Southwest Florida beaches are internationally recognized for the opportunities they offer visitors to enjoy nature, and to relax on family friendly beaches. Here are a few of the top beach locations in Southwest Florida ranked highly by respected travel information sources:

Sanibel Island

• Named one of the Top Shelling Beaches, Travel & Leisure magazine, July 2008
• Ranks among the "world's best islands," National Geographic Traveler magazine, 2007 Places Rated

Lover's Key

• Listed by CoastalLiving.com among its Top 10 Romantic Retreats.

Cayo Costa

• Ranks as one of Boating World magazine's "Great Escapes."
• Cayo Costa Beach recently named among the world's best "hidden beaches," Conde Nast Traveler magazine.

All three islands above are "must see" beaches in Southwest Florida. Sanibel offers miles and miles of shell covered beaches and a wide selection of resorts and beach cottages.

Cayo Costa is a State Park and is completely undeveloped. You can take a boat trip from Sanibel to visit beautiful Cayo Costa for the day.

Lover's Key is an island just to the south of Fort Myers Beach (Estero Island). It is also a State Park. Conveniently located right across the street is Lover's Key Resort, with beautiful views of Estero Bay.

Travel resources:

VISITFLORIDA.com Sanibel

VISITFLORIDA.com Lover's Key

FortMyersSanibel.com

David McRee
Florida Beaches Expert