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January/February
2000
Issue
Gulfside,
Poolside, or…Fireside?
 “Oh,
the weather outside is frightful; but the fire is so delightful…”
Sounds like a typical winter’s night, right? Well, fortunately, not
on these subtropical islands. If you do want to bask in the sun all day
but still enjoy cozy evenings around a fireplace or wood-burning stove,
some island accommodations offer just that. A few, though, say their fireplaces,
whether operational or not, are “just for looks!”
At Waterside Inn on the Beach (formerly the Snook
Motel), honeymooners are always thrilled to find that their designated
Apricot Cottage features a romantic fireplace in the living room. The
electric fireplace was built into a section of the living room wall during
renovations about a year and a half ago. If honeymooners do not book the
Apricot Cottage (which is named after the color of its exterior paint),
it does have room for as many as four people. 3033 West Gulf Drive,
Sanibel, 941/472-1345 or 800/741-6166.
Just down the road, it’s not surprising that the
grandfather of island resorts, the Island Inn, offers a cottage
with a fireplace. It’s known as the Pfister Cottage, which has a
view of the Gulf of Mexico. The cottage will accommodate up to six people.
3111 West Gulf Drive, Sanibel, 941/472-1561 or 800/851-5088.
Guests of The Castaways at Blind Pass are treated
to the added bonus of a living room fireplace when they make reservations
for cottage No. 4. And, at no extra charge, the freestanding beachfront
unit also offers a great view of the setting sun’s nightly fire in
the sky. Cottage No. 4 has two bedrooms and a sleeper sofa in its living
room. 6460 Sanibel-Captiva Road, Sanibel, 941/472-1252 or 800/375-0152.
On Captiva, seven original freestanding cottages at
Tween Waters Inn feature fireplaces or wood-burning stoves. Four are
one-bedroom units, one cottage has two bedrooms, and the other two are
studio units. “People just love to use the fireplaces or wood-burning
stoves,” explains reservations manager Beth Liljequist. “It’s
because of the ambience. Tweenies provides one log and our marina sells
more of them. Or some people bring their own,” Liljequist adds. 15951
Captiva Drive, Captiva, 941/472-5161 or 800/223-5865.
Sunset Captiva’s townhouses, which can be
booked through several local rental agencies, have living-room fireplaces.
“When you tell people about the fireplace, they say, ‘Oh, I
hope I don’t need to use it,’ says Sally Davies, a travel agent
at Royal Shell Vacations. “But the fireplace sure adds to the room.”
The Captiva townhouses, located gulfside off Captiva Drive, are two- and
three-bedroom units with lofts. Royal Shell Vacations, 941/472-9111
or 800/656-9111; Priscilla Murphy Realty rental office, 941/472-4883 or
800/237-6008; American Realty of Captiva, 941/395-2490 or 800/547-0127.
The fireplace at Surfside House, part of the Driftwood
Inn Captiva triplex on Wiles Drive, is “just for looks.”
Owners Jane and Ira Roshberg, who also own the Driftwood Inn on Sanibel,
explain that the one-story unit, which accommodates up to six people,
“has an old charming living room with wooden floors and an operating
fireplace. But the dwelling is old and all wooden, and it’s situated
in a wooded area, so we prefer that guests don’t actually start up
the fireplace.” Wiles Drive, Captiva, 941/395-8874.
One of the three units at Maddison Suites Bed and
Breakfast, located on old Captiva Village’s historic Andy Rosse
Lane, comes with a fireplace. The cozily romantic one-room unit accommodates
two people. 11508 Andy Rosse Lane, Captiva, 941/472-3113 or 877/472-3113.
www. captivaislandinn.com.
South Seas Plantation Resort has two freestanding
homes and two three-bedroom townhouses that feature living-room fireplaces.
Resort rules stipulate that guests are not allowed to use the fireplaces,
however, so they just have to fire up their imaginations, instead. South
Seas Plantation, Captiva, 941/472-5111 or 800/449-3934.
Some of the rental agencies on the islands handle private
homes that offer fireplaces for their vacationing guests. Some actually
work, some are just for looks.
Grande Island Vacations rents out two private
homes with operating fireplaces: the Mobed home on Captiva, and Windjammer,
located on Sanibel’s Seaspray Lane. 1630 Periwinkle Way, Suite
C, Sanibel, 941/472-5322 or 800/551-7788.
Cottages to Castles of Sanibel and Captiva offers
Sight to Sea, a home on Sanibel that has gas-operated fireplaces in its
master bedroom and living room. “The fireplaces are operated by remote
control, as are the televisions,” explains Cottages to Castles owner
Judy Michie. “When in the master bedroom, we tell people to be careful
what you’re turning on,” she jokes. The rental agency also represents
the Sandhurst estate and Southern Comfort, both of which are on Captiva.
“They have fireplaces that are not used but they’re great for
hanging Christmas stockings,” notes Michie. “And, of course,
nesting birds have used them.” 2427 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel, 941/472-6385
or 800/472-5385.
The Beau Rivage home and Treetops home, both available
through Sanibel Accommodations, have fireplaces. Signs remind guests,
however, that they are not to be used. 2341 Palm Ridge Road, Sanibel,
941/472-3191 or 877/2Sanibel (877/272-6423).
Royal Shell Vacations represents a stilt home
on Middle Gulf Drive that has a gas fireplace, but it’s not hooked
up. 1200 Periwinkle Way, Suite 3, Sanibel, 941/472-9111 or 800/656-9111.
The rental office of Priscilla Murphy Realty also offers a
few private homes with fireplaces as a visual bonus only. 1177 Causeway
Road, Sanibel, 941/472-4883 or 800/237-6008.
–Libby Grimm
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