Brenden, Jennifer and Emric – Saint Joseph, Missouri – July, 2023
One of our favorite places was Lovers Key State Park. The water was calm and gorgeous there and away from the hustle and bustle. Lakes Park is one for the kiddos. The park is well kept and has the cutest little train ride around the park.
This location treated us so well and met all the needs of our family perfectly. All of the beaches we visited were definitely ones we will visit again. Every local we had the pleasure of chatting with was always so open and helpful. We checked out a lot of the surrounding areas as well as Sanibel and found something for us in each of these great places.
We are excited to come back in the future and see how this swell little island been rebuilt!
Becky and Scott – Winchester, VA – July, 2023
Dining at Doc Fords Rum Bar and Grille was delicious and delightful!
This cottage is a beautiful place to stay.
Wish you well with continued recovery from Hurricane Ian.
We came here for a much-needed rest from our busy lives. It was so nide just to walk the beach shelling. We also went into Fort Myers and visited the Thomas Edison and Henry Ford winter estates!
When we arrived at Parrot Nest, we were delighted with our accommodations! Very tastefully done! It was really nice to have beach chairs and a wagon – we made good use of both! I hope that future guests enjoy their stay and make some lasting memories like we did.
Happy traveling!
Rachel and Damon – Daytona Beach, Florida – July, 2023
Our favorite memory – finding shells!! We have nothing compared to the shells here. Really excellent shelling.
Our first time here – loved this cottage. We really enjoyed ourselves – can’t wait to return!
Christina and Susan – Tampa and Clearwater, Florida, July, 2023
I visited Sanibel in the 60s as a child. So happy to finally be able to visit once again. My daughter and I are celebrating both our birthdays. I was excited to see that the Lighthouse is working after Hurricane Ian.
We loved shelling and found several beautiful shells. We highly recommend “Adventures in Paradise” cruise to North Captiva Island. There we saw manatees and pods of dolphins – also we spent several hours on the island swimming and shelling. We are excited to take the “4th of July Cruise”.
If you go to Fort Myers, there is the Ford/Edison museum, which has amazing gardens and is very informative about all the innovations. This is such a beautiful, tranquil cottage to stay at. The kitchenette was a plus! It’s a great that the cottage is so close the the beach and Fort Myers!
Scott and Karen – Punta Gorda, Florida – June, 2023
Beautiful beaches – got some shells, sun and sand in our feet. Dinner at Traders was great and great to see people out and enjoying the island.
Thank you!!! We love Parrot Nest and location! Would love to come here again.
SANIBEL STRONG!
Guy and Petra – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – June, 2023
Went fishing for red fish, trout and snook with Captain Eric Russell (reelentlesspursuitcharters.com). Great guy!! We have fished with him 3 times in the past.
The Shack – delicious ice cream. Mudbugs for early dinner. Island Pizza delivers. Groceries at Jerry’s. Bait at Whitney’s. We used the bikes to get around. Someone caught a 43” (no lie!!!) snook with pinfish bait.
Clean, cool room, comfy bed, drying rack was handy, super beach chairs.
Marilyn and Tom – Tampa and Largo – June, 2023
Love the new cottage update!! Celebrating our 56-year wedding anniversary!
Saddened to see all the devastation from Hurricane Ian - the storm that should have been ours in Tampa – but God had other plans with a sudden turn to the south. You have done a marvelous job in such a short time, mending, repairing and replacing. Beauty from Ashes!
Beach combing and simply sitting and feeling the Gulf breeze as you read a book that you didn’t have time for before. Relaxing is the word. This is our yearly retreat. Have been here as repeat guests for many years. Food shopping in Jerrys and the Deli on Periwinkle. Baily’s is being rebuilt. Gramma Dots is being renovated. Doc Fords – always good. Mudbugs and Mucky Duck!
Lovebirds (Cottage 5) is our favorite and the Parrot Nest location is great. Walk to San Carlos Bay beach or the Gulf beach on Buttonwood Lane – one block away!
Bret – Atlanta, Georgia – May, 2023
Collecting shells and dinner at Rosalita’s!
The cottage was lovely, comfy, and clean. It was sad to see all the devastation but hopeful to see the devastation but hopeful to see people coming together to rebuild. We will definitely be back. Shells!
Shirley, Rebecca, and Daniel – Miami – May, 2023
Staying at the beach with the breeze blowing through our hair. The enjoyable walk tp the beach and seeing the cute town.
This city is so cute and aesthetic. We wish we could stay longer. This house was so cute and clean. It had everything that we needed. Planning to come back!
David and Tammy – Missouri – May, 2023
As always – SHELLING!
Wonderful stay. Re-modeled cottages look fabulous!
Continued prayers and thoughts for Sanibel’s recovery.
Michelle – Kansas City – May 2023
Love the bikes for a ride around the island!
As an owner on Sanibel, down to do work at my place, I have been staying at different locations on Sanibel. BY FAR Parrot Nest is my favorite. It is a little gem. Beautifully renovated, all of the amenities that I needed for my stay. Quiet and relaxing at the end of the day. Old Florida style at its best!!
Ronna, Marty, Kan, and Ron – Winauma, FL – May, 2023
We were in Sanibel September 2022, a couple of weeks before Ian to celebrate my fiance’s birthday. We ate at the Mad Hatter which is sadly gone. This is our second stay here. We love this place, just a walk to the beach.
SHELL-A-ZAM!! The shell gods were with me today. Many lightening whelks, murex, moon shells, etc. Still looking for the Junonia!
STAY STRONG!!
This place is a little piece of heaven.
Thanks to all who chipped in!
Tania and Barb - Orlando and New Hampshire - April, 2023
Weather was perfect and exciting to see Sanibel on the road to recovery!
Great place!! Well done in such a short 7 month time frame.
We will return very soon!
Ellen - Massachusetts - April, 2023
The beach! And finding shells! I’ve been coming here for 30 years and it’s wonderful to see how resilient nature is. Ding Darling has done an amazing job getting reopened too. Sanibel truly is like no other place!
Although the hurricane was devastating , nature is recovering. The mangroves and palms look good and it was wonderful to see blooming flowers after a long winter. Signs of the beach life recovering are everywhere too.
This is a lovely cottage!! Love the outside sitting area – very comfortable and relaxing!
Danielle and Denise - New Hampshire & Maryland – April, 2023
Lovely place – very quiet and peaceful. Loved listening to the birds. Took morning bike ride to the beach and did a little shelling. WOW – fantastic finds. The water was very nice too!
Accommodations were quite nice. Phone calls answered right away and any help quick to follow.
Janette – Bradenton – April, 2023
Exploring the island!
Great job in getting back to business under such trying circumstances Parrots Nest - Toucan Cottage is the perfect beachy getaway. Thank you so much for such a wonderful accommodation. I’ll be back.
Charlie and Michelle – Vancouver, Washington – April, 2023
Shelling on Blind Pass Beach! Found tons of great shells. We were lucky to run into Rob Roy from the Shell Museum. Get there early if you go - there is limited parking but fortunately smaller crowds.
Weird that there were negative reviews on the website because we found our room to be absolutely perfect! Kim was great and called us cack almost instantly when I couldn’t figure out how to get in. I forgot that instructions were sent to us over a month ago It really is amazing how well this place was renovated so soon after Ian!
The C family – St Charles, Missouri – April 2023
The shells and the beach – the palm trees and the warmth!
It was a cozy stay and enjoyable. Its great how this was all redone #IloveFlorida!!
Kyle and Ashley – Mason, Ohio – March, 2023
We really enjoyed riding bikes all over the island - riding to the beach and walking each morning was amazing. We have been very impressed with the local restaurants! Doc Ford’s, Rosalita’s Cantina, Traders, and Jerry’s Café – all provided top notch service and excellent food! Sunset at Bowman’s Beach was beautiful.
Seeing the damage caused by the Hurricane was heartbreaking. Even though we were only here 3 days, we were able to watch all the workers continue to clean up and rebuild. We are looking forward to visiting again and seeing all of the changes! Sanibel Strong!
Holly and Trent – Lincoln, Nebraska – August, 2023
Captiva Island and Blind Pass beaches. The Shack for ice-cream. Mucky Duck and Doc Fords.
Our room was nice. Love the seashell mirror. Shower is cool. Bed was comfy!
Didn’t watch any TV!!
Angela and Tom – Royal Palm Beach, Florida – August, 2023
Great kayaking at Tarpon Bay Outfitters, Ding Darling.
Great dinners at Doc Fords.
This is about 10 months since Hurricane Ian. Having been through a few bad ones ourselves, we recognize how devastating it was to one of our favorite places. The progress is going well.
Hugs to Sanibel!!
Now we have a new favorite spot – this place!!
Clean, well equipped and comfortable – lovely spot.
Thanks for all of your efforts to welcome people back
Nancy and Dan – Wildwood, Missouri – July, 2023
Shelling and the beach!! Very few people on the beach – just like when we started coming here over 10 years ago – beautiful!!
First time staying here – lovely property!
Very short walk to the beach, quiet area, easy on and off the island.
The cottages are bright and “beachy” – so happy that you are up and running.
Thank you!!!
Christine and Tamara – Connecticut – July, 2023
My favorites: The “Shake Shack Attack” – yummy!!
Bowmans Beach, Lighthouse Beach
Two storefronts – “Art Gallery” and “Next Door”
Toodling around the island in a car
This is our first mother-daughter trip! Shelled every day – beaches two and three times a day. Beautiful beaches – Bowmans Beach was our favorite. My daughter found a huge Lightening Whelk in the water – everyone was amazed!! People are much friendlier here. Mattresses were super comfortable!
Aaron and Kyla – Ohio – June, 2023
Returning after Hurricane Ian was great. We got engaged during Hurricane Elsa in 2021 on the beach, got married on October 1, 2022 and then felt the wind from Ian all the way into Ohio - and now we have come back. Sanibel is forever special in our hearts…
We are so happy that the Parrot Nest Cottages survived. Our family has been coming here for about 10 years now and I am so happy to show my husband. We have fallen in love with the island. We are so happy to see how far the island has come!! SANIBEL STRONG!!!
Daisy and Sandy – Miami – June, 2023
Biked all of Sanibel – Best food at Mudbugs and Traders.
Great location for cottages and rooms were PERFECT. We will be back soon.
Eileen – Port St. Lucie, FL – May, 2023
Arrived a little depressed due to seeing so much storm damage, but was instantly cheered by the 5 STAR ***** Cottage (Lovebirds).
Tuesday evening, I rode the bike to the lighthouse beach area and rode along the beach for several miles. The following day we visited Turner Beach on Captiva where I snorkled and dove down to see many reef fish near the rocks. Dinner at Tutti-Pazzi 15 stars – 5 stars for food, 5 stars for service and 5 stars for atmosphere. – Mudbugs is 15 stars too. Overall, this has been a pleasurable stay and I wanted to stay longer. We liked our ‘upstairs’ neighbors – the osprey group nested in the Norfolk pine tree. Goodbye and Happy Trails always!
Kat and Ron – New York City – May, 2023
Favorite memory was sunset at the Mucky Duck after a delicious dinner – just gorgeous!! We explored a few beaches – all beautiful! Also, we loved our favorite neighbors p the osprey just outside our door!!
The cottage is lovely and clean. Loved having access to beach chairs and bikes. Great place to stay – we look forward to returning.
PS – Food recommendations were great! We hit Doc Fords, the Mucky Duck, also coffee and breakfast at the Sanibel Deli!!
Jane – Florida - May, 2023
Beach walking! Sunrise at the Lighthouse! Osprey chatter!
Room was perfect – very clean!
Norm M – Boston, Massachusetts – May, 2023
We went fishing with Charles Cooper and had a fantastic trip! Caught many snook – love it out here and was veery sad to see all of the damage and hear about how some of the wild animals have been affected.
Wishing the island much new rainfall and weather that will speed up the recovery of all the vegetation and wish much luck to the rebuilding efforts. The cottage here at Parrot Nest was a great place for us to stay and was very comfortable and clean.
Amber and Steve – Wisconsin – May, 2023
We went to Tarpon Beach earlier in the morning and spotted some dolphins. We collected so many beautiful shells.
Wish we had more time to stay! What a wonderful place! We loved it so much. We are already planning our next stay!
Leona and Felix – Germany – May, 2023
We enjoyed the Sanibel Beach!!
Such a beautiful beach, sunny weather, lovely people, great house!
Jessica and Joe - Fort Lauderdale, FL - May, 2023
Biking from Sanibel to Captiva to visit Joe’s brother at the Mucky Duck! Visiting the Lighthouse, shelling and seeing the dolphins! Watching the Osprey and it’s babies outside our door at #3 Macaw!! Soooo cool!! You should call it the Osprey Nest!!
We had a great time visiting our FAVORITE island!!
Thank you for the new renovations – looks fantastic! Love the shell mirror. Thanks again for making this special!! It is Joe’s birthday – we love Sanibel – always and forever..
Alec and Murilo – Buffalo, NY – May, 2023
The beautiful sunrise and sunset!
We hope to see things go back to how they were before Ian.
Positive thoughts and energy for a quick recovery.
We Love Florida!!
Devon and Sheyn B - Vermont - April, 2023
Low tide at Blind Pass beach!!
Pair-a-dice fruit stand just off the island
Sunrise at the Lighthouse
A great stop on our honeymoon road trip!!
Thank you to Kim and all of the workers who cleaned this place up after Ian. Great work!!!
Will be back to see the island – thanks!!
Danielle - New Hampshire - April, 2023
Danielle – New Hampshire – April, 2023
Bike riding to the beach was awesome and getting to see a morning sunrise was the perfect way to start a fresh day!
The Parrot Nest was the perfect island paradise! On the uncrowded side of Sanibel, the bikes gave us access to beaches with miles of shoreline to stroll along. The renovations that were necessitated by Ian brought about a perfect, tidy, extra clean efficiency unit. We will be back!
Thank you for a wonderful island vacation! Staff was super responsive to any requests and needs. Highly recommend!!
Steph, Kait, and Elise - Massachusetts & Colorado – April, 2023
Morning bike rides to get coffee, all of the beaches were awesome, grabbing a margarita and the Mucky Duck, did a sunset sail from Fort Myers – incredible!!
Wonderful accommodations !! Loved the beach chairs, towels, bikes! Enjoyed reading in the hammock! Lovely stay – we will be back!
Tom and Peggy – Upstate NY – April, 2023
Walking the beach. Eating at local restaurants (Doc Ford’s, Mucky Duck, Grandma Dots).
Having visited here for over 7years, we were shocked and saddened by the devastation from Hurricane Ian in September, 2022. However, the rate of recovery is unbelievable. There is such positive energy everywhere. We wish all the best for the people who live and work on this beautiful island in the days to come.
Andrea and Troy – Indianapolis Indiana, April, 2023
Driving to Captiva and actually loving Sanibel – was wonderful as well.
Can’t wait until the island is fully recovered. We were happy to be here.
Charmaine and Kevin – Orlando (originally from Toronto) March, 2023
All about the shells and the beach!
Great stay! Sad to see the destruction from Ian – hope that we were able to contribute by our stay.
Everyone-enjoy! Cheers!
Miriam and Chanse – Arizona and Maryland - March, 2023
Sunset on both beaches – we loved travelling all over the Island. Birdwatching was wonderful too.
The cottage was nice, had everything we needed. Renovation was done well and the style chairs were nice! Good job!
