David Kelly Consulting

For the past two and a half years, it feels like Ft. Myers Beach has not been able to catch its breath.

In 2022, Hurricane Ian roared ashore in late September, delivering the type of destructive blow that most current residents had simply never seen. As if that were not enough, just when things were on the way back to some sense of normal, 2024’s three-headed monster of storms Debby, Helene, and Milton flooded the island with more sea and sand. During this historic two-year period, many homes and businesses were utterly destroyed. Jobs were lost and people were displaced. The landscape of this paradise and the lives of its inhabitants were altered forever.

But humans are a resilient species, and we cannot be kept down for long. Stories began to circulate of beaches being renourished, businesses reopening, and tourists and residents alike reemerging into the Southwest Florida sunshine. Central to the rebirth of the island was one consistent entity – Margaritaville Beach Resort.

In the planning and development phase for almost ten years, the Margaritaville Beach Resort near the north end of Ft. Myers Beach was in the framing stage when Hurricane Ian made landfall. While the damage from this catastrophic storm was certainly major, some experts have speculated that this circumstance actually may have slightly mitigated the issues that the property could have encountered had it been complete, allowing final construction to move forward without the need to gut the entire resort.

TPI Hospitality, owners of the Margaritaville Beach Resort, hosted an opening day party on December 7th, 2023 – a mere 14 months after the devastating storm - inviting beach residents, community partners, and media to attend and learn about this new island gem. Word spread quickly of the resort’s tropical allure and beachy charm, and it opened to an eager public four days later. With a construction budget north of $200 million and encompassing over seven acres of idyllic bliss, this world-class property was finally up and running … only to come face to face with the 2024 hurricane season.

In a 9-week period during the fall of last year, Tropical Storm Debby and Hurricanes Helene and Milton took aim at Southwest Florida. Huge winds and storm surge from these three powerful storms inundated the beach areas with sand and water, flooding low-lying areas and setting back much of the progress that the island had made after Hurricane Ian’s destruction. Multiple tons of beach sand washed into the resort’s huge seaside pool not once but twice, yet the resolute Margaritaville team quickly had the space cleaned out and reopened. Throughout this challenging time, resort teams worked hard to address the storm damages, and the property was never closed for more than a few days for maintenance and repair.

We headed to Ft. Myers Beach to see what Margaritaville Beach Resort had to offer - and how much they had persevered through these hardships.

(Continue reading below photos).

Despite what folks may think, Jimmy Buffett, the author and musician that wrote and sang the hit song “Margaritaville,” doesn’t actually own this property. His company owns the brand, and they lease out the rights to the catchy name to folks who own properties such as the Margaritaville Beach Resort at Ft. Myers Beach. They then lean into the chill vibe that Jimmy crafted during his years in the music industry, allowing that tropical, laid-back feel to permeate the resorts’ look and attitude.

Nothing captures the feel and spirit of Buffett’s music quite like being offered a complimentary margarita upon checking in to your room, so we immediately knew that we were in the right place. Another nod to our destination was the huge flip-flop statue in the lobby, a tribute to the legendary line “I blew out my flip-flop, stepped on a pop-top” in that classic Margaritaville song. Fittingly, every Margaritaville Resort around the world features this statue, with each one being its own unique color.

The resort boasts an incredible 254 rooms to choose from, and each one of them has a spacious balcony attached – many with breathtaking gulf views. From cozy single rooms to the spacious “Son of a Sailor” family suites, each is decorated in a soothing beach color palette and boasts amenities galore. Guests can enjoy the well-appointed fitness center, and the resort offers free bicycle rentals so you can leisurely explore the island.

The resort itself is divided by the island’s main road, Estero Boulevard, but there is a wide overhead foot bridge that provides safe passage for guests. On the south side of the road, the property consists of guest rooms, the Fins Up! Beach Club and pool area, and access to the beach and the Gulf of Mexico beyond. The property’s north side includes more rooms, the St. Somewhere Spa, and the expansive Sunset Terrace - a hotbed of resort activity and home of the License to Chill bar and grill.

A day at Fins Up! Beach Club has it all. Beach chairs and private cabanas line the sprawling lagoon pool area and sundeck, while guests choose between three separate restaurants that provide food and cocktails. The JWB Grill combines casual sophistication with a laid-back island vibe. The Lah-De-Dah Beach Bar offers food, drink, and live entertainment, and the 5 O’Clock Somewhere bar and grill serves up poolside food and frozen cocktails. There is also live music every day, including their famous dance parties, as well as multiple amusing contests throughout the week.

If you are worried about the effect that the storms have had on this sandy island paradise, put those fears aside. Restoration of this island’s glorious coastline has been underway for months, and Margaritaville Beach Resort’s slice of the beach actually has more clean white sand than before. Margaritas in hand, we constantly discovered more to explore, see, and do.

If you are looking for another tropical activity on the beach, head back over the Matanzas Pass Bridge to Salty Sam’s Marina. Tucked into Matanzas Harbor, this busy marina weathered the storm seasons and has come out the other side active and full of excitement. In addition to their iconic tiki bar and restaurant, Parrot Key Caribbean Grill, they also offer water excursions, such as their Florida Pirate and Sight Sea-R Cruises.

Sight Sea-R Cruises provided us with a fantastic new way to see the area - from the water! They feature multiple types of excursions, including dolphin, sunset, and eco-tour trips. Our outing transported us through the scenic backwaters of the Southwest Florida islands and out to the Gulf, allowing us to take in the charming coastline ambiance. And chances are that on your trip you will notice like we did that even the local dolphins have come back home after the storms.

We encourage you to head to the beach and check it out. When you get to the Margaritaville Beach Resort, just grab yourself a cocktail and put your toes in the sand. It’s 5 O’Clock somewhere!

ROUND UP

Margaritaville Beach Resort at Ft. Myers Beach

www.MargaritavilleResorts.com

Salty Sam’s Marina

Changes in Latitudes and Attitudes

Moving Forward in Margaritaville

THE RESORT OPENS - AND OPENS

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