Hurricane House Resort

Hurricane House Resort is a Hilton Grand Vacations resort in Sanibel Island, FL. I had the chance to visit the area 2 months ago, so I was happy to be going back.

Video by The Megan Daily

Day One Travel & Arrival at Hurricane House Resort

Sanibel is close to Fort Myers, so on this trip, I flew down and landed at Fort Myers Airport, which is called the Southwest International Airport. This puts you less than 1 hour from Sanibel and is an easy drive most of the year.

The car rentals here are reasonable and in better supply right now than at home in Virginia, but I would still make reservations ahead of time for sure.

The resort is another Hilton Exchange Resort, and it is a nice one. When you drive up you are like well, OK this is going to be fun.

The accommodations here are 2-bedroom suites that vary in size from 1,235 to 1,550 sq. ft. That is larger than my 2-bedroom home, so these are comfortably sized indeed.

A look at Google Maps shows you the resort’s direct gulf front access which is truly something to see and enjoy. I also love the pool here and the two hot tubs right just footsteps from the gulf.

I can not wait to see views of the sunsets even from my room during my stay.

Villa Amenities 

Then the resort itself offers all of these options.

Resort Amenities

After getting settled in, I went to Traditions on the Beach for dinner and the food and location were great. It was just a short walk, either the road in front or right up the beach itself. I had an angry lobster pasta dish that was just spicy enough to capture attention but not overpower the lobster.

Day Two Beach Day All Day at Hurricane House Resort

When you are staying on the beach, you have to take it in. There is a ton to do around the island but when you have a spot like this, dig in and just take it easy. I went to Baily’s General Store for groceries when they opened. There are several small markets like this on the island and it is a neat experience that feels like how small-town grocers felt years ago.

I grabbed a beer, things for dinner, and breakfast. Then a few snacks.

I was set up on a 30-minute trip and while I would leave and do some things tomorrow for the day today, I wanted to get back to the resort and stay put.

Just a few drinks by the pool and the occasional dip into the hot tub. Then I would walk out to the beach and walk some, playing in the waves as I did when I was a child. I bet at least a few people pointed and laughed at the guy that was built like a love child of Santa and a female bigfoot (without the hair), slamming himself into waves. I had a ball, though. Each wave that hit me was like at least ½ year off my age at the moment. Although I knew I would feel it tomorrow, today I was in beach heaven.

One little guy looked at me playing where his mother clearly told him he could not go. So, I went over and asked if I could take him out with me a few feet deeper on a boogie board, assuring his safety and staying within her view. Over the next hour, I and her little guy had a blast. I do not know if she thought I was Santa on vacation, or just a big guy who was on the special spectrum, but she agreed and I had fun helping him attack some waves for a while until I tired out.

Folks, I am 51, so I do not play that often, but those are the times I miss having kids of my own or a niece or nephew around. Times when I want to play like a kid again.

Day Three Boat Rental

I have rented a boat in the area before, so today was a tested idea and one that I have enjoyed before. I had made a friend with my young 8-year-old friend and his mom, so I quietly invited her and him along so she could politely bow out.

She accepted, however, and we went out for about 3 hours, which was about all I thought her little guy could take.

But I let him steer some closely supervised and slow, and I gave him a few lessons on boater safety, while his mother looked on amused. It was fun just seeing things through his eyes for a few more hours.

I do not know why or how it works sometimes, but I do enjoy adopting people at times for little adventures. These days, with all the odd things in the world, it is neat to be able to do something random but safe with a stranger or two.

Hopefully, it helped this nice single mom who was trying to figure things out after dad had left the picture a few months ago. She said she did not have family around that this beach trip was a time away from her worries and that these two interruptions with me were fun and that she hoped her son would have that with someone again. I said I was sure they both would. He was a nice little guy, and she was cute. Too young for me by 20 years, but they are cute.

After the boat trip, I got us back to the resort and we headed in our own directions. I Facebook-friended my new friend and his mother and shared she could reach out for career advice or whatever in the future. It was a pleasure meeting them.

Dinner on the beach

Next, I wanted dinner out again, so I headed to a local spot called Coconuts. This turned out to be a local resort restaurant, which was OK, but not something I would add to my bucket list for a return visit. The online reviews are like 3.6 and I think that is fair. I just did not look ahead at the reviews before I went.

I was there for Sunset and just like the night before from my villa, the sunset was amazing. I actually heard a woman at a table near me gasp at one point over the beauty. You do not hear that every day.

If you want to have your own amazing vacation, make sure to book this resort through TZort.