FL - Periwinkle Park & Campground, SANIBEL

Ron & Alice · 10-20-2009, 11:15 AM

This park should be a 5 Star! It is lovely, beautifully maintained & clean. The sites are large, and bright. There is a bird sanctuary right within the park with a bonified 'bird-lady' taking care of injured birds.

There are lots of classes including tshirt painting, as well as Happy Hour almost every night. They host nature films as well, since one of their regulars is an avid bird-watcher and naturalist.

You can rent bikes from this old guy in the park for $25/week, OR buy them for $35 (yup, do the math!) and return them when finished. You will most likely want bikes to tour the Island or to bike down to the beach for sunsets. If you like the beach, seashells, birds or nature - this is the place to be!

OhhWell · 04-05-2011, 07:00 AM

We just camped there for 6 Days over Spring break with the kids. It was great. The whole island has such a great underdeveloped feel to it. Although we didn't see anyone renting bikes in the park, Ran and Alice's reveiw is right on. Great campground and they probably don'
t even have to be as they are the only one on the island.

We did not reserve very early so we were lucky to get even one of the spots out by the front office. Interestingly, we wound up being very happy with that spot since we had kids. To explain further, the main portion of the park is for permanent residents. The other side of the park is for rentals and is quite nice. The tent area is segmented by greenery and is also pretty nice. Out in front of the main gate, are 3 pull in full hookup slots labeled A B and C. We had C which was closest to the road. The good thing though was this leaves a very large grassy area for the kids to play on and not annoy the older crowd that seemed to dominate the Main RV area. Also, the bike path was right there as well.

Expect to be snubbed by most of the full time residents if you offer a cheerfull hello in the morning. THey are not nasty, just aloof and probably don't want to be bothered by us transients after so many years. Also, there is one lady on the staff that is downright nasty but the rest seem to be extra nice to counter ballance her dark cloud of misery. The owner himself helped me back the 28 ft beast into the slot without taking out the office. The main RV area was more of an older crowd when we were there and the Happy hour event was a bit awkward for younger adults like us. Also, there was alot of "Happiness" being enjoyed by a few and some could hold it better than others...

The Bird show is about an Hour and great! The birds are also there in the center wildlife area all day if you want to stop by and say hi or pet some of the ones that are friendly through the cage. I would suggest attending the show first to find out which are safe to touch. There is a "Free Stuff" table in the RV area that our kids loved taking and giving things to.

As was mentioned, Bikes are pretty much a necesity on Sanibel. There is realy only one main road and that is bumper to bumper from dawn till dusk. There are bike paths everywhere and bikes are given the right of way at the numerous crosswalks throughout. Even though we didn't see a rental in the Park, there are a couple bike rental spots on the island not far from the campground. We just brought our own.

The Island is very underdeveloped by design. It's best to bring as much as you can with you. There is a hefty toll and long bridge to the mainland. There is a convenience and liquer store very close to the campground main entrance and a smaller non-chain supermarket about 10-15 bike ride away if you do need suplies however.

We took alot of pictures and I will have to upload them later in the week when I can plop myself down in front of the computer for a bit.

Jim-Bev-2363 · 04-05-2011, 08:25 AM

Old people are aloof because we're so old and there isn't really much time left to invest in new relationships. As for the right of way being given to the crosswalks, I think it is more that the right of way is taken. Ever drive through the Wall-Mart parking lot during rush hour? Us old folks hope to get hit. It will at the least give us a paid vacation in the most expensive, personal care facility around. At most it will take us from all the extra debt during this 'recession'. Whatever!

Ofcourse that was posted in jest and with a big smile on my face. Thanks for the Sanibel review. Now for those pixs.

jim

OhhWell · 04-09-2011, 12:23 PM

Well, I posted a few pics in the Photos section but I must have reached my limit overall. I will have to make a photobucket account or something to put more up later.

http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/me...albums131.html

kanyonkitty · 04-09-2011, 01:52 PM

Yikes !!! How long does it take you to break camp and be ready to roll ? Looks like a lot of stuff to get together. I'm sure you have an "attack plan" to get it done

I have become a member of the "Less is more club".

Kitty

Jim-Bev-2363 · 04-09-2011, 03:53 PM

But it does look like you had a fun trip. The only place we've been on Sanibel is the lighthouse, I think at the South end of the island. It was only a day trip since we stayed over in Fort Myers to explore the area.

How many is in your crew? Looks like a full house, but a fun one.

Kitty, I've only hooked up this T2363 a few times and it seems I will have to do the 'getting ready' in steps. Unhook to dry camp position, pack away setup blocks/jacks/hoses/cords, connect to vehicle, drive away. Oldman needs rest between jobs, LOL! Wifey and I both are disabled but do keep up if given enough time.

jim

OhhWell · 04-10-2011, 01:34 PM

Yes, it is a bit much isn't it? If I had my way we would be short a few things. That big canopy for over the picnic table would be the first to go.

It's not as bad as it looks though. We spend about an hour the night before breaking most of it down. The majority just goes in the storage area under the bed. In the AM we put the little table in, roll up the astro-turf and stow the bikes.

We are a family of 4 but my wife's parents came down for the first 2 nights. We let them stay in the bedroom and we shared the Dinette at night. That was a little rough.