DESTINATIONS FLORIDA | WINTER SUN


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Combine wildlife and winter sun on the sandy beaches of southwest Florida, says Deborah Cicurel


ver there! Over there!” The boat sputters to a halt and everybody falls silent. Perching on top of a wooden pole, a


bald eagle stares haughtily down at us, oblivious to our indiscreet gaping. She helpfully poses for pictures, and even when her silence is broken by the blast of another ship’s horn, refuses to leave her post; after all, you don’t get a better sunbathing spot than this. We’re sailing from Florida’s swanky Captiva Island to the untouched isle of Cayo Costa State Park with Captiva Cruises, and the disdainful-looking bald eagle is far from the only exciting creature we’ve spotted on our way. As we sail through Pine Island Sound, dolphins leap into the air beside the boat, buoyed by the whooping of passengers, and later, as we disembark, we spot a lazy manatee floating indolently in the water.


travelweekly.co.uk 5 SEPTEMBER 2019


It turns out that spotting a whole host of animals


wherever you go is a regular occurrence on the beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel, where I’ve come for some much-needed winter sun. Located on southwest Florida’s Gulf Coast, the destination has 50 miles of white-sand beaches, more than 100 subtropical islands and 270 days of sunshine: the perfect recipe to convince you to ditch the blankets and hot water bottles and hop on a flight to Southwest Florida International. But while winter sun can mean simply lazing on a


quiet beach with a good book (and Cayo Costa State Park, which has nine miles of undeveloped shoreline and is only accessible by boat, is certainly a good spot for such luxuries) I found that in this destination, there are so many active adventures to cram in that – unless you’re a bald eagle – there’s no excuse to spend all your time sunbathing. ²


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