Marco Island: Things to do?

[NboroGirl]

My notes from 2012 say that we played golf twice at Hammock Bay (which we liked the best), twice at Rookery (which we also liked very much), and once at Eagle Lakes (which was not as memorable). The greens at the first two were some of the nicest I have ever played at----very 'true'. We paid a discounted fee of $75 then for morning times-----their web site now shows $219 !!!
(ezlinks has some $107 after 3pm).

We visited the Naples Farmer's market on Saturday, but liked the Marco one on Wednesday better----not sure if either is still in operation.

Do you have to be staying at the Marriott to golf at Hammock Bay and/or Rookery?

 

[TTom]

Our favorite restaurants on Marco are Verdi’s and Fin Bistro. Two places we hit on every trip (twice a year). Depends on what sort of food you like. Fin specializes in seafood. Verdi is more “continental.”

We’ve done La Tavola (also good), Marco Polo (large portions), Snook Inn (not bad, but not memorable), and we have done Red Rooster for breakfast, Mango’s for brunch, and Blue Dolphin(?) for Sunday brunch.

Quite a few good restaurants on the island!

 

[RNCollins]

Some helpful links:

Naples-Marco Island-Everglades Convention & Visitors Bureau
-provides a free guide

Media Center | Paradise Coast

Media Center Welcome to the Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention & Visitors Bureau Visit the online photo library to find destination photography for editorial use.We're sorry, but downloads for personal use are not permitted.Check the News Releas...

www.paradisecoast.com

Kayaking through the Mangroves

Marco Island Boat Tours

www.marcoisland-boattours.com

Kayak Marco Island | Tours & Rentals

Journey into the mangrove tunnels of Marco Island on a naturalist-led kayak tour! Family fun, entertaining and educational. Free HD photos included on every tour!

www.kayakmarco.com

 

[NHpauls]

I can help you narrow down your choices once you decide what you might want to do. I wouldn't make recommendations now without knowing more about what you want to do. Whatever you decide, DO plan on a boat trip (or maybe 3). You can't enjoy Marco without getting out on the water. If you want a fancy dinner on a 90 foot yacht, book the Marco Princess. To see the critters, book the Dolphin Explorer, to see the back water and 10,000 islands, I suggest Island Gypsy Excursions. The best way to see the area is book a guided wave runner tour. GET out on the water!

Sea Six: you seem very knowledgeable... we are staying in Weston, Fl & driving to the west coast for an overnight. Visiting the Gulf Coast Visitor Center (boat tour) than driving up to Ft Meyers to sleep & Sanibel the next day. Should be do Marco instead.? It’s closer. How are the 2 islands same & how are they diff? We are almost 80 yrs and just want to drive around and maybe walk alittle on the beach. If anyone else has comments, pls chime in! Thank you!

 

[#1 Cowboys Fan]

Do you have to be staying at the Marriott to golf at Hammock Bay and/or Rookery?

We weren't staying there. We used golfnow at the time. I didn't see them on golfnow or teeoff when I looked last week.

The resort fee is probably less than 'public rate". I liked those courses----but not at $200 + !!!!

 

[rapmarks]

Sea Six: you seem very knowledgeable... we are staying in Weston, Fl & driving to the west coast for an overnight. Visiting the Gulf Coast Visitor Center (boat tour) than driving up to Ft Meyers to sleep & Sanibel the next day. Should be do Marco instead.? It’s closer. How are the 2 islands same & how are they diff? We are almost 80 yrs and just want to drive around and maybe walk alittle on the beach. If anyone else has comments, pls chime in! Thank you!

I think if it is the only time you will visit you would want to see sanibel and Captiva, but be aware it will be heavy traffic. Seasix lives on Marco, and he knows more about it, but other than the beach, not much there. On sanibel you can drive through ding darling, go up to bubble room, but you will have a long ride if going back to Weston.
By the way, are you taking alligator alley or 41 to the boat tour. Lots of interesting things to see on 41 but slower.

