# Casa Ybel Resort on Sanibel Island



## bccash63 (Feb 28, 2008)

Has anyone stayed here recently?  This would be for checking in on March 7, 2008.  I have a 24 hr hold.  Thanks, Dawn


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## Bwolf (Feb 28, 2008)

Haven't stayed there but the Sanibel Message Board mentions of Casa Ybel are favorable.

It has a children's program. Copied from a post by the admin of the SMB: the kid's programs do have a minimum age; Sundial allows for kids 4 - 12 and Casa Ybel 4 - 11. Check when you make reservations so you aren't dissapointed when you get there. The programs run during the day and do not include any kind of evening childcare. 

Here's the website, if you haven't already looked: http://www.casaybelresort.com/special.asp

The location is very good.  We stayed near there.  The beach is excellent for shelling and the kids we saw enjoyed playing in the sand and water.  You can walk far out into the ocean and still be in only 3 to 4 feet of water.

I'd take it.

HTH


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## silvib (Feb 28, 2008)

I'm staying there at the end of August and apart from a couple of reviews on TUG, I looked up www.tripadvisor.com and read some great write-ups on that.
The photographs on the Casa Ybel website look great, much better than II's photos.  I called the resort when I booked and was told they'd refurbished a couple of years'ago, after the hurricanes.

I accepted my exchange willingly enough though it wasn't my first choice, I thought its situation looked great.


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## Sea Six (Feb 28, 2008)

I stayed there a couple of years ago.  I had a second floor unit.  OK, except that the ground floor is a maintenenace level, the first floor units are actually on the second floor, so the second floor units are actually on the tihird floor.  Then I find out my unit is 2 stories, and the only bathroom is on the second floor (of my unit), which turns out to be the FOURTH FLOOR of the building.  Well, the point is, you'd better be OK with climbing steps at this place.  Plus, the beach faces south, not west, so you don't even get good sunsets.  I could go on, but that's enough for now.....


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## silvib (Feb 28, 2008)

Oops - I don't think my DH is going to enjoy those stairs!  The golf clubs will definitely be staying in the car.


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## Bwolf (Feb 29, 2008)

Interesting about the sunsets.

I'm sure you get a great sunrise.  We did.

So far as a good sunset, a walk along the beach until you pass the curve of the island should put you in a good position to see a good sunset.

For spectacular sunsets, many folks go to Captiva and hang out at the Mucky Duck.


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## Sea Six (Feb 29, 2008)

If you're travelling from Wisconsin to SW Florida, you shouldn't have to get in your car and drive to a place to see a great sunset over the water.  This is one of several reasons why Captiva is so much more desirable than Sanibel.


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## silvib (Feb 29, 2008)

Dawn - what did you do?  Take it or leave it?


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## bccash63 (Mar 1, 2008)

Actually it was for my dad who is retired--I was on Marco over New Years and have to work this week.  He is not going to take it so it will be released at midnight tonight if anyone is interested. Dawn


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## X-ring (Mar 4, 2008)

bccash63 said:


> He is not going to take it so it will be released at midnight tonight if anyone is interested.



It's unfortunate that you didn't have more information about the unit that was available to you. 

I exchanged into Casa Ybel 2 years ago and enjoyed it and Sanibel very much. The units at the resorts built originally by the Mariner Group (i.e. Casa Ybel, Tortuga Beach Club, Hurricane House etc.) are pretty identical - the upper level units have particulary inconvenient bathrooms (i.e. on the top floor) but the lower level units have a bathroom on the main floor. 

The sunsets on Captiva can be very beautiful. As for the other 23 hours of the day, I prefer to be on Sanibel which offers:

- 2 full 18-hole golf courses, accessible to the public
- public tennis courts
- two grocery stores offering choice and reasonable prices
- a large variety of restaurants
- several discretely placed shopping centers 
- museums
- a full library with Internet access for visitors 
- a performing arts center and a live theatre
- the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge.

Last but not least, from our unit at Tortuga Beach Club we can be on the causeway heading off the island within 3 minutes to go shopping or to pick someone up at the airport.  I would guess that just getting to the causeway from Captiva would take 30-40 minutes so any trip off island would entail an extra 1.5 hours of driving.


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## nsyman (Mar 5, 2008)

X-ring said:


> It's unfortunate that you didn't have more information about the unit that was available to you.
> 
> I exchanged into Casa Ybel 2 years ago and enjoyed it and Sanibel very much. The units at the resorts built originally by the Mariner Group (i.e. Casa Ybel, Tortuga Beach Club, Hurricane House etc.) are pretty identical - the upper level units have particulary inconvenient bathrooms (i.e. on the top floor) but the lower level units have a bathroom on the main floor.
> 
> ...



I agree. Plus it is easier to get around on Sanibel because of the great bike trails.


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