May - October $1400 per month  :   November - December $1600  :  January - March $2200   :   April - $1800 Long and short term leases also available.
Security deposit and maid service are not included in price.  For some months an exit cleaning is included in the lease.  You may also pay for cleaning services during your stay.  Please contact us about multi-month discounts.  Utilities are included for monthly stays.  Sleeps 7

Our Gardens of Beachwalk Ft Myers could likely become your home away from snowbird home.  With a king size bed in the master bedroom, a queen AND twin in the guest bedroom and a queen sleeper sofa, there is plenty of room for a family or even two couples traveling together to snuggle in for a month's stay in Ft Myers.  Read about Sanibel and Captiva Islands close by; below.   You can return to our main Gardens of Beachwalk page anytime for pricing and pictures and to our Calendar page for availability.

Thank you for choosing to stay at our condo, our Ft Myers Gardens at Beachwalk home away from home.    We hope you enjoy your stay here and have put together this little packet to help enhance your stay and to keep things enjoyable for the next family to come.  This page is to give you ideas and is geared also to your vacation success.

You can check back here our website any time for information about the area:

http://www.shorttermproperties.com  Tell your friends about our site as well.  Any concerns, tell us.

Here are a few tips to the area:

The best way to get to all points is to go right when you leave the gate which is Beachwalk Gardens Blvd.  The street you will come to is San Carlos.  Our directions will take you from this starting point.

Taking a left on San Carlos will lead you to Ft Myers Beach, Summerlin and another route to Sanibel.

To go to Fort Myers Beach follow the road to the bridge and then go right at the end of the bridge. It is about 10 minutes without traffic.  When you come off the bridge if you make a “U-turn” shape toward the right you will find several seafood restaurants that are all good choices.  Go straight to the end if you are looking to eat overlooking the water.

One place we like to go is the Pink Flamingo Hotel (take a right off the bridge and it will be on the left beach side) where they have a pool bar and good happy hour kind of finger food and delicious sweet drinks. 

Quite honestly we don’t go to FM Beach much because we go to Sanibel and spend a lot of time at the community pool.

         If you head down San Carlos toward Ft Myers Beach but you take a left on Summerlin and then you are headed toward malls and strip malls.  Go right on Gladiolus to take you to Rte 41 which has many malls and shopping opportunities:

• Before you reach 41 you will see Lakes Park on the left.  This is a beautiful park for walking, bird watching – including bald eagles, wild life, preserves, volley ball, a water park for children, a climbing park, picnic tables, grills and lots more.  They even have surreys and bike rentals on weekends.

• Going past the park will bring you to Rte 41.  Going South (right) and traveling about 15 minutes you come to Coconut Pointe, the area’s newest and brightest outdoor shopping center.  It is a beautiful new mall.

• If you cross over 41 and you will come to Walmart on your right.  This is Six Mile Cypress at this point. (Some streets change names as they move along)  Here are a few things you will come to that way:  Sunshine Fruit Co is on your right. If you take a left on Plantation you will see the Ft Myers High School on the left of that street. On Sundays there are services there at 9 and 11 complete with pastry and Starbucks coffee.  It is called Next Level Church – a contemporary non-denominational church. Back on Six Mile - The Twins spring training arena is on the left.  When you come to Daniels take a right to go to Rte 75 North is toward Tampa and Orlando or South if going to Naples and the Keys.Traveling beyond 75 for about 2 miles you will come to the airport on your right.  For the chocolate or dessert treat of a lifetime, Norman Love Confections, go another maybe 2 miles and watch for a billboard on the left that says “Norman and Norman attorneys at law”.The plaza is on the left.  Go to www.NormanLoveConfections.com and see why we include directions there.  He is famous for his chocolate masterpieces for the Hyatt Regency Hotel chain.  It is worth the trip.  White chocolate raspberry, passion fruit, strawberry, banana peanut butter and apple along with the cookies and peanut butter or white chocolate brownies are favorites of ours.

• Let’s suppose you took a left on 41N.  Immediately on your right you will see Bahama Breeze.  If you have never been to BB you are in for a treat.  Anything on the menu is worth ordering.  Bronze Tilapia, Bean or Tortilla soup, Chicken plantains, Cuban sandwich, Angus burger, Mango Mango Man frozen drink without alcohol is for everyone and you have to get Coconut onion rings and the Chocolate pineapple lava cake.

• At this point you will be heading North on 41 and you will come to shopping after shopping choice. 

• Follow 41N to Colonial and go right and you will immediately have a plaza on your right with the best Puerto Rican food we’ve found.

• Go further East on Colonial and you will come to McGregor Baptist Church where we call our church in Ft Myers.  The sermon is telecast on Saturday nights if you want to check it out. Services are family friend and inspiring without any hype at all.  They are at 8:00, 9:30 and 11:00 AM Sunday mornings and midweek at 6:30.

Now let’s suppose you are back at the condo and starting over. You then took a right when you came out of the complex and another right on San Carlos.  At the next light on your left is Big Lots and on the left of that plaza is an authentic Italian restaurant called LaMotta’s. It is family owned and the accents will make the food taste even more like you are in Italy.  The food is excellent but the pizza is only so so. 

Going to the light with Walgreens on the right you go through the light and on the right you will find the entrance to the plaza with Publix, Little Caesar’s Pizza and Blockbuster movie rentals.

At this point San Carlos has turned into McGregor and you will come to a Kmart plaza on the right (across from Wendy’s).  In front of this plaza is La Casita Mexican family owned restaurant.  Also, with the authentic taste of its home. In that Kmart plaza there is a very good Chinese restaurant Sakura, a Greek and a Bistro to choose from.  There is also a natural food store and post office drop off location.  Ft Myers is not known for its post offices.  They use locations within existing businesses instead.

If you stayed on McGregor about 5 miles you would come to the Ford Edison Estate. To see the banyan trees alone it is worth the trip and to have lunch under them costs nothing.  The estate is a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

to get to Sanibel and Captiva as well as the Tanger Outlets.

Come out of the community and go right on San Carlos.  Go left at the first light with Walgreens to your right.  This will lead you, a few miles away, to the Tanger Outlets on your left and then beyond that you will take a right when the road ends and you come upon the Sanibel Causeway.  The toll is $6 per carload and you only pay one way.  Make sure to have some $1 bills for beach parking on Sanibel.  Some take credit cards and some don’t.  All have bathrooms and most have outdoor showers.  We have left a Sanibel magazine at the condo but it is free and you can get one for yourself right after you cross over onto the island at the welcome center.

When you reach the main drag you have choices:

• To the left is Shell Point. Watch for a small beach sign on the left about 1 ½ - 2 miles on the left or go straight ahead to Shell Beach. (they actual meet up as you walk the beach.) This is where we see the most dolphins close to the pier.  If you go at low tide you can see the most wonderful snails and crabs along with ideal shelling opportunities.  You are not allowed to take home anything alive.  There is plenty to choose from so don’t worry.  Bring a bag but remember to wash them when you come home to avoid a smelly condo.

• Back to the main drag going right you will be traveling north.  Watch on the right for Matzaluna an Italian / Seafood restaurant we love.  For adults it has beautiful choices of food and wine; great martinis also.  My favorite is their Sesame encrusted tuna with wasabi cream sauce.  Our family loves the brick oven thin crust pizza.  The children can write on the paper tablecloths but the atmosphere is NOT that of a pizza place.  Everyone is welcome and everyone feels comfortable. 

• Traveling along Periwinkle (the main street) on the left look for Tahitian Village plaza home of Cheeburger Cheeburger.  No doubt if someone mentioned Sanibel to you, they mention Chee-Cheeburger. Make sure to order a shake and “frings” which is a large basket of the best onion rings and fries you will find anywhere.  (Well the coconut onion rings at BB are delicious)

• Follow the road farther about 1 mile and watch carefully on the right for Goumas chocolates.  They are a family run chocolate company; homemade since 1911.  They have two other stores in Ohio.

• If you continue up the island about 10 minutes (look on the map) and you will come to John “ding” Darlings nature preserve.  Go early in the day to see the best in native wildlife.

• Further up on the left is a turn for Bowman’s Beach.  Every beach on Sanibel and Captiva has its own flavor. We love them all. Bowman’s Beach has a bit of a walk from the parking lot but worth every step.  It is very popular for wedding pictures because the sandy beach is very deep and to get to the beach you walk along a preserve with gorgeous wildlife and preserve to each side.

• Further along, back on the main drag, you will see Sanibel change from a quaint island with lush landscape to something even more tropical.  You will know you are closing in on Captiva Island. Looking on the map you will see a sharp turn to the left and then to the right.  There is nothing but water and inlets.  Turner Beach is right there and if Sanibel didn’t make you feel like you were in the Caribbean, you will now feel that you have arrived.  This beach may look small but once you pull in to the parking lot it unfolds. To the left is a cutaway to wave riding heaven, straight are rocks to climb on but they are sharp, be careful and to the right the beach opens up for long strolls.  If you go around 5 pm you might see all the gulls lining up facing south as if they are sunning themselves.  It is a fun sight.

• Last but not least for our beach expedition is at the top of Captiva Island, Captiva Beach.  As you ride by the houses long Captiva Beach Rd you can’t help but catch your breath at the beautiful estates and the palm groves leading up to them. Lots of Oos and Ahhs.  The beach is to your left also.

• When you come into the quaint little town of Captiva you might want to hold off on your shopping and site seeing.  You want to get to the beach and grab a spot.  Follow the road and follow the signs; it is easy and close now.  Notice the Bubble Room on the right and stop in for dinner.

• Make sure to be ON THE BEACH for sunset and watch for the “green flash”.  Sunset and maybe the dolphins you might see frolicking near you will be worth the trip; certainly the sunset is!  Shelling is so fun on this beach because there are many of those spiral shells you can never seem to find unbroken. Here you can.  The colors and diversity of the shells are spectacular.

There is so much more to tell you but you have to explore for yourselves and leave some new suggestions and stories for us.

Please remember to write a little something in our book in the condo.  We just added it this year and hope to hear about YOUR adventures while staying in our condo. 

ENJOY!