Saturday, May 28, 2016

Sanibel - Part 1

We are sorry to have to split this up over a few days but we have such a lot to share about our vacation. First of all - we had been planning this for almost a year - getting bookings on Sanibel is not always easy as it VERY popular. For those who do not know about Sanibel - it is a small island on the west coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico and is famous for having the BEST shelling beaches in the world!

When Mom and Dad booked our vacation we didn't know of coarse that I would be having all this foot trouble but Mom worked with our local surgeon and found a vet on the island who could do my daily bandage changes and keep and eye on things.

So lets begin - we stayed at a place called the "Signal Inn" which just so happens to be right on the beach and is very dog friendly. The cottages are all built up off the ground so this was one issue we had to deal with - carrying Reilly up and down the stairs every time we went out - my dadelevator did a great job though and got quite a work out. All the cottages are clustered around a central swimming pool and while we  there we hardly saw anyone using it - in fact the whole place was very very quiet and we think only about a third of the cottages were being used. Sanibel is more popular in winter than summer as it tends to be too hot for people then so summer is their 'off season'. The cottages are beautifully equipped inside and everything is supplied - you just need to bring your own food. They even provide you with deck chairs and umbrellas to take down to the beach and there are outdoor showers and hoses to wash off feet  and fur. There is a wonderful boardwalk that leads directly to the beach and you can walk for as many miles as you want there.

Now although the "Signal Inn" is very dog friendly we must point out there is just one teeny tiny patch of grass we can use and it is some distance from the cottages. It is actually like that all over the island - there are many many places that are pet friendly and even many of the restaurants allow dogs on the decks outside but there are actually no grassy park areas at all for doggies. Dogs are allowed on all the beaches - but must be kept on a 6 foot long leash and are allowed at all the parks along the beaches but those parks don't have grass - most of them are just sandy patches. We didn't mind that there wasn't any grass anywhere as smells are smells any where they are  - but Mom was a bit worried about the ground being so hot and that some grass would of been easier on our feet. This is the cottage we stayed at below and as you can see it was wonderful.






22 comments:

  1. We are Thrilled that YOU had a Close By Dogtor to take care of your paw every day. THAT is super.
    OMD the cottage is beautiful.. Sorry about the LACK of GRASS... guess they are going Eco Furendly... and saving Water. Can't wait to see MORE of Sanibel Island.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love this place.. and you r cottage looks like a super place... and you also found the most beautiful orange shell on the beach!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow! This place looks wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow! Look at all the shells!

    We hope that leg gets better soon.

    ReplyDelete
  5. OMD, that is beautifuls!!!! I'm glads the vettie was there to take care of your paw, that makes things tons easier fursure! And you boot is quite FABulous! Oh, and I wish I had a peepelevator!!! Ma tries, butts sometimes I thinks she's gonna drop my furry arse!
    Oooooooo! Lookie at all those shells!!!!! SCORE!!!
    Kisses,
    Ruby ♥

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hari OM
    OMD LOOK AT THAT PLACE ------ oh you lucky dogs to be able to on vacation with the peeps - grass or no grass, that beats incarceration at the 'holiday home'!!! Hugs and wags, YAM-aunty xxx

    ReplyDelete
  7. Dog friendly...that's the best thing. Looks like it's a fantastic place to holiday!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wow, what a beautiful place! Too bad about the lack of pee-grass... Everything else looks pawesome!! We hope you enjoyed it!

    ReplyDelete
  9. what a gorgeous gorgeous cottage! I agree though, if they are "dog-friendly" they should provide PLENTY of spacious areas of green for sensitive paws. It's too hot there to be peeing and pooping in sand!
    DakotasDen

    ReplyDelete
  10. My momma luved going to Sanibel last year - she brought home TONS of shells too!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Your dadelevator service sounds nice. Great pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Very nice cottage, but too bad there had to be so many stairs and so much sand. We do see an awful lot of shells for Mom to pick from!!!

    Woos - Ciara and Lightning

    ReplyDelete
  13. Looks like such a beautiful place and just look at all those shells!
    hugs
    Mr Bailey, Hazel & Mabel

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wow!!!! Did you have to walk on all those shells?? OMD!!!!! Look at 'em all!! My Mum would go nuts. I can't wait for part 2.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Very pretty and all those shells are fascinating!

    Wyatt

    ReplyDelete
  16. The cottage looks great. We remember there were a lot of rules about dogs on the island.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Wow...everything is so very beautiful!! What a shame that they don't have more/bigger grassy areas for doggies play!
    Smileys!
    Dory, Arty, Jakey & Bilbo

    ReplyDelete
  18. Oh, you got a cottage that is pet-friendly? When we went, we stayed at a pet-friendly hotel right off the island. It looks like you had a great place to stay

    ReplyDelete
  19. What a beautiful place, off season is good to us less crowds and children. You guys find the best pet friendly places! Love Dolly

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for woofing at us - we read each and every one of them