My husband and I stayed in Beach's Edge which is a beach house that's part of NCIC May 2nd- 9th. It was so close to the water that the sound of the rushing waves could be heard all day and night from anywhere in the house even with the doors and windows closed. It was a small house and was perfect for just the two of us and would also be great for a small family with a couple of kids. My husband had great luck fishing and caught mostly Spanish Mackeral and Sea Trout which were both excellent to eat. This was by far our most low key vacation. Usually on vacation we go off on exciting "touristy" adventures but not on this trip. We mostly just fished, walked the beach picking up seashells which were amazing in size, shapes, and colors, and rode around on the sandy lanes in our golf cart looking at all of the adorable pastel colored beach homes. There are a few good restaurants on the island. Over the Waterfront was our favorite. Is is a tiny place that actually extends over the water and the chef there Dave is excellent. A couple of times we were the only customers there and he totally catered to our every wish. The Boathouse restaurant was delicious as well. Their Chef is very talented as well. We were the only people there as well and it's also a very small place. The most popular restaurant is Barnacle Phil's. It is super casual and the decor and furnishings are very out dated but the food more than makes up for it. It was very delicious every time we ate there. Kathy is great. They should take all of the dollar bills down from the walls and use the money to remodel! There's also a pool bar but we never ate there. We ate at Mango's for breakfast our last day and it was good. We loved all of the wildlife on the island. We saw a bald eagle in it's nest, lots of egrets, herrings, ospreys, pelicans, and other interesting birds that we've never even seen before. We got to see the Manatee family which stays over in the small dock area where there is a house called Sunny Side Up. They love fresh water so you can bring a big jug of water for them. We also saw a sting ray jump out of the water right in front of our house and many gopher tortoises just strolling along. There are two pools and a jacuzzi at the resort. One of the pools is huge and was over favorite for swimming. The General Store is adequate enough for all of your basic needs. The Boats and Fun gift shop and equipment rental store was great. We rented movies and got bait there. We kayaked through the bay one day and that was fun. The resort lets you use them for free and you can also use their bikes but sand is hard to ride on when it gets thick so we opted not to ride them. We did a hike through the reserve and that was neat. The foliage is very lush. Most times we were the only people on the beach. This was the most relaxing vacation ever. We must have really needed a break from the real world and I can't think of a better place to completely escape.

My family--three generations of us--stayed on North Captiva in a house rented through North Captiva Island Club (NCIC) Resort. I travel a fair amount and do a lot of research before booking anything. I can honesty say that NCIC exceeded my expectations and fully deserves a five-star rating for accommodation and value. The island is an exceptional vacation spot with a lot to do for all--beautiful pools (at our house and the resort), basketball, beach, tennis. But the most fun had to be just tearing around the island in golf carts (no cars allowed on the island). It worked for all--kids, parents, and grandparents.

The house we stayed in was beautiful, well appointed, and well cared for. The resort staff took care of everything from delivering us to our door to delivering extra towels and some WD-40. We had one small house mishap (a freak natural disaster), and an entire staff was at our door literally within five minutes of the alerting phone call. They did not leave until the problem was completely resolved. They checked back later to make sure everything was ok. All with honest good cheer, not the plastered-on smiles you usually encounter.

I would not hesitate to recommend the resort (I've already sent a few friends) and I intend to return. Although you can book a house directly from the owner, doing so does not gain you access to the resort benefits (pool, carts, basketball, ferry pick up and delivery). In my opinion, it's worth whatever extra money it may be to book through the resort for the full vacation experience.

I just wanted to say "Thank you!" to everyone @ NCIC and Island Girl Charters for a great week. My girlfriend (now fiancee) had a wonderful time. Couldn't have asked for a better place to propose. Quiet, secluded, pristine beaches, great food, friendly service... you name it...

We had a blast, from the night golf cart trips, to the sunsets in the hot tub, to the several mile beach hikes, to the dolphins playing in the wake of the charter boat. My fiancee and I will remember this week fondly for the rest of our lives! Thanks again,
MIke & Carolyn

My husband and I brought our 10 and 12 year-old daughters here for a long weekend in November and all four of us had a great time. We really didn't know what to expect, but the island is just beautiful. We saw so much wildlife and on the suggestion of Andrew, our manager/waiter/tour guide, we took the kayaks out to the sandbar where there were tons of sand dollars, conchs and fish. We saw dolphins in the bay and so many birds (ospreys, bald eagles, great blue herons). The shells all over the beach are unbelievable. Our house was perfect and right on the beach. The food at the restaurants was great and James, our chef/bartender/football game provider, made the best blackened fish sandwich I've ever had. The staff was always friendly and willing to help out with whatever you needed.

This was the perfect place for some relaxing "family time" and a lot of nature. We will definitely return!