Can someone provide an overview?

Hi,

I%26#39;m finding it difficult to get a good grasp on what this area is like. I can see on the map that it is a barrier island connected to the mainland by a bridge. There appear to be many many rental houses lined up along the beach. What is the ';Plantation';?

Can someone give me a description of the island and Apalachicola that would give a good ';feel'; for what it is like? Underdeveloped? Overdeveloped? Small town feel?

We prefer areas that are not so commercial, uncrowded beaches, shelling, fishing, kayaking, but with nearby access to restaurants and shops. We love Sanibel, but would like to try something different.

Also, some specific questions: Are there rental properties on the beach withing walking distance of the state park? Are there boat/kayak rentals on the island?

Thank you!!

Can someone provide an overview?

Hello there--

Read some of the previous posts, it should not take to long to see that the island is very laid back and not a touristy place. Yes, it is a barrier island, connected by a 4+ mile bridge. There are alot of beachfront homes. The island is 21+ miles long and maybe a few hundred yards wide at the max.

The plantation is a section of the island located on the west end of the island that is a gated community. To me, there is no more advantage in renting in the plantation vs the rest of the island unless you like to be known as having a little more privacy, but you won%26#39;t notice it that much.

Apalch %26amp; St. George are very laid back, it is definately not overdeveloped, and I would not really say underdeveloped, I would just say very laid back, it is by no means a Destin or Panama City. It definately has a small town feel. We only have one red light in the county and we are the largest county in the state. Apalach is more developed and it is only about 10 monutes away and a good place to go day shopping for unique items. I would say that St. George is more laid back than Sanibel and I don%26#39;t think that it is as touristy. Most people know about the styles of Sanibel, while most don%26#39;t know the secrets about St. George, that is why the area is known as the Forgotten Coast. St. George sounds like what you are looking for.

The closest rental properties to the state park are going to be the homes in Sunset Beach (small gated community near the East End) and 300 Ocean Mile (townhome community next to Sunset Beach). Yes, there is boat %26amp; kayak rentals on the island, check with Jennis Journeys of SGI. Website: http://www.sgislandjourneys.com

Hope this helps !!!

Can someone provide an overview?

Thank you, sgibeach! Very helpful. It%26#39;s so hard to find a place that isn%26#39;t built up with high rises. One of the benefits of going to Sanibel is that we can get direct flights from Boston. Looks like I am out of luck with getting a direct flight to the airports around St. George. So we would spend a considerable amount of time traveling by air and by rental car.

Good things never come easy.

Do give SGI a try. If you fly in to Tallahassee, you only have about a 1 1/2 hr. drive to SGI. It is so very relaxing on the island. There are good restaurants there as well as in Apalach...you can rent bikes and ride the bike path, rent a kayak, fish, hunt shells (but the shells are probably not what you find at Sanibel).

We rented thru Anchor Vacations and had no problems at all....there are also some condos on VRBO located at Villas of St George...Collins Realty also handles some of the villas. I hope you go to SGI. You will love it.