'Tween Waters Island Resort & Spa

The date is September 28th, 2022. The time is 4:35pm. And Hurricane Ian is making landfall in Southwest Florida as a Category 4 storm, roaring over Captiva Island and into Charlotte Harbor with sustained winds of over 130 miles per hour and gusts of 150 mph.

The historically destructive storm has an eye that measures over 25 miles wide, and its counter-clockwise winds push water ashore with a storm surge as high as 12 feet. 

Ian is a catastrophic event not seen on Southwest Florida’s barrier islands for nearly a century.

Fresh water is unavailable for days. The power grid on Sanibel and Captiva Islands is down for weeks, leaving the remaining residents sweltering in the summer heat during the days and cloaked in darkness at night. A return to “normalcy” is the furthest thing from anybody’s mind.

Except for Tony Lapi and Doug Babcock of Sanibel Captiva Beach Resorts, owners of ‘Tween Waters Island Resort & Spa on Captiva Island. 

ESTABLISHED IN 1931

With almost a century of history on its side, restoring this iconic property was a high priority for both the Sanibel Captiva Beach Resorts team and island locals. The original ‘Tween Waters Inn was established in 1931 by F. Bowman and Grace B. Price as single building between the waters of Pine Island Sound and the Gulf of Mexico. 

Over the ensuing 30 years it expanded to include cottages and a marina and quickly evolved into a winter tourist destination for wealthy and famous Northerners, including conservationist and Pulitzer-Prize winning political cartoonist Jay Norwood “Ding” Darling. Darling later helped to establish Sanibel’s National Wildlife Refuge, which now bears his name. The Inn was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.

Despite island-wide destruction from Ian, the ‘Tween Waters team leapt into action immediately after the storm, spending four weeks assessing the damage to the rooms and cottages, multiple restaurants, and the 13 acres of gulf-front property. They put a restoration plan together to clean and rebuild with the staff that they could keep, including some who rode the storm out on site. This is especially impressive considering that virtually all the staff were facing personal challenges of their own, including damaged homes and disrupted family lives.  (Continue reading below photos). 

Three weeks after the storm, a temporary Sanibel Causeway – the lone road providing access to Captiva and Sanibel islands - opened to electric infrastructure crews, and soon after began allowing residents, business owners, and service contractors onto the islands during daylight hours. 

Once the resort was up and running, 'Tween Waters Island Resort & Spa officially reopened on November 16 to overnight guests with approved access to the islands. This move made the property Captiva Island's first resort to welcome locals, first responders and other approved parties back to the island. Two weeks later, on December 1, the resort re-opened its doors to outside guests. 

The island-wide curfew was lifted on Jan 1 and the Sanibel Causeway opened to all residents and visitors the next day, months ahead of even the most optimistic of predictions. ‘Tween Waters guests were welcomed by an enthusiastic staff that had experienced the worst storm in island history and come out whole on the other side.  

 WHAT TO EXPECT

What will visitors find when they come to ‘Tween Waters Island Resort & Spa now?

Incredibly, all 137 of the resort’s rooms are renovated and open. Accommodations include guest rooms, suites, studio apartments, and individual beach cottages. Many of the rooms look out over the twin onsite pools, also providing easy access to the rebuilt marina facilities for fishing and boating. 

The Oasis Pool Bar & Grill is open all day and presents a delicious menu of island favorites and cocktails, all with a tropical ambiance. You can rent a pool cabana and stay out of the direct sun if you choose. 

The Inn also offers an incredible array of activities for guests, including swimming, kayaking, paddleboarding, biking, pickleball, tennis and more, all accessible onsite. 

We stayed in the Ding Darling Studio cottage, mere steps away from the serene and welcoming Gulf beach. The proximity of this cottage and others to the sandy shore offers beachgoers the opportunity to enjoy lounge chairs and beach umbrellas, and numerous activities such as parasailing and wave runner rentals are available for the adventurous.

The beaches across from the resort are quiet and relaxing, with guests enjoying the ambiance created by the lesser number of resort facilities in the area for now. This is especially exciting to those who come to the area to experience the world-class shelling that the island is famous for, searching for new specimens that washed ashore during Ian’s turmoil. 

INCREDIBLE NEW SPACES

The ‘Tween Waters team took advantage of the rebuilding opportunity to create some incredible new spaces at the resort. In July 2023, The Shipyard restaurant debuted, serving breakfast, dinner, and drinks to guests and locals. This new structure includes the Crow’s Nest Steakhouse, a second-floor dining experience that delivers dramatic breathtaking gulf-front vistas and sunsets. 

In addition, the resort is still home to The Old Captiva House, where Executive Chef Greg Nelson and staff offer up exceptional dining and a casual island vibe in upscale contemporary surroundings that combine an adventurous menu with fresh Florida seafood and more. The building itself dates back more than a century and is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. 

Many attractions and activities on the islands are slowly reopening, including J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel. Host to an average of 500 visitors a day before the storm, the property is slowly attracting more guests to its still lush grounds. Signs of last year’s destruction are visible, but so is the healing that the islands are experiencing as they put Hurricane Ian in their rear view mirror. 

The ‘Tween Waters Island Resort & Spa continues to stand as testament to the strong will of management, staff, and local islanders in the face of such a challenging event. Visiting the resort is inspiring and joyful, so make plans to stop by soon. 

Relax, gather a shell or two, and catch a world-class sunset on this tiny but mighty island.

‘Tween Waters Island Resort & Spa

15951 Captiva Drive

Captiva, Florida 33924

800.223.5865

www.Tween-Waters.com