 

[NHpauls]

I think if it is the only time you will visit you would want to see sanibel and Captiva, but be aware it will be heavy traffic. Seasix lives on Marco, and he knows more about it, but other than the beach, not much there. On sanibel you can drive through ding darling, go up to bubble room, but you will have a long ride if going back to Weston.
By the way, are you taking alligator alley or 41 to the boat tour. Lots of interesting things to see on 41 but slower.

Thank you! We are going west on 41 to the gulf coast & then Alligator to go back to Weston. Planning on 4 hrs to go from Sanibel back to Weston. Seem about right?

 

[NHpauls]

Thank you! We are going west on 41 to the gulf coast & then Alligator to go back to Weston. Planning on 4 hrs to go from Sanibel back to Weston. Seem about right?

Forgot to add: going on 41 west and doing the tram at Shark Valley then on to the boat ride at Gulf Visitor center. We will do Ding Darling tram on Sanibel and drive out to see Captiva & then leave around 2pm to head back to Weston

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you plan on taking the tram trip at Shark Valley, buy your tickets on line. You pick them up there, but otherwise, it may be sold out. You need bug spray every time you go to Shark Valley. We liked the tram tour a lot better than just walking the path back. There are a lot of alligators that lie along the path or even on the path. We moved to Marco Island from Louisiana and we have always known you don't mess with an alligator. They can be a lot faster than you imagine. Also parking can be hard at Shark Valley if you get there later in the morning. The parking lot is small and you may have to wait in line at the entrance just to get into the parking lot. I've seen cars park outside the park along the roadway, but it can be a longer walk into the park from the road (Tamiami Trail).

My son lives in Miami and often works in Weston. It takes him nearly an hour to get to Weston from Miami Beach where he lives. To get to Marco Island from Miami Beach takes about two hours. Marco to Sanibel takes about two hours since both are a distance off the interstate (I-75). You don't want to stay on Tamiami all the way.

For breakfast on the island, we like going to Nene's Kitchen. Red Rooster is often packed (it's pretty small) and doesn't have a very big menu. Doreen's is too noisy for us because of the tin ceiling. We seldom go there. All three of these will not be open after 2PM after early April and then again until mid-November. They run on the season. Check you plans before you head out if you are there mid-April to mid-Nov since many restaurants may be closed on some days, closed for a week or two since it is off season or may just run shorter hours.

Before we moved here, we liked to stay at Marco Beach Ocean Resort (MBOR) because each unit had at least a kitchenette (there are units for sale as some are condos and not hotel units). We also had a couple of weeks at Charter Club which is our favorite timeshare on the island. We just sold our last week since we only live 1.7 miles from the Residents' Beach now and don't need a timeshare two miles from our house. We also rented a Club Regency once and, while it was nice, most units do not face the beach. Every Charter Club unit faces the beach (north building is closer to the beach). Eagles Nest was okay, but the units were darker and smaller than Charter Club.

The biggest problem with Marco is the lack of parking in many areas. If you need to drive to the beach, you'll have to park closer to the south end of the beach (and pay for daily parking).

When we stayed at Charter Club, we liked to walk over to Stilts at Crystal Shores (Marriott timeshare). We haven't been there in a while. All the construction at Crystal Shores is pretty much done. Same with the Marriott and Hilton hotels.

 

[NHpauls]

Thank you for all that detail! It helps!

 

[rapmarks]

Yes to everything deb and bill said. After your boat ride, as you leave Everglades city at the stop light at the intersection with 41 just continue to take 29 north and you will be able to get on i75 and I don’t believe you will be charged a toll. Then you can continue on i75 west and north to get off for Sanibel Island. I believe it is the Daniels exit. That will be the slow part of the trip. Hopefully you will be able to park at one of the beaches along the gulf. You will pass our exit, 123

 

[rapmarks]

You are right Little Bar it is.
It is a lot bigger than it looks more restaurant than Bar

I always thought it referred to a sand bar in the water making a little bay.

 

[Sea Six]

Marco and Sanibel are quite different. Marco is more about boat trips, dinner cruises, fishing, wave runner tours, eco tours, etc. Most of Marco is private, so beach access is limited, unless you stay at a resort on the beach. Sanibel and Captiva have more public access to the beach, but the public parking areas get parked in quite early during season. Ding Darling is no big deal - if you go to Google Earth and look at the entire southwest Florida, there is nothing special about that space, other than nobody can build on it. Consider being a migrating bird, and from the air there is no attraction. There is MUCH more open space and wildlife down by Marco. If you do go to Captiva, look into the boat ride to Cabbage Key and get a cheeseburger in Paradise. There are many nice restaurants on Captiva, but you will have to make your own fun. Many people suggest 1st timers go to the Bubble Room for dinner (I'm sure you would like the 50's toys under glass in the tables, the Bubble Scout uniforms, and the trains running around the ceiling - get the grouper in a bag! DELICIOUS!), but we like the Green Flash and Timbers. Also, we consider Captiva to be one of the most beautiful beaches ANYWHERE, but there are no shells there. Sanibel has lots of shells, but I always considered Marco the best place for shelling. If you decide on Marco, you will need to know how to find the only 2 public beach access sites - South Beach and Tigertail Beach. Best way to see Marco - get a room at the Marriott JW.

PS: During season it can take an HOUR just to get from the causeway from Ft Myers to Captiva. It's a LONG 2 lane road, and every time somebody wants to make a left turn, you're STUCK. We used to take day trips up there, but we have rarely been back since they increased the bridge toll to $6.
In my opinion, San/Cap has not been the same since hurricane Charlie

 

[Sea Six]

You've got more planned than you can fit into a day trip

 

[Bxian]

We just came back from 2 weeks at the Charter Club-our home away from home.
The Oyster Society has great food and live music sometimes-we also like The Little Bar, Dolphin Tiki Bar and Mangoes, Le Be Fish is a small, very casual place with fresh caught fish every day. Tesoro at the JW was very good but pricey. Bikes are allowed on a lot of the sidewalks, so it is easy to go on bike rides. Great ice cream at Sweet Annies and great gelato at Dolce Mare. Movies at Marco Movies on a rainy day. We loved our Dolphin Explorer trip. We just did a sunset pedal cruise on Paradise Pedal boats. Very fun, nice people and you don’t have to pedal. You can hook up
Your own playlists for the ride. If you like yoga, Marco Island Yoga has wonderful sunset yoga classes several nights a week right on the beach-just bring a towel. For sunset drinks, try Stilts or the Sunset Grill-the latter is more kid friendly. Look for the Marco Review magazine. They have information on new restaurants and have coupons. They also have a calendar of local events-we went to a great chili cook off event after reading about it in the magazine.,Doreen’s Cup of Joe is good for breakfast. The sunsets on Marco are glorious...after writing all of this, can you tell that I am Marco homesick?

 

[Bxian]

I also second the recommendations regarding the farmer’s market. Unfortunately, it is not open year round. I crammed my backpack full of Honeywell oranges and ruby red grapefruit from the market to take home. If you have time and want to head up to Naples, both Campiello and Sea Salt have nice prix fixe menus.

 

[NHpauls]

You've got more planned than you can fit into a day trip

Yeah.... I’m getting that impression. “Maps” says it’s only 35 mi to Captiva and I knew it would be crowded but it sounds more crowded than i thought. We are going first week in Feb which i assume is “in season.” I am going to re-think our plans. We like to see new stuff but I pride myself in planning enjoyable days not over-long days. Thank you all for your input. It’s invaluable!

 

[rapmarks]

Yeah.... I’m getting that impression. “Maps” says it’s only 35 mi to Captiva and I knew it would be crowded but it sounds more crowded than i thought. We are going first week in Feb which i assume is “in season.” I am going to re-think our plans. We like to see new stuff but I pride myself in planning enjoyable days not over-long days. Thank you all for your input. It’s invaluable!

35 miles to captiva from where. It is close to an hour to Marco from estero and a friend of ours staying on marcosays it is fifty mikes to estero.
Anyhow, I missed the outing, but our group went on the captiva boat trip in season and it took almost three hours to get back to estero.
I go back to our very first visit to Marco and to sanibel. All we saw onmmarco were buildings we were able to see more on sanibel. But it is a long drive.