Need Place for family reunion

We are having a family reunion in July 2008 on Sanibel. We will need 7 or 8 units (an assortment of 1 and 2 bedroom units.) There will be 7 children under age 10 so kid friendly is important. Pool is vital and tennis, beach access, and playgrounds are desirable. We would like some outdoor grills so we can do some group cooking.

What do people recommend? It seems the choices are either quaint, beachy places or condos. I am thinking of the Waterside Inn as it seems to have both options. Do some of the larger resorts have kids prorgrams? What are the fees for them?

Thanks for any input.

Need Place for family reunion

Hi Queen - I just wanted to say when we were in sanibel in March - one very big family was having a reunion at Waterside. Each family rented a condo at Breakers, they took turns at the pools with the kids, and grilled out every night. They told me that at least some of the do it there everyyear. This year their whole entire family met up.

There are two pools at Waterside, very close to the beach. Family friendly, good management. I highly recommend it. We meet our family there, also - though on a lot smaller scale.

I can%26#39;t speak for tennis courts - Island Inn has some, so that might be another option for you. They have lodge rooms, small cottages to 3 bedroom cottages.

Playgrounds, there is one on Periwinkle in one of the shopping complexes - for the life of me, I can find it, just can%26#39;t tell you where it is.

Need Place for family reunion

We get a lot of family reunions at our complex- Pointe Santo. It is family friendly and has lovely tropical grounds.

Everything you are seeking except the playground is there including a children%26#39;s program M-F. There are grills scatterred around the courtyard lagoon and the pool is gulf front. It isn%26#39;t very large but in July the complex is not crowded and it is more than adequate.

There are four one-bedroom units and most of the rest are two-bedrooms.

Another option is Casa Ybel. I mention it because you mention playgrounds so I assume there are a number of young children; Casa Ybel is one of the only places that has a kiddie pool so that might be something to explore.

Ocean';s Reach would be ideal as well. They are all beach front, there is a ';patio'; area that has several grills, and lots of seating. You could set up your meals in that area. They also have tennis, no childrens program, but you won%26#39;t need it. The kids have a ball just being together. The children%26#39;s program at Pointe Santo, is ok, and cheap, but it is not the reason I would choose to stay there if you plan on that complex.

Ocean%26#39;s Reach has 1 and 2 bedroom, and you can go onto their website and see for yourself what units are available for the time you are going. oceansreach.com

I meant to add that Pointe Santo is a good choice as well. I love the complex, very lush and tropical. I just thought of Oceans Reach because of the convenience of their website, and their outdoor grilling area. Pointe Santo is prettier though, IMO.

There is a small playground in Periwinkle Place. Slides and swings. Watch what time of day you come by, it%26#39;s pretty hot-and sunny -especially the slide.

Hmmmm...this discussion got me to thinking. In all the years we have been coming to Sanibel (babies to teens in tow), we have never been to a playground nor have we missed having one. If that is a ';must';, though, isn%26#39;t there also something available over by the school / recreation center area (locals?)

Anyway, the children get so caught up in looking for shells, building sand castles, bicycling (even small ones with the tandem bikes or baby seats). ';Hunting'; for little lizards is another gleeful pasttime. Pools, tennis, shuffleboard are great fun, especially if the adults play too and give the youngsters a bit of special attention. They just seem to wear themselves out and are generally cooperative with indoor rest time activities when the heat is most intense. Watching the birds and looking for the %26#39;gator at Pointe Santo has also consumed a lot of time. We always do a big Easter Egg hunt at Easter...why not have something like that? (Who says it has to be Easter to hide little treasures?) Maybe even a scavenger hunt. Most people are pleased to participate and help the children find items on their lists. Just some free floating thoughts....

So many nice options on Sanibel. I%26#39;m sure you will find something that will meet most , if not all, of your needs.

You%26#39;re right GM - my kids are knackered at nap times and at the end of the day - just the fresh air, running on the beach, wears them out.

Several years ago, more than five, fewer than 10, we had a similar family reunion at SandPebble. It worked out very well.

Having just gone through a disastrous rental, not on Sanibel, without the help or advice of professionals, I feel compelled to recommend that you consult with a member of SCVRMA dot com.

Present them with your needs and they can recommend some choices. They even can arrange the rental, with some protection if something goes wrong with your choice.

I value my vacation time enough not to want go through this again. (I will write in more detail later). I can%26#39;t imagine what I would be feeling now if I was responsible for a family full of people and their respective units.

I feel compelled to recommend that this whole issue of ';professional'; agencies (SCRVMA or otherwise) not become an issue yet again. Can%26#39;t this thing rest, please?

TheQueenOhio- If you wish to consider the pros and cons of different kinds of vacation rentals, see:

tripadvisor.com/Travel-g34616-c22715/Sanibel…

I respectfully suggest that in the future if anyone wants to bring this issue up to simply refer the poster to this page. Agreed?

As you request, MSC. I keep forgetting who is in charge here.

I was just trying to offer some advice from my current personal experience.

If attempts to be helpful are considered off limits, just because someone has a personal prejudice, this forum is in trouble.

Whatever happened to the spirit of helpfulness?

And what does MSC have to fear from helpful information and alternative resources?