Travelers flying into Florida typically land at the Southwest Florida International Airport located in Fort Myers before making the drive to Sanibel Island.

The distance between Ft. Myers Airport (RSW) and Sanibel Island Light is 17 miles. The road distance is 26 miles.

Travelers flying into Florida typically land at the Southwest Florida International Airport located in Fort Myers before making the drive to Sanibel Island. Visitors also have close options in Tampa and Miami. The distance is similar from either airport, which is about an hour closer than driving from Orlando.

Sanibel Island is 46 min or 23.2 miles from Fort Myers, Florida.

Sanibel Island is 2 h 33 min or 157.0 miles from Tampa, Florida.

Sanibel Island is 3 h 40 min or 185.6 miles from Orlando, Florida.

Island Inn provides bicycle rentals onsite for your convenience. Sanibel Island has over 21 miles of bike paths that traverse the island east to west and north to south.

The Island Inn now has onsite fishing, kayak and stand-up paddleboards available to rent, directly from our beach!

Sanibel Island offers a great variety of activities including beach walks, shelling, golf, biking, kayaking, fishing, wildlife estuary tours, boat tours, seasonal events, and the beaches.

The Island Inn. Because of Sanibel’s unique shape and orientation, different parts of the barrier island act like a scoop, facing toward the current from the south, west and north. As the currents run up the slopes and sandbars off Sanibel’s shoreline, they slow, turn and drop their colorful payload of whelks, conchs, olives, jujonias, cockles and tulips from all over the Gulf as well as the southern Caribbean.

Yes! Sanibel and the Island Inn is abundant in nature and wildlife! Dolphins are often seen a few hundred yards out playing right off of our beach.

The Island Inn now has onsite fishing, kayak and stand-up paddleboards available to rent, directly from our beach!

Yes! Every year in late spring, Loggerhead sea turtles arrive on Sanibel and Captiva for the nesting season. Sanibel is very protective of this species and requires all waterfront businesses to turn off all lights at night so no to confuse the turtles coming to shore to lay their eggs. Every year a few lucky guests are fortunate enough to witness the spectacle of massive 300 lbs. loggerheads making their way out of the Gulf of America and onto Sanibel’s beaches. It is a more regular occurrence to see the evidence of this majestic sea turtles journey in the early mornings, as they often leave 4 foot wide tracts behind their crawl. From the northern tip of Captiva all the way to the Sanibel Lighthouse, the beaches are checked at sunrise by volunteers who are looking for new crawl tracts or even hatchlings.

Sanibel and the Island Inn are home to 250 different kinds of seashells. There is a shell cleaning station with a shell identification guide located on-site for guest use. The most popular shells are the Lightening Whelk, Lace Murex, Florida Fighting Conch, Lettered Olive & Banded Tulip – these are known as the ‘Sanibel Six.’ Shell-seeking visitors also search for the elusive Junonia and can have their picture in the local paper if they are lucky enough to discover one during their stay.

Walking along Island Inn’s private beach at low tide is the best time to observe this creative force in action or even “save” a few specimens before they’re broken. Visit the front desk for the current tide schedule which is updated daily.

As an added bonus, the Island Inn offers daily, guided beach walks with a marine naturalist from the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum. Starting June 1, 2020, groups of 10 are taken each morning at 9 a.m. to walk the beach as they set out to discover shells and marine life.

We recommend cleaning and drying your shells before your departure and securely packing them in your luggage or utilizing the local pak-n-ship store for a hassle free way to mail them back home. Guests of the Island Inn receive a discount with their Exclusive Promotion card given at arrival.

The Mathews Lodge Luxury Suites of The Island Inn. The newest addition to the Inn’s accommodation offerings were designed to provide Sanibel Island visitors with the utmost in comfort, convenience and relaxation.

Sanibel Island is one of the premier destinations in Florida. Sanibel is nestled in a strand of barrier islands that spans the shores of the west coast of FL from Fort Myers to Boca Grande.

The Island Inn has been awarded ‘Best Hotel & Inn’ on Sanibel & Captiva islands in the annual polling of area visitors & residents completed by the Sanibel Captiva Islander since 2016.

Island Inn has been voted the best hotel on Sanibel Island, which is a great place to vacation with a family. There are activities and family friendly places to visit for families of any size and children of any age.

Established in 1895, the Island Inn is the oldest Inn on Sanibel Island. For over a century the Inn has served guests and residents on its 10 beachfront acres and pristine beach abundant in shells and silky sand, facing due South on the Gulf of America. Today, the Island Inn’s rooms, suites, and cottages that have been modernized and updated, while still retaining their old Florida feel.

No-see-ums (tiny biting midges) are a normal part of life on Florida’s barrier islands. They are most active around dawn and dusk and on calm, humid days with little wind, so the open, breezy beachfront is one of the best places to avoid them. A few tips: plan beach time when there is a sea breeze, use a repellent with DEET or picaridin, and keep screened porches and sliding glass doors closed around sunrise, sunset and overnight.

There is free WiFi in all accommodations & throughout the property (including the beach), just in case you need to check in with the world while at the Island Inn.

Each accommodation is equipped with a full kitchen for guests to use as well as the three commercial grade BBQ grills shaded by natural hammocks of palm and sea grape trees that are spread throughout the property, providing a perfect venue for Gulf front cookouts and gatherings.

As a part of our island-style hospitality, we provide free parking to all guests and never charge resort fees. Just a couple of the many benefits of staying at the Island Inn. The parking for each accommodation is just steps from the door to our cottages and hotel buildings.

Guests who book directly (not through a third party) have no resort fees. We are not responsible for any fees that guests who book through a third party receive and can not refund any charges carried out by a third party site.

There’s no denying it, Sanibel Island gets its fair share of sunshine! For our guests’ added comfort, the Island Inn provides complimentary beach chairs and beach umbrellas. The Island Inn has it all – sun, surf, seashells & shade!

One night room and tax is required for all hotel room reservations, two nights room/tax is required for all cottages, and 25% of the total stay is required for all monthly vacation homes.

We accept cash, Visa, Master Card, American Express and Discover.

Check in time is 3 p.m. and Check out is 11 a.m. You may stay on the property and enjoy the facilities through the rest of the day.

Room reservations cancelled or modified within five days of your arrival date and cottage reservations cancelled or modified within 30 days of your arrival date will result in full forfeiture of your deposit. A fee of $35.00 applies to all other cancelled room and cottage reservations. Monthly vacation homes cancelled or modified within 90 days of your arrival date result in a full forfeiture of deposit. A fee of $250 applies to all other cancelled monthly vacation home reservations. No-shows and early departures will be charged 100% of original total stay amount.

There is a 6.5% Florida Sales Tax and 5% County Tax added to the quoted rates per day. There are no additional fees besides taxes for guests who book direct. We are not responsible for any fees for guests who book through a third party receive and can not refund any charges carried out by a third party site.

There are no pets or emotional support animals allowed at the Island Inn.

The minimum age to book a reservation at the Island Inn is 25 years of age.

All rack rates are double occupancy. Additional guests will be charged onto your reservation as follows: $18 per day per adult, $15 per day per child – December 20 through April 24. $12 per day per adult, $10 per day per child – April 25 through December 20.

No, we do not offer senior, veteran or group discounts.

Yes. Matthews and Starky Lodge studios and suites are open. Construction is daytime-only and in areas separate from guest rooms.

No, it is family-friendly. The booking guest must be 25 or older; this is a reservation policy, not an adults-only rule.

Free WiFi, free parking, complimentary beach chairs/umbrellas/towels, daily housekeeping, onsite kayak/SUP/bike rentals, BBQ grills, laundry, full kitchens; no resort fees or parking fees on direct bookings.

Yes, onsite laundry.

Yes, full daily housekeeping.

Yes; all units include full kitchens and Gulf views.

Sanibel beaches typically do have lifeguards.

No smoking in the rooms, porches or grounds.