Early this summer, we drove down to Marco Island, Florida and stayed for a week. I have never in my life, heard of such a place. Gulf Shores, Destin and Tampa Bay is all that come to mind when you think of destinations on the Gulf of Mexico. Well, now I know.

Did Someone Say Beaches

There are two public accessible beaches: Tigertail Beach and South Marco Island Beach. They have public parking but I will warn you to be there early. I’d recommend getting there at 8am. Get there early and there will be no crowds, the sun won’t be so strong and the water will be warm and malie (calm in Hawaiian). When we left the beaches, there were always lines of cars waiting to get into the public parking lot. Don’t forget that it is a tropical place so, time and time again, storms may roll in during the mid afternoon.

The History of Marco Island

The island has a museum… Marco Island Historical Museum. It’s kid friendly as there are some crafts and puzzles for them to complete as you walk through. I would definitely recommend a stop there to learn about the history of the island. It’s amazing how the island was transformed and how much ROI the investors got.

Where to Eat on Marco Island

There are tons of places to eat, for a little island. Some of the places we had the pleasure of dining at were Hoot’s, Su’s Garden Chinese Restaurant and Snook Inn, just to name a few. At Hoot’s I had the Huevos Rancheros and the Andouille Scramble. Both were delicious and I didn’t eat them both in one sitting. We actually went there twice, on different days, because the kids enjoyed the food and the complimentary kid craft (Wikki Stix). Hmm, at Su’s Garden, I had Roast Pork Wonton Soup, Crispy Duck and Steamed Fish. I was hungry this particular time and everything was perfect. When we got to Snook Inn, we asked for outdoor seating and then we realized the storms were about to roll in. We were in luck and it didn’t rain until shortly after we left. I had the Calamari, Jerk Wings, Oysters on the Half Shell and the Braised Short Rib (melts in your mouth). They also had some live music that totally put you in that island mood.

What Are Some Accomodations

There were ton’s of resorts right on the beach and I bet there were a lot of AirBNB and VRBOs, but we stayed at our Hilton Grand Vacations affiliate timeshare, Holiday Inn Club Vacations Sunset Cove Resort. For HGV Members, we spent 4100 points for 7 nights in late May to early June. Each villa had 3 bedrooms a full kitchen with kitchenware. They offer a shuttle to transport you to the beach and back so you don’t have to deal with the public beach parking. There’s a grilling area, pool, hot tub, exercise room, dvd rentals and the friendliest staff. There was a Wynn-Dixie right next door for all your quick grocery needs.

Is There Any Shopping

If someone is itching to go shopping, there are stores scattered across the island, and there is a Miromar Outlet Mall about a 45 minute drive away.

What is There to do That’s Fun

We did a couple of tours with Florida Adventures and Rentals. We did the Cape Romano Shelling Boat Tour and the Jetski Tour. The guides were awesome and the kids had lots of fun. Tipping is customary but it’s ok, it is sooo worth it. One thing we learned from the boat tours is that every time a hurricane comes through, islands disappear and are created by the changes in the current. Amazing!

Wrap Up

I don’t want to tell you everything we did. Let’s leave some things to be discovered, but I’d definitely recommend anyone to visit Marco Island. Being that I’m from Hawaii, It’s as close to paradise that I can get, in the south.

Don’t forget your sun tan lotion and/or beach hats 🙂

Hold on… I have a FREE travel check list template you can have, we always use this on travel and it helps us not forget anything.

Here’s a google map link for some of the of the locations we visited. Enjoy!

If you’ve ever been to Marco Island, let us know in the comments below, what was your favorite thing about Marco Island.

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