, grouper, snapper, mackerel and kingfish.
4. James Griffith Hair Salon specializes in hair, nail and skincare (facial) services. While the salon resides in the Gasparilla Spa building (owned by the Inn and not open to the public), it as well as the shop just as you enter the salon are open to the public.
I take great care to help you have a stress-free, memorable vacation. Susan Mansfield